Empower your career - a female perspective
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27 November 2025 - Ghent ICC

In this session, each panelist will share a bit about their journey, from where they started to how they reached their current roles. After the introductions, we’ll dive deeper into their unique career paths. Our speakers will discuss the key lessons they've learned along the way and offer valuable advice for women looking to follow in their footsteps. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from and connect with women who are making waves in the Life Sciences!

An Van Den Bulcke | COO & Business Development | 4Tissue

An Van Den Bulcke, Ph.D. – Innovation leader in polymers, biomedical materials, and technology commercialisation. Former Senior Business Developer at Ghent University, driving biomedical research to market through industrial partnerships, IP strategy, licensing, and spin-off creation. Co-founded AVROXA (2018), delivering high-quality poly(2-oxazoline)s, and shaped BIOINX’s early business strategy (inc. 2022). Since 2023, COO and co-founder of 4TISSUE, specialising in clinical validation of novel hydrogels and tissue mimics for regenerative medicine. Lead product: minimally invasive breast reconstruction solution. Combines deep scientific expertise with strategic business execution to accelerate innovation from lab to market.

About 4Tissue

4Tissue is a pioneering biotech spin-off company from Ghent University, Ghent University Hospital, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel, pioneering regenerative medicine through bio-interactive, injectable hydrogels in regenerative medicine. 4Tissue addresses the urgent need for safer, more natural breast reconstruction after cancer treatment. Its injectable hydrogel tissue-mimic technology stimulates the body’s own cell regeneration, offering durable, predictable results without invasive implants or flap surgeries. Leveraging cutting-edge science and a multidisciplinary team, 4Tissue is reshaping reconstructive care and driving the future of tissue regeneration to improve patient outcomes worldwide.

Ellen Jansen | Clinical Delivery Leader | Agomab Therapeutics

Ellen is a seasoned clinical operations leader with nearly two decades of experience in driving clinical operations and drug development in multiple clinical trial phases and therapeutic areas, including infectious diseases, immunology, oncology, pulmonology and gastroenterology. Whether working in biotech start-ups, large pharma, clinical research organisations or academic centres, she brings a strategic mindset, strong execution capabilities, and a commitment to delivering high-quality clinical data to advance therapeutic innovation. In January 2025, She joined Agomab Therapeutics as Clinical Delivery Leader, where she leads the operational execution of a clinical program in Fibrostenotic Crohn’s Disease. She defines and executes clinical operations strategies, ensures trial delivery excellence, and acts as a primary interface with internal and external stakeholders. Prior to Agomab, She led the Human Challenge Trial Unit at Vaccinopolis (University of Antwerp). As a member of the Management Team, She played a pivotal role in operationalizing one of Europe’s foremost human challenge trial units and establishing the unit's global visibility (academic and industry). Before this she held key leadership and operational roles at ExeVir Bio, Trium Clinical Consulting, Octimet Oncology, Galápagos and Janssen Infectious Diseases where she contributed to clinical development strategies, vendor oversight, global study management, and program-level planning.

About Agomab

Agomab is focused on achieving disease modification by modulating inflammation and fibrosis in chronic indications such as Fibrostenosing Crohn’s Disease and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. We do this by targeting biologically validated pathways, including Transforming Growth Factor β, and by applying specialized capabilities in organ-restricted small molecules. With a differentiated clinical pipeline across several fibrotic disorders, end-to-end research and development capabilities, a proven track-record and a strong investor base, Agomab is building a transformational company with the aim to have a real impact on patients’ lives.

Annegret Van der Aa | CEO & Executive Director | Cantoni Therapeutics

Annegret Van der Aa has joined Cantoni Therapeutics since July 2024 as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director. She is a seasoned strategical and operational R&D leader and brings nearly 25 years of drug discovery and development experience. Annegret held various leadership positions in both mid-size and start up biotech companies. Before joining Cantoni Therapeutics, she was CSO/CDO at Ermium Therapeutics (France), a discovery stage company working on small molecules targeting complex autoimmune diseases, and COO at OCTIMET Oncology (Belgium), a clinical-stage company developing MET kinase inhibitors for precision oncology indications. Between 2010 and 2018, she was at Galapagos (Belgium) and took up different positions in the Development organisation, transitioning more than 10 preclinical compounds to clinical stage and she was instrumental in the clinical development of Jyseleca® (filgotinib), approved for a first indication in 2020. Before, she was Project Leader at ActoGeniX (now Precigen ActoBio) and Unit Manager Immunology at Innogenetics (now Fujirebio). Annegret holds a Master in Biochemistry from University Antwerp and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences – Immunology from University Hasselt.

About Cantoni Therapeutics

Cantoni Therapeutics B.V., founded in December 2022 as a spinout from University Leiden is pioneering the discovery and development of bisubstrate small molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), a metabolic enzyme highly expressed in metabolic tissues, including the liver, adipose tissue and muscle. NNMT is an attractive drug target for cardiometabolic disease where elevated NNMT levels are correlated with obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In diet-induced obese mice, Cantoni’s NNMT inhibitors induce a reduction in fat mass, without negatively impacting lean mass, and improved metabolic health through increased energy expenditure rather than reduced energy intake. Furthermore, targeting this metabolic enzyme also brings opportunities in other indications; a role for NNMT has been described in the development of chronic kidney disease as well as in cancer progression.

Kim Heylen | CEO & Scale-up Support Director | Shift Happens - BioLizard

Kim Heylen, PhD, is an experienced biotech leader with a strong track record in operations, organizational development, and human-centered leadership. With a background in microbiology and a career spanning academia, healthcare, and biotech, Kim brings a unique mix of scientific depth and executive pragmatism. She champions human-centered leadership, nurturing cross-functional collaboration, and leading transformation in knowledge-driven environments. Kim is also known as a persuasive idealist for sustainability,  inclusivity, and building a better world for future generations.In 2025, Kim founded Shift Happens, a boutique consultancy, offering interim and fractional leadership in the roles of Chief of Staff, Director of Operations, or Change Director. With a strong focus on human systems, operational strategy, and organizational design, Shift Happens bridges the gap between vision and execution—ensuring change not only happens but sticks.Kim currently serves as Director for Scale-up Support at BioLizard, a bioinformatics and data science consultancy.

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