Belgium’s leading life sciences professionals will convene at flanders.bio’s Knowledge for Growth, the premier business conference bringing together key stakeholders from the biotech, pharma, medtech, agricultural, and chemical industries. This event offers a unique opportunity to engage with policymakers, experts, and knowledge institutions at the forefront of innovation.
Meet VUB TechTransfer and our TTO colleagues from the other Flemish universities at the TTO Flanders booth. Additionally, two leading VUB researchers will contribute to the pitch session (13:30 - 15:00, Galapagos Room):
- Dr. Jessie Neuckermans (Postdoctoral Researcher, In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-Cosmetology - IVTD) will present EVOSens, an evolutive therapy development platform for metabolic liver disorders.
- Prof. Lorenzo Franceschini (Research Professor, Translational Oncology Research Centre - TORC) will discuss the development of personalized synthetic RNA for the rapid selection of next-generation therapeutics.
We invite you to visit us and engage in discussions on the latest advancements shaping the future of life sciences.
Read more & buy tickets here
VUB pitches
EVOSens: an evolutive therapy development platform for metabolic liver disorders - Jessie Neuckermans
The liver plays a vital role in biosynthesis and metabolism, and inherited metabolic disorders (IMD) arise from single-enzyme defects in hepatocytes. Many IMDs lack effective treatments, as correcting defective enzymes with wildtype versions often fails. To overcome this, VUB’s Liver Therapy & Evolution (LiTE) team developed EVOSens, a unique platform using metabolite-responsive biosensors for high-throughput protein evolution in human cells. This enables the design of EVOZymes—next-generation therapeutic enzymes with enhanced functionality. EVOSens sets a new standard for precision medicine, tailoring treatments at the genetic level for safer, more effective therapies, offering hope for patients with previously untreatable conditions.
Developing personalized synthetic RNA for the rapid selection of next-generation therapeutics - Lorenzo Franceschini
The therapeutic use of mRNA holds great promises for treating incurable diseases. Advances in synthetic biology enable the production of nearly any targeted protein through mRNA-based vaccines and therapies. However, significant challenges in mRNA manufacturing must still be overcome to enable personalized treatments. Our innovative platforms address a critical bottleneck in RNA production by providing fully synthetic DNA templates for rapid in vitro RNA transcription, allowing high-throughput screening and validation of therapeutic candidates like antigens and T cell or chimeric antigen receptors, accelerating preclinical research and advancing next-generation individualized RNA therapies.