Lifetech
1. Intense concentration of lifetech activities in Flemish-Brabant
Flemish-Brabant has some 300 businesses that are active in lifetech (pharmaceutical sector, medical devices, medical biotech and functional food sector). One-third of these companies have R&D activities in the region. Important industrial players in Flemish-Brabant include Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Bayer Cropscience, 3M, TiGenix, ThromboGenics, Terumo and Sanofi-Aventis.
2. Translational research, drug development and outstanding expertise in clinical trials
With the presence of university research centres related to biomedical disciplines and medical technology, combined with centres of excellence in the university hospitals, the region of Flemish-Brabant is exceptionally well placed to confirm its leading role in translational research. Centres have developed world class skills in medical imaging, bionic systems, health care automation, tissue regeneration, biomonitoring, biotechnology, drug development and other fields. Two of the best-selling HIV drugs worldwide were developed at the Rega Institute at K.U.Leuven.
Flemish-Brabant is also a top region for clinical trials. With the availability of highly skilled research staff and excellent infrastructure, leading pharmaceutical companies turn to university hospitals and other hospitals within the region for their ability to deliver high-quality clinical trial data. The government has worked hard to create a fast approval process for clinical studies. Belgium has the fastest approval procedure in Europe for phase I and II clinical trials.
3. Interdisciplinary approach
Convergence is the key word, stimulating alliances between pharmaceuticals, biology, nanotechnology, food engineering, veterinary sciences and other sciences. Within the Flemish region this message is clearly understood and interdisciplinary research is encouraged within and between universities and knowledge institutions.
A prime example of this type of research is Neuro-electronics Research Flanders (NERF): a joint research initiative between imec, Europe's leading independent nano-electronics research centre, the Flemish Institute for Life Sciences (VIB) and the university K.U.Leuven, to unravel the neuronal circuitry of the human brain.
The Centre for Reproductive Medicine (CRG), at the University Hospital Brussels, has played a pioneering role in research into in vitro fertilisation, transfer of embryos, freezing of embryos, controlled ovarian stimulation, egg donation and so on. To improve research in these areas, CRG has joined forces with other research and treatment institutions, including Rotterdam, Thessaloniki, Barcelona, Cambridge, London and Paris.
4. Life science infrastructure
With support of the local, national and European governments, Flemish-Brabant has been able to expand its life science research infrastructure across the region. In Leuven, two Bio-Incubators are offering an innovative, dynamic and stimulating environment for biotech companies. Another incubator within Flemish-Brabant has been built to offer research infrastructure for innovative companies active within Feed Food Health. Projects in this domain focus on functional food for people and animals, health and quality of life. At the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), a highly advanced Bio-NMR centre has been set up within the Structural Biology Brussels Lab. With this modern NMR infrastructure in combination with experiments at the European synchrotron facility in Grenoble, Flemish researchers were able to provide the crucial experimental evidence of dynamic allostery in protein regulation.
For more information about our Lifetech activities, please contact Katja Van Remoortere, Business Developer Lifetech at katja.vanremoortere@flanderssmarthub.be or give her a call at +32 473 74 05 61