09.00 – 09.30 Doors open and welcome coffee
09.30 – 09.45 Welcome words
09.45–10.15 Opening Keynote: From Immunological Insight to Societal Impact: How Co-Creation Transforms Breakthrough Science into Better Lives
Peter Ulrichts (CSO, Argenx)
A personal journey from researcher to CSO, alongside the evolution of argenx from science-driven start-up to global biotech. At the heart of the story is a belief in co-creation: bringing academic insight and industry capabilities together to turn bold science into medicines that can make a meaningful difference for patients.
10.15–10.30 Patient spotlight: Can Belgium Lead the Immunology Revolution?
Fireside chat with Els Van Gysel (Patient) and Ann Van Gysel (CEO, Biovia)
Through one patient’s CAR-T experience, this fireside chat brings the human story behind cell therapy to the stage, from the uncertainty of diagnosis to treatment and life afterwards. It is a timely reminder that every scientific breakthrough ultimately becomes deeply personal, and that the patient voice should remain at the centre of innovation.
10.30–10.55 Making CAR-T Real: From Breakthrough Science to a Therapy for One
Frederik Buysse (General Manager/VP Europe, Legend Biotech)
Scientific discovery only changes lives when it can be translated into a medicine and delivered safely to the patient who needs it. Legend Biotech offers a look behind that journey: building a facility from the ground up, recruiting and qualifying hundreds of people, and managing a highly complex supply chain for a personalised therapy.
10.55–11.25 Networking coffee break and booths & poster presentations
11.25–11.50 Keynote – Multispecific T Cell Engagers: The Next Generation of Cancer Immunotherapy
Ulrike Philippar (Vice President Oncology, Global Head of Discovery Hematological & Solid Malignancies at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine)
11.50–12.15 Keynote: Rich Taylor (Director CADD Team, UCB)
12.15–12.30 Keynote: From Clinical Research to Patient Access: Making Belgium a Launch Country for Innovation
Patricia van Dijck (Political & Medical Director Pharma.be)
Belgium brings together strong science, clinical expertise and a healthcare ecosystem capable of contributing to the development of innovative therapies. Yet new treatments do not always reach Belgian patients or access is delayed. This talk opens a discussion on how Belgium can become a more attractive launch country and translate its strengths into faster and broader patient access.
12.30–13.30 Networking lunch break and booths & poster presentations
Track 1 focuses on how immunology is translated into therapies that directly impact patients.
It explores clinical applications such as immunotherapies, cancer vaccines and antibody–drug conjugates, with a strong emphasis on clinical outcomes, treatment strategies and real-world challenges in bringing these therapies to patients.
13.30–13.45 High-Throughput Droplet Microfluidics for Immunotherapy Research: From Antibody Discovery to Functional Assays and 3D Models
Natacha Coppieters (CSO, LiveDrop)
13.45–14.00 TBC
14.00–14.15 mRNA-LNPs encoding disease-relevant autoantigens attenuated disease in preclinical models of multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes
Paulien Baeten (UHasselt), and Karen Beets (Senior Scientist in vitro pharmacology, etherna)
14.15–14.30 Making cell and gene therapies happen, Bridging academic innovation, GMP-manufacturing and theATMP ecosystem
Nathalie Cools (Prof Dr, Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, UAntwerp & CEO, Anicells)
14.30–14.45 TBC
14.45–15.15 Panel with case study speakers
Track 2 centres on the scientific and technological foundations that enable next-generation immunotherapies.
It examines how antibodies are designed, engineered and optimised — from molecular architecture and functional enhancement to manufacturability — to create more precise, robust and scalable treatments.
13.30–13.45 RETROFIT platform: lab-in-the-loop powered by AI for next-gen immunotherapy.
Prof Abhishek Garg (Academic inventor, KU Leuven) and Dr Catherine Hoofd (Business manager, KU Leuven)
13.45–14.00 In silico immunogenicity assessment in biologics development: from CD4 epitope prediction to clinical ADA risk
Lore Van Oudenhove (myNEO)
14.00–14.15 TBC
14.15–14.30 TBC
14.30–14.45 TBC
14.45–15.15 Panel with case study speakers
15.15–16.00 Coffee break
16.00–16.30 Keynote: From Belgian Science to a Record-Breaking Series A – The Coultreon Biopharma Success Story
Pierre Raboisson (CEO-CSO and founder, Coultreon Biopharma)
Coultreon Biopharma’s journey is a powerful example of how ambitious Belgian science can attract international confidence and grow into a landmark financing story. The keynote looks beyond the headline to the vision, decisions, partnerships and perseverance behind this milestone, offering an honest success story for the next generation of life sciences entrepreneurs.
16.30–17.15 Roundtable: From Breakthrough to Patient: Who Connects the Last Mile? – TBA
Promising innovations can still lose momentum between discovery, clinical research, access and adoption. This roundtable asks how we can build a more connected journey around the people a therapy is ultimately meant to serve. Bringing together research, industry and ecosystem perspectives, the discussion will explore how patient-controlled data, smarter collaboration and more inclusive research pathways can help innovation reach patients sooner
17.15–17.30 Closing Words
17.30–18.30 Reception
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