August 21, 2020

Lewis Cantley awarded Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research 2020

for Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine

Johnson & Johnson Celebrates Role of Scientists In Society with 2020 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research, Part of the Champions of Science® Initiative - Lewis Cantley, Ph.D. Named 2020 Award Winner for the Discovery of PI3K Enzyme and its Role in Wide Range of Diseases from Diabetes to Cancer

July 7, 2020

Colorectal cancer discovery raises hope for microbiome treatment

by Amy LeBlanc
for BioVox

A new mechanism causing colorectal cancer has been discovered by researchers from VIB and Ghent University. A specific protein was found to affect the integrity of the intestinal wall, allowing infiltrating bacteria to cause inflammation that drives cancer progression. Promisingly, the scientists also demonstrated that manipulating the immune system or microbiome can prevent this chain event, findings that may lead to new treatments for colorectal cancer.

May 5, 2020

Cell therapies: opportunities and challenges

Recent activities in the cell therapy field have prompted many investment funds to pour fresh and increasing capital into this space. In this review, we share some observations and highlight a few of the questions that arise when new modalities cross the bridge from bench to bed.

February 20, 2020

Montis Biosciences launched with €8.4 million seed financing and a novel approach to immuno-oncology

for BioVox

Leuven, Belgium, Feb 20th 2020 - Montis Biosciences announces its launch with €8,4 million in seed financing from an international investor syndicate to investigate interactions between perivascular macrophages and tumor vasculature. The company’s mission is to exploit these cellular interactions with therapeutics to drive and sustain immune reactions against solid tumors.

September 23, 2019

Fresh insights into the future of cell therapy

by Amy LeBlanc
for BioVox

The first edition of Science for health was held in the heart of Brussels on 11th September 2019 with a focus on cell therapy. The event attracted over 300 researchers, clinicians and industry professionals active in the the local or international cell therapy ecosystem. Top-speakers provided interesting insights into the current state of cell therapy in Belgium, as well as requirements for further progress. Collaboration, especially outside of the traditional partnerships, is key.

July 17, 2019

Living on the edge: the challenge of doing things differently in cell therapy

by Amy LeBlanc
for BioVox

Belgian company Celyad is a trailblazer in oncology: its T cell therapies based on NK receptors are cutting edge even for CAR-T. At the Science for health event in September the visionary Christian Homsy, former Celyad CEO, will be presenting one of the keynote talks. In this BioVox interview, we asked him to share his thoughts on the challenges faced by a company that’s pushing boundaries in the oncology space.

June 27, 2019

Betting big on blood screens for early cancer detection

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) just held their annual gathering in Chicago. The event coincided with some interesting new developments in the field of early cancer detection, as well as news of significant new investments in the oncology space.

June 14, 2019

Miracle microchips improving cell therapy manufacturing

by Amy LeBlanc
for BioVox

A microchip engineer might seem like an odd fit for a keynote speaker at an event focused on cell therapy, but at Science for health Peter Peumans will be presenting one of the day’s visionary talks. Peumans will draw on his experience with the tech powerhouse imec to give us an insider’s perspective on the role new chip technologies may soon take on in the cell therapy field.

May 29, 2019

OCTIMET Oncology tackling cancer with a new captain at the helm

In this article, V-Bio Ventures introduces one of their portfolio companies, OCTIMET. This Belgian oncology startup just added a new member to its executive team, with the appointment of Shelley Margetson as CEO. It’s exciting times for OCTIMET, who are gearing up for a series B with their sights set on potential partners in China.