Morning plenary

09:00 – 09:30: Doors open and welcome coffee

09:30 – 09:45: Welcome Ann Van Gysel (MEDVIA) and Emmanuel Amory, GSK (HST Group)

Keynote session

09:45 – 10:15: Keynote “What can the study of R&D productivity tell us about hopes for AI?”, Jack Scannell (Etheros Pharmaceuticals Corp.)

10:15 – 10:45: Keynote “Promises and challenges of AI in drug discovery”, Yves Moreau (University of Leuven)

10:45 – 11:15: Coffee break and networking

11:15 – 11:45: Case studies session:

  • “Sapian: Next generation platform for in silico drug discovery”, Ségolène Martin (Kantify)
  • GenAI: Let your data be your differentiator, Sam Kool and Mo Mansour, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

11:45 – 12:15: Keynote “From Art to Science: AI’s Role in Perfecting Drug Discovery”, Astrid Gadeyne (imec) & Laurent Galibert (VIB)

12:15 – 13:30: Lunch and networking

Afternoon breakout sessions

TRACK 1
Drug discovery & development

13:30 – 13:40: Setting the scene, Benoit Van den Eynde (UCL)

13:40 – 13:55: Thomas Demeester (UGent-imec)

13:55 – 14:10: “Optimizing Bioprocess Development with E2E Modeling”, Julien De Crom (UCB)

14:10 – 14:25: “CombinAge: The power of graph ML for discovering novel targets and drug combinations”, Gabriel Risa (Rejuvenate Biomed)

14:25 – 14:40: “AI powered, patient-centric solutions”, Maxim Le Compte (Sightera Biosciences, spin-off Uantwerp and UZA)

TRACK 2
Prevention & diagnostics

13:30 – 13:40: Setting the scene, Isabelle Salmon, Erasme Hospital (ULB)

13:40 – 13:55: “The role of digital pathology and biomarker profiling through machine learning”, Frederik Deman (ZAS)

13:55 – 14:10: “Gloria project: European platform storing digital DNA”, Aloys du Bois d’Aische (Eonix)

14:10 – 14:25: “Detecting rheumatic diseases up to 10 years before diagnosis is made”, Nicolaas Fosselle (Rheumafinder)

14:25 – 14:40: “Data and digitalization in the context of prevention”, Nathalie Lambrechts (VITO)

14:40 – 15:10: Coffee break and networking

Afternoon plenary

Fireside chat/debate

15:10 – 15:45: “The use of health data for research purposes in Belgium: framework, challenges and operational implementation”

Speakers: Nicolas Dubois, Belgian (Health Data Agency), Ton Peters (Johnson & Johnson), Ingrid Maes (Inovigate), Philippe Kolh (ULiège)

Moderated by Liesbet Peeters (UHasselt)

Keynote session

15:45 – 16:20: Keynote “Artificial Intelligence: Hindsight, Insight, Foresight”, Mieke De Ketelaere (Vlerick Business School)

Round Table

16:20 – 17:15: Closing roundtable – Unlocking AI’s potential in healthcare and drug discovery: Is Belgium falling behind?

Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing healthcare and drug discovery, but is Belgium seizing this incredible opportunity? How does Europe stack up against global powerhouses in this field, and which regions should we be watching—and collaborating with?

Join us as we explore why some Belgian companies are relocating outside of Belgium, and even Europe, to fully capitalize on these emerging trends. Are we missing critical opportunities at home? What can be done to strengthen our position, and what challenges do we face in becoming a global leader?

Let’s discuss strategies, opportunities, and solutions for Belgium to better harness AI’s transformative power in healthcare.

Speakers: Sari Depreeuw (Crowell & Moring), Jack Scannell (Ethers Pharmaceuticals Corp.), Ann Van Gysel (MEDVIA), Valerie Vandeweerd (Monsana), Ward Servaes (MoveUP).

Moderated by Bart Vannieuwenhuyse

17:15 – 17:20: Conclusion, invite to the reception

Stay up-to-date

Sign up for our newsletter and be the first to receive information on our next edition.

Contact