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Discovery and research, Industrial application, Technology and digital innovation

ATMPs & Nuclear Medicine: Wallonia’s strengths on display with BioWin on Tour

Buses full of innovators, lab doors wide open and conversations to spark collaboration—that’s the vibe for BioWin on Tour on 24 September 2025, co-organized with AWEX. It’ll be a whirlwind visit to two of Wallonia’s flagship science hubs: LégiaPark and BioPark Charleroi, focusing on the region’s twin strengths of ATMPs and nuclear medicine.

The benefits of One Health in Flanders

Biovia is Europe’s first industry-led One Health innovation cluster—uniting medical biotech, medtech, digital health, agtech and industrial biotech to advance human and planetary health. Katrien Lorré explains how this unified approach benefits companies by unlocking opportunities and fostering a better environment for health innovation.

From idea to patient: how QbD Group empowers life sciences across Europe

Bringing a life science innovation to market is a complex journey, one that requires more than just scientific expertise. It involves working through a demanding regulatory landscape, managing clinical trials, ensuring operational compliance, and maintaining a continuous focus on quality. BioVox’s partner the QbD Group understands these challenges firsthand, because they’ve been guiding life science companies towards success for over a decade.

From startup survivor to sector leader: MRM Health CEO’s advice for fellow entrepreneurs at BioWin Days

In the space of just a few years, MRM Health has transformed from a challenger in the emerging microbiome therapeutics field to a global forerunner. CEO Sam Possemiers has steered the Belgian company through the rollercoaster of scientific uncertainty and investor skepticism to reach what he calls the “slope of enlightenment.” Now, with late-stage clinical trials ahead and a new important funding round within reach, Possemiers is sharing his lessons-learned with other biotech CEOs.

Life in plastic – not so fantastic

Researchers are sounding the alarm – there could be as much as a spoon’s worth of plastic inside our brain. Industrial activity, tire dust, lost fishing gear, and excessive use of disposable plastics are important drivers of microplastic pollution in our environment and, ultimately, in our bodies. While the full impact on human health is still being investigated, the fact that these particles can migrate into deeper tissues of our brain, crossing the blood-brain barrier, is worrying to say the least.

Belgian research pushes the boundaries of coronavirus treatment to prevent the next pandemic

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) SARS-CoV-2 is experiencing a resurgence, with the risk of future outbreaks from emerging variants remaining substantial. To stay ahead of the curve, continued investment in both preventative measures and novel therapies is vital. Groundbreaking Belgian research is leading the way with high-potential compounds targeting SARS-CoV-2, offering a promising new avenue for treatment and pandemic preparedness.

How the ‘Google Maps’ of human cells could change the future of globally inclusive medicine

The Human Cell Atlas is an international effort to create a map of the 37 trillion cells of the healthy human body cell by cell, tissue by tissue. If that sounds like an overwhelming task, you’d be right… But with researchers now leveraging high-throughput single-cell and spatial transcriptomic technologies to investigate cells from diverse human populations, we’re creeping ever closer to our destination and the ‘cell nav’ of the future. Read on to find out where we are and where we’re heading on our journey on one of the most transformative scientific endeavors since the complete sequencing of the human genome. Thankfully, visions like One Health aim to lead multiple sectors, disciplines, and communities in the right direction to find sustainable non-human-centric solutions to these challenges. Let’s take a look at what One Health is and how the EU and Belgium are playing their part.

Welcome to the Dark Genome: The next untapped frontier of medicine

The vast majority of drug development focuses on the two percent of the human genome that codes for proteins. While functional proteins are obvious low-hanging fruits for therapeutics, an untapped world of potent drug targets patiently waits in the shadows. Now, researchers and pharmaceutical companies from Belgium and beyond are gradually unraveling the secrets of the dark genome to find novel medicines for a wide range of disorders, including cancer, neurodegeneration, and obesity.

The intertwined nature of human and animal health

The world is more interconnected than ever. But our global network goes beyond humans: the health of all people on Earth is intimately dependent on the wellbeing of our ecosystems – our animals, plants, microbes, and the atmosphere that sustains us all. In this article, Belgian veterinary scientist Jan Spaas shares his thoughts on the ‘One Health’ approach from the WHO, and the bi-directional link between human and animal health.

When ignorance isn’t bliss – more knowledge is crucial to combat deadly Candida auris fungus 

Infectious diseases are commonly associated with bacteria and viruses. However, fungi should also be added to this list as there is growing concern that antifungal resistance could be the next global challenge. Moreover, because fungi are eukaryotic like humans, developing targeted treatments without causing toxicity to the host presents a significant challenge. The World Health Organization has recently published its first list of health-threatening fungi. This list aims to promote research to enhance the global response to fungal infections and the growing issue of antifungal resistance. One ‘high-priority’ fungus in particular, Candida auris, has mycologists holding their breath due to its rapid global spread and multidrug resistance.

Biodiversity on the brink: How environmental DNA can help 

Environments are scattered with the DNA of the organisms that inhabit them. Analyzing this DNA could shine a spotlight on how our planet’s biodiversity is changing, from studies in the depths of the oceans to the frigid polar regions. From a One Health perspective, biodiversity is crucial to promoting healthy ecosystems and healthy people. But, while methods that sequence environmental DNA (eDNA) are increasingly powerful in detecting species without direct observation, we need increasingly powerful algorithms to make sense of the complex DNA world around us to truly protect our planet's biodiversity.

Fighting antimicrobial resistance: How public and private investment is essential 

The UN has declared antimicrobial resistance (AMR) one of the ten major threats to humanity. In Belgium, AMR is associated with around 8000 deaths per year and contributes to an estimated 4.95 million global human deaths annually, set to almost double by 2050. Unfortunately, there are worryingly few novel antimicrobials in development, and even fewer are currently available to patients with severe infections who need them most. Why?

Drug Repurposing: Finding New Roles for Old Medicines 

Drug repurposing describes the process where drugs originally designed for one condition turn out to be highly effective for another. Historically, drug repurposing has often occurred by chance. However, in the era of big data and artificial intelligence, new data-driven opportunities are arising to discover new roles for old medicines and help patients in unexpected ways.

The race for biotech talent – innovate or fall behind 

Belgium has long been and remains a global leader in biotech and biopharma, for now at least. The question is: can it maintain that position? Talent and know-how have been key drivers of the country’s success, yet the system supplying both is under pressure. Job openings in the biotech and pharma sectors are growing faster than the educational system can keep up, creating a persistent talent shortage. However, it's not simply a matter of numbers. As the skills needed to support and advance local innovations evolve – AI integration being a prime example – how can we adapt our educational approach while ensuring its stability? This is a question that needs to be answered in order to stay at the forefront of innovation.

From lab to market: the life cycle of a biotech startup 

From initial discovery to market-ready product, biotech development is a complex multi-phase process, where strategic partnerships, continuous innovation and careful navigation of regulatory landscapes are crucial for long-term success. Despite this complexity (or perhaps because of it), entrepreneurs and VCs seldom take a step back to consider the full trajectory of this journey. In this article, we’ll explore the typical life cycle of a biotech startup, examining the key milestones and hurdles encountered along the way.