Belgium has strong biobanks, but many still experience the system as fragmented and hard to navigate when conducting biomedical research. Experts in Belgium are arguing that we need to treat biobanks as shared infrastructure — data-rich platforms with predictable access, sustainable funding, and governance built around patient trust.
Big pharma may be powerful, profitable, and global, but it cannot rely on scale alone to secure the future of medicine. As patents expire and blockbuster revenues decline, pharmaceutical companies increasingly depend on biotech startups to generate new ideas, products, and platforms. Yet many early-stage biotechs are struggling to raise the capital they need to survive. If that trend persists, the consequences will reach far beyond startups — weakening pharma pipelines and delaying future health solutions for patients.
Cooling is often treated as a stable constant in pharmaceutical processes — until its fails. Deviations rarely happen unexpectedly; they develop gradually and often go unnoticed for too long. By the time they are detected, product quality may already be compromised. So how can companies ensure that their cooling systems remain stable in real-world conditions?
Antwerp researcher Rosa Rademakers has won the Breakthrough Prize in the US — one of the world’s most prestigious science awards. Rademakers received the prize and more than 2.5 million euros for her groundbreaking discovery that a rare genetic mutation plays a key role in both frontotemporal dementia and ALS.
Europe has long positioned itself as a global leader in life sciences. With world-class research institutions and a steady pipeline of scientific breakthroughs, that claim is well founded. But at the heart of the ecosystem, there is a growing disconnect. Is Europe equipped to build and retain globally competitive companies, or is it just a generator of innovation for others to scale?
Biodol Therapeutics is aiming to ease the burden of chronic pain for millions of patients around the globe. The company is developing a unique new drug with a dual function: a non-opioid standalone treatment for neuropathic pain or migraine, but also a combination therapy with opioids. By reversing opioid tolerance, Biodol’s compound eliminates the need for higher doses, making these powerful drugs safer and more effective at alleviating suffering.
Farmers rely heavily on chemical fertilizers to boost crop yields, but this approach comes at a cost to soil quality, biodiversity, and plant fertility. Soil microbes may provide greener alternatives to help plants grow better under tough conditions like drought by triggering faster growth and earlier flowering. The intended result? Improved crop yields when water is scarce.
With the rapid rise of Chinese biopharma, this ‘new kid on the block’ has gone from baby to behemoth on the world stage. This powerhouse of innovation and industry is now turning heads in both the US and Europe, having transformed from copycat to top dog in the space of just a few years. How has China done it, and what can Europe do in response?
Insect pests are a major cause of quality and economic losses in agriculture. Due to policy constraints that aim for a greener future, the use of general pesticides is being phased out, and a push towards species-specific pesticides and biological control methods is being promoted. But these methods require the pest species to first be identified, which is costly. AI could help speed up this process, thus reducing costs and helping us push towards a greener tomorrow.
Belgium has strong biobanks, but many still experience the system as fragmented and hard to navigate when conducting biomedical research. Experts in Belgium are arguing that we need to treat biobanks as shared infrastructure — data-rich platforms with predictable access, sustainable funding, and governance built around patient trust.
Big pharma may be powerful, profitable, and global, but it cannot rely on scale alone to secure the future of medicine. As patents expire and blockbuster revenues decline, pharmaceutical companies increasingly depend on biotech startups to generate new ideas, products, and platforms. Yet many early-stage biotechs are struggling to raise the capital they need to survive. If that trend persists, the consequences will reach far beyond startups — weakening pharma pipelines and delaying future health solutions for patients.
Cooling is often treated as a stable constant in pharmaceutical processes — until its fails. Deviations rarely happen unexpectedly; they develop gradually and often go unnoticed for too long. By the time they are detected, product quality may already be compromised. So how can companies ensure that their cooling systems remain stable in real-world conditions?
Antwerp researcher Rosa Rademakers has won the Breakthrough Prize in the US — one of the world’s most prestigious science awards. Rademakers received the prize and more than 2.5 million euros for her groundbreaking discovery that a rare genetic mutation plays a key role in both frontotemporal dementia and ALS.
Europe has long positioned itself as a global leader in life sciences. With world-class research institutions and a steady pipeline of scientific breakthroughs, that claim is well founded. But at the heart of the ecosystem, there is a growing disconnect. Is Europe equipped to build and retain globally competitive companies, or is it just a generator of innovation for others to scale?
Biodol Therapeutics is aiming to ease the burden of chronic pain for millions of patients around the globe. The company is developing a unique new drug with a dual function: a non-opioid standalone treatment for neuropathic pain or migraine, but also a combination therapy with opioids. By reversing opioid tolerance, Biodol’s compound eliminates the need for higher doses, making these powerful drugs safer and more effective at alleviating suffering.
Farmers rely heavily on chemical fertilizers to boost crop yields, but this approach comes at a cost to soil quality, biodiversity, and plant fertility. Soil microbes may provide greener alternatives to help plants grow better under tough conditions like drought by triggering faster growth and earlier flowering. The intended result? Improved crop yields when water is scarce.
With the rapid rise of Chinese biopharma, this ‘new kid on the block’ has gone from baby to behemoth on the world stage. This powerhouse of innovation and industry is now turning heads in both the US and Europe, having transformed from copycat to top dog in the space of just a few years. How has China done it, and what can Europe do in response?
Insect pests are a major cause of quality and economic losses in agriculture. Due to policy constraints that aim for a greener future, the use of general pesticides is being phased out, and a push towards species-specific pesticides and biological control methods is being promoted. But these methods require the pest species to first be identified, which is costly. AI could help speed up this process, thus reducing costs and helping us push towards a greener tomorrow.