Author: Maarten

On Monday, June 1st, we had the pleasure of hosting a hardware session in collaboration with our partner, Comate. We were thrilled to have two inspiring speakers:

• Thomas De Beer, CEO of RheaVita, who has integrated all freeze-drying process steps into a continuous production line with a constant infeed of products and the concomitant outfeed of the dried product.

• Leander Van Neste, CEO of Axithra, who is developing a platform to quickly and accurately measure and monitor therapeutic drug concentrations in blood.

Both leaders shared valuable lessons learned and the challenges they’ve faced in their growth journeys. They addressed questions such as the TRL of the product at the moment of the spinoff, the major technological challenges to become GMP/IVD/MDR compliant, and the steps taken in terms of customer/problem/solution fit during the first year.

Their engaging presentations were followed by a lively Q&A session. The event concluded with an opportunity to network and digest the insights over drinks and bites.

We are thrilled to announce that CESPE will be coordinating a groundbreaking €41 million flagship project, PharmECO – Advancing Safe and Sustainable by Design Practices in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, of which the proposal has now officially been approved! This pioneering initiative, co-funded under the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI JU Call 4, Topic 6), aims to revolutionize pharmaceutical manufacturing by (i) implementing cutting-edge, sustainable, and scalable manufacturing technologies, and (ii) establishing harmonized environmental sustainability assessment systems for pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals.

To achieve the ambitious goals of this project, 7 CESPE research groups will collaborate with 30 esteemed international institutes, including universities, research institutes, governmental bodies, SMEs, and major pharmaceutical companies.

PharmECO is set to kick off on October 1st, 2024.

CESPE groups involved:

• Prof. Jo Dewulf – Sustainable Systems Engineering (STEN) research group; Faculty of Bioscience Engineering
• Prof. Chris Stevens – Synthesis, Bioresources and Bio-organic Chemistry Research Group (SynBioC); Faculty of Bioscience Engineering
• Prof. Ashish Kumar – Pharmaceutical Engineering Research Group; Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences 
• Prof. Thomas De Beer – Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Process Analytical Technology Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences 
• Prof. Delphine Desmedt Department of Public Health and Primary Care; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
• Prof. Paul van Liedekerke – BionamiX Research Unit, Department of Data analysis and mathematical modelling,  Faculty of Bioscience Engineering
• Prof. Jan Verwaeren – KERMIT research unit, Department of Data analysis and mathematical modelling Faculty of Bioscience Engineering

Looking Ahead:

As we embark on this exciting journey, we are committed to driving innovations that will not only advance pharmaceutical manufacturing but also contribute to a more sustainable future. Stay tuned for updates on our progress and the incredible developments we will bring to the industry.

For more information, please contact sarah.costers@ugent.be

We at CESPE were thrilled to attend the official opening of the HighTru Lab. This innovative facility marks a significant milestone as Belgium’s first academic lab capable of high-throughput experimentation (HTE), accelerating chemical and pharmaceutical discoveries.

HTE technology enables the simultaneous conduction and rapid analysis of numerous experiments, for example, by using 96-well plates. By leveraging miniaturization, automation, and advanced data management systems, HTE can efficiently screen vast amounts of chemical space. This approach facilitates the discovery of optimal conditions or novel reactions.

The state-of-the-art equipment of HighTru includes solid and liquid handling robots, a robotic reaction platform with integrated solid and liquid handling, several reaction platforms for high-pressure, photo-, and electrochemistry, a high-throughput UPLC-MS, and a software platform for HTE design, execution, and data analysis. This equipment operates under an open-access model, facilitating collaboration between industry and academia. This remarkable partnership, involving Ghent University, Johnson & Johnson, and the City of Ghent, with funding from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility, will accelerate research and strengthen Ghent’s reputation as a hub for cutting-edge science.