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Discovery and research, Industrial application, Technology and digital innovation

From Sample Collections to Critical Infrastructure: Experts are Calling for Changes to Belgium’s Biobanks

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.

Why Big Pharma Needs Biotech More Than Ever

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.

Antwerp Researcher Rosa Rademakers Wins ‘Oscar of Science’ for Dementia and ALS Discovery

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.

Breaking the Cycle of Pain: Biodol’s Solution for the Opioid Crisis

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.

Bacteria as Plant Fertilizers: How Soil Microbes Can Help Plants Grow During Drought

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.

From Copycat to Top Dog: China is Becoming a Biopharma Powerhouse

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?

Stop Being a Pest About It: How AI Can Help Agriculture

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.

Health Innovation Funding: Spearhead Clusters Lead the Way in Flanders

BioVox spoke with Sara Van Overmeire and Annie Renders of Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) about the origin and role of spearhead clusters. VLAIO is the Flemish government’s point of contact for all entrepreneurs in Flanders. It relies on Biovia and other spearhead clusters to bring companies together and support them in setting up innovative projects.

MeSH Counter: A Tool to Track Biomedical Research Trends

Venture investing in early-stage companies hinges on spotting transformative technologies before they become hyped. To support this, we built the MeSH Counter: an R-based tool that tracks monthly frequencies of specific terms in PubMed, allowing us to visualize trends in the life sciences. Publication trends are not the same as investment signals, yet the MeSH Counter can help efficiently map the research landscape, so investors can prioritize deeper, human-led diligence.

Bioprinting Living Tissues with BIO INX

Belgian startup BIO INX develops bioinks to 3D print cells into living tissues and organ-on-chip technologies. The company is working with academic and industry partners to develop products ranging from artificial corneas to cartilage. The aim: translate academic ideas into to real-world applications with tangible patient impact.

Co-Creation in Agrifood and Bio-Based Innovation: Accelerating Trust and Impact

As a sector, agrifood biotech has enormous potential to improve the sustainability, resilience, and productivity of our food systems. Yet many promising innovations still fail to reach the market, often because they are not sufficiently aligned with real-world needs or adoption barriers. The B-Trust project aims to involve end-users from the start, to help make agrifood R&D more relevant, equitable, and impactful.

Hospitals and Belgian Companies Unite to Shape the Future of Healthcare

On 29 January 2026, 400 Belgian healthcare stakeholders — hospital executives, policymakers, and innovators — gathered in Brussels to help shape the future of healthcare. The objective was to connect hospital needs with the innovative technologies developed by Belgian companies. Two projects were honored during the event’s Innovation Awards: Baby Detect and SIM BLOOD.

Dengue: A Virus Without Borders

We are all familiar with global viruses: The flu shows up every year across the world, and not long ago we collectively experienced the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Now, a neglected tropical disease is joining this club of viruses without borders. Dengue — also known as break-bone fever — is currently one of the world’s fastest spreading viral diseases, with more than half of the global population already at risk.

To PhD or Not to PhD: A Growing Question in the Life Sciences

An increasing number of PhD students are concerned about their career prospects. Currently, only around 5-10% of PhD graduates remain in academia — the vast majority have to navigate an unfamiliar job market, where industry demand for their highly educated profiles appears to be in decline. Is a PhD still the best route to professional success? And what can students do to prepare themselves?

Celebrating the Pitch Winners of HealthTech Investor Summit 2025

Europe’s healthtech pipeline was on full display at the HealthTech Investor Summit 2025 in Utrecht, with the regions brightest rising stars in the spotlight. From surgical robotics and implantable devices to bioelectronics and next-generation diagnostics, here are the pitching companies that stood out to both the judges and audience.