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BioVox

With a local focus and global reach, the news platform BioVox shares insights into the Benelux life sciences ecosystem with readers across the world. BioVox is powered by Biovia: the health innovation cluster for Flanders.
Picture of BioVox

BioVox

With a local focus and global reach, the news platform BioVox shares insights into the Benelux life sciences ecosystem with readers across the world. BioVox is powered by Biovia: the health innovation cluster for Flanders.

Belgian clinical trials for COVID-19

With COVID-19 cases soaring into the millions, and a vaccine still a long way off, patients are desperate for a treatment. In response, numerous clinical trials have been initiated around the world. The majority of these trials are examining existing drugs to see if they can be repurposed to treat COVID-19. We spoke with Prof. Bart Lambrecht, pulmonologist at Ghent University Hospital (UZ Gent), about some of the clinical trials taking place here in Belgium.

BioVox: the global network for Belgian life sciences turns five and launches a new website!

Ghent (Belgium), 7 May 2020 - For the past five years, BioVox has provided a growing international community of readers with insights into the Belgian life sciences ecosystem. Our free monthly newsletter features exclusive content on the latest breakthroughs and industry developments. After half a decade of success, BioVox has now launched a fresh new website featuring Onno Van De Stolpe sharing his insights on the Belgian life sciences ecosystem.

Biogazelle initiates large-scale testing of COVID-19 in Belgium

Ghent, Belgium, April 2, 2020 - Biogazelle NV, a CRO specialized in RNA analytics, has announced the initiation of large-scale testing of patient samples for SARS-CoV-2. Biogazelle is providing one of the multiple testing sites in a government-led consortium of pharma, biotech, IT and academia, alongside Janssen Pharmaceutica (J&J), GSK, UCB, UgenTec, MIPS and ThermoFisher.

University Hospital Ghent and VIB are testing medication to treat COVID-19-associated respiratory illness

University Hospital Ghent and VIB are assessing a drug called Leukine® to treat patients with respiratory illness associated with COVID-19.  Major medical centers in Germany and Italy are considering joining the study.  The study will evaluate the effect of Leukine® on lung function and patient outcomes.

ElmediX wants to stop coronavirus by heating patients in a controlled manner

Mechelen, Belgium, 24 March 2020 - The coronavirus has brought the whole world to a standstill. The Belgian company ElmediX wants to contain the virus with intensive heat treatments for corona patients. Controlled heating to 41.5 °C for three hours can inactivate the virus and activate the patient's immune system. ElmediX has launched a call to researchers and doctors and makes the technology available in the fight against the coronavirus.

Professors of Product Development from UAntwerp are looking at emergency production of mouth masks

At the University of Antwerp, twelve product developers are working day and night to develop oral masks. "Together with industrial partners, we try to set up an emergency production for protective equipment for health workers during this corona crisis".

The long-distance race for a corona vaccine

Developing a vaccine takes a long time and occurs in different phases. A virus spreads quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the outcome is a gamble for anyone in the race for the corona vaccine.

Gates Foundation commissions large coronavirus study from KU Leuven

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is to provide samples of 15,000 therapeutic molecules to the Gasthuisberg hospital at the University of Leuven, to aid research into therapies to combat the coronavirus COVID-19, De Standaard reports.

VIB achieves important milestone in the development of a COVID-19 drug

Earlier this year, the lab of Xavier Saelens (VIB-UGent) announced the discovery of a unique antibody that is capable of binding the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2). The antibody was developed in collaboration with two research groups in the US. The team has now established that the antibody can neutralize a lab variant of the virus, an important step forward in the development of a potential antiviral drug against the new coronavirus. This progress was made possible thanks to the intensive efforts of various teams in the VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology.

Why everyone needs to be a part of the CRISPR conversation

Hetty Helsmoortel is a science communicator who has dedicated herself to bringing research breakthroughs to a broader audience. In her recent book “De Geknipte Genen”, she tackles CRISPR: a revolutionary gene editing technology whose applications raise tricky ethical questions. We sat down with Dr. Helsmoortel to discuss her views on CRISPR’s potential and why she feels it is so important for the public to be well informed on this technical topic.

Belgian initiatives boosting animal-free innovation

Animals have been used throughout history to understand human physiology and to resolve scientific questions related to health and disease. Nowadays, however, both scientists and the public are pushing for better options to animal testing, and so increasing efforts are being put into developing and promoting these alternative methods. Two such initiatives are being spearheaded by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB): The Innovation Centre for 3R Alternatives (IC-3Rs) and the RE-Place project.

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

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.

Inari: shaking things up in the agriculture business

Inari Agriculture has been awarded the 2020 Newcomer of the Year Trophy by Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT). Inari (US) opened its first foreign R&D branch in Ghent’s biotech valley just over a year ago. Since then, the Belgian team has been hard at work developing plants that can address both growing global food requirements and climate change. They’re approaching the challenge with both the latest genetic techniques and with a fresh perspective on how a business should be run.

PharmaFluidics announces product range extension for its µPACᵀᴹ chromatography chips to serve new biopharma markets

Ghent, Belgium, February 10, 2020 - PharmaFluidics NV, an innovative player in the field of analytical chromatography, announces a product range extension into capillary flow rate liquid chromatography (capillary LC).  PharmaFluidics initiates commercial supplies of its new µPAC™ capLC column, bringing unprecedented sensitivity, reproducibility and robustness to a new range of customers worldwide, including the biopharmaceutical industry. PharmaFluidics’ unique high-resolution µPAC™ micro-Chip technology enables separation and detection of individual compounds in complex biological samples such as biopsies, proteome digests, culture media or biopharmaceutical actives, with unmatched precision.

Could tick saliva help save lives?

The biotech Bioxodes is using a molecule derived from tick saliva to stop blood clots. The Walloon company is focused on preventing thrombosis during procedures involving medical devices. The current gold-standard anticoagulant can cause unwanted bleeding and side effects; could a molecule derived from ticks really be safer?