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PUBLISHED
17 Oct 2023

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Over 170 Participants Gather in Leuven for the Inaugural Advanced Therapies Summit on October 19th

The first edition of the Advanced Therapies Summit, held on October 19th, was a success. Dr. Bart Geers, Chair of the Board at RegMed XB Flanders, welcomed over 170 participants from both Belgium and across the European Union.

This event featured keynote presentations and valuable insights from established European hubs specializing in Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP). Attendees had the opportunity to learn about the regulatory aspects of ATMP development and gain 'lessons learned' from prominent ATMP hubs in Sweden and Eire.

RegMed XB researchers played a significant role in the summit's program. In the dedicated tissue engineering track, Professor Lies Geris provided an overview of how novel tissue-engineered implants developed at Prometheus, Division of Skeletal Tissue Engineering, KU Leuven as part of the RegMed XB Osteoarthritis Moonshot. These implants offer hope, particularly to younger patients in the 30-40 age group, who suffer from deep joint surface defects leading to end-stage osteoarthritis.

Dr. Bert Van den Bogerd, from the University of Antwerp Research Group of Ocular Science (ARGOS), shared valuable insights into the use of bio-engineered corneal grafts for curing blindness caused by damaged or diseased corneal endothelium. This breakthrough offers a solution to the global shortage of corneal donors. ARGOS, along with research groups at Ghent University, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and RegMed XB partners in the Netherlands, including Maastricht University and Leiden University Medical Centre, are key players in the upcoming RegMed XB Eye Moonshot.

Sophia Kolbe, Business Developer at NecstGen, discussed the utilization of publicly funded infrastructure to support the development of next-generation therapies, emphasizing the role of the RegMed XB Pilot Factory and the NecstGen facility.

Dr. Nathalie Cools, co-founder of the GMP manufacturing facility Anicells, highlighted the strength of the academic ATMP development sector in Belgium. She pointed out that 51% of active clinical trials involving somatic cell, gene, or tissue-engineered products in Belgium are sponsored by major university hospitals. Through the provision of publicly funded infrastructure, such as that offered by the Pilot Factory, to scale-up regulatory compliant production, RegMed XB is driving the creation of a new manufacturing ecosystem that is essential to bring these advanced therapies to patients in a timely manner.    

As RegMed XB, we are heartened to witness the remarkable success of the Advanced Therapies Summit, where we collectively embody our motto: 'Together, we make the impossible possible.' This event reinforces the belief that through shared knowledge and collaborative efforts, we can transition from providing care to delivering lasting cures, driving the future of advanced therapies in healthcare

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Photo credits: Jim De Sitter

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