Karen Massey, CEO of argenx

Over the past few years, Belgium’s argenx has become a biotech force to be reckoned with, driven by the success of its autoimmune drug Vyvgart (efgartigimod alfa) in ­diseases such as generalised myasthenia gravis (gMG) and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). We caught up with CEO Karen Massey to discuss how she plans to build on this success after joining argenx in March 2023 and taking up the role of CEO at the start of this year.

AI biotech illustration

AI has transformed drug discovery, but the “AI biotech” label has become increasingly misleading. Kurma Partners proposes an investment framework that ­distinguishes three fundamentally different models — each building a different asset, creating value in a ­different way and requiring a different investment lens.

Erik Lundgren

Immunic is preparing to transition from a late-stage development biotechnology company into a fully integrated commercial organization focused on multiple sclerosis (MS). At the center of its strategy is vidofludimus calcium, an oral therapy being developed for relapsing and progressive MS. European Biotech spoke with Immunic’s CEO Erik Lundgren about the company’s clinical trials and commercial ambitions, the role of neuroprotection and why he believes the next major opportunity in MS may lie beyond relapse control.

spain map pushpin location

The 2025 AseBio Report shows a Spanish biotech ecosystem that is not only expanding, but attracting capital at a new scale: Spain counted 1,119 dedicated biotech companies in 2025, up 10.4% year on year, while 39 new biotech firms were created in 2025.

cell with receptors

It’s been nearly a decade since the first CAR-T cancer cell therapy was approved by the FDA, offering a powerful and durable­ ­therapy against tumours. But when it comes to fighting solid tumours, CAR-Ts rapidly show their limits. A new generation of cancer cell therapies could set new standards and change the way we think about drug delivery in solid tumours.

Strüngmann Award 2026

Thomas and Andreas Strüngmann have spent decades building pharmaceutical companies and backing biotech entrepreneurs, most famously BioNTech. Now, as a new generation takes a larger role in their family office, an award bearing their name is turning that investment philosophy into a search for Europe’s next biotech builders.

New data from the World Conference on Lung Cancer in Seoul are giving BioNTech’s oncology strategy more substance beyond its mRNA platform. Gotistobart has shown a marked survival benefit in previously treated squamous NSCLC, while the company’s leading bispecific antibody pumitamig continues to generate encouraging signals across tumor types and in combination with an antibody-drug conjugate. The key question now is whether these early signals can translate into registrational success.

exosome cellular mechanism

Next-gen, effective payloads – from AI-designed small molecules to RNA-based therapeutics and gene therapies – have revolutionized medicine. Yet, the main hurdle ­remains ­targeted delivery: avoiding immune ­reactions (seen with many viral vectors) or undesired organ accumulation (evidenced with LNPs in the liver). Scientists are now harnessing a technology that could overcome these hurdles by using ­vesicles that cells naturally produce: exosomes.

brain network connections

For decades, epilepsy treatment has focused on stopping seizures, but for the third of patients whose seizures resist existing medicines, that approach is not enough. As genetics, neural circuits, and cell therapies reshape the field, epilepsy is being redefined as many diseases with deeper biological roots.

There’s uncertainty and concern about whether AI will replace humans in workplaces. But Marco Ravot-Licheri, Head of Digital – Life Sciences Business at Tecan, told us that AI could increase laboratory productivity and make research more meaningful.