Ghent-based BIO INX makes hearts beat slower

In Ghent, we’re not just imagining the future of healthcare — it’s being built under our very eyes. Layer by layer. From bioprinting and life sciences to medtech and digital innovation, Ghent’s strong healthtech ecosystem has it all. With top institutions like Ghent University, VIB, imec, and Ghent University Hospital, research and real-world application go hand in hand, ultimately benefiting patients.

BIO INX is helping shape that future and putting Ghent on the global map with bio-inks for 3D bioprinting. They're showcasing their expertise at the World Expo in Osaka through the AstroCardia project and with support from MEDVIA (now Biovia). And they’re not doing it alone — fellow Ghent players like Intelliprove and Creative Therapy are joining them.

We spoke with Jasper Van Hoorick, co-founder and CEO of the start-up.

Printing life

Now, what exactly are ‘bio-inks’? ‘They’re mixtures of materials that make living cells printable,’ Jasper explains. “You suspend the cells in a liquid suitable for 3D bioprinting. With various printing technologies, you can then gradually build up functional tissue, layer by layer. Eventually, this allows our clients to print tissue that actually works. Our ultimate goal is to create body-native tissue that can be used for transplantation. Just picture it: being able to print a piece of heart muscle or cartilage right from a printer and hand it directly to a doctor for use.’

One significant advantage of these bioinks is their biodegradability: they’re gradually replaced by new, functional tissue over time, so there are no rejection issues. Currently, BIO INX’s technology is still in the research phase. Their inks are mainly used in academic labs, but their ambitions go far beyond that. BIO INX aims to use bioprinting to eventually produce human tissues for bones, eyes, hearts, and other organs. They’re also exploring alternatives to animal testing in drug development.

The AstroCardia project could be a potential game-changer. ‘It all starts with a proof of concept,’ says Jasper. ‘We’re working to understand how ageing affects heart tissue. Once we have a clear picture of this, we can start looking for potential drugs to help counteract the effects of ageing on the heart.’

‘How? In this project, we’re building a miniature heart on a chip, entirely made of human cells. This model is meant to serve as a testing platform for new cardiovascular drugs in the future. And the idea to send it into space didn’t come out of nowhere: astronauts age noticeably faster in space due to weightlessness and cosmic radiation. We want to turn that accelerated ageing into an advantage. Heart cells age approximately 20 times faster in space than on Earth. Three weeks in space is roughly equivalent to one year on Earth. This means we can test potential treatments on aged tissue more quickly and realistically.’

‘The simplest way to detect that ageing,’ he adds, ‘is to check if it still beats. Literally, that’s the beauty of heart cells,’ he laughs. ‘They reveal their condition by how they beat. If they start beating more slowly or irregularly, you know something’s changing. We can map out the effects by comparing the data with a similar experiment conducted on Earth. The microchips will spend about six weeks in space. Then they’ll return to the lab for a thorough analysis.’

How Flemish tech joins forces and pushes boundaries

BIO INX became involved through an intercluster call from Biovia (former MEDVIA). ‘For us, it all fits perfectly,’ says Jasper. ‘Five Belgian companies, each with a clear role, working together seamlessly. SCK CEN provides the heart cell clusters. BIO INX prints a miniature blood vessel system around them, directly onto a chip developed by Antleron. Space Applications Services builds a smart, compact cube equipped with heating, sensors, and monitoring systems to transport the chips to the ISS safely. Once there, they’re monitored live. The data is processed and analysed by QbD. At the same time, a similar experiment will be conducted on Earth to allow for an accurate comparison of the results.’

It's a prime example of what can be accomplished in Flanders through teamwork and collaboration. ‘This project shows just how far we can go: 3D bioprinting, biotech, microfluidic chips, space travel — it all comes together. It’s a perfect showcase for the World Expo, and a great opportunity to establish Flanders as a leading biotech region further.’

For BIO INX, it’s also a powerful calling card. ‘When I visit the pavilion during the Flemish Week in June, my main goal is to connect with Japanese companies. If we can convince the right people over there, we might be able to kickstart some meaningful collaborations.’

From fascination to innovation

‘I’ve been working on bioprinting with human cells for about 13 years,’ says Jasper. ‘I've always been fascinated by the thought that there are conditions we can't cure right now, but someday, they might actually become treatable. During my PhD, I researched the development of new eye cells. But as that project neared its end, my colleague (now co-founder and CSO) Aysu Arslan and I started thinking about how we could bring our accumulated knowledge out of academia and into the ‘real’ world.’

We often see promising projects fall apart in academic research because materials aren’t reproducible. There’s no guarantee of continuity between different PhD students. I remember when I was working on my PhD, I had to quickly replicate a crucial piece of work from a former colleague, even though I had no hands-on experience with it. The result? You might work with a ‘lucky’ or ‘unlucky’ batch of material without realising it. Without quality control, promising research can end up straight in the trash.’

‘We didn’t want to take that risk, so we focused on standardising and commercialising these materials. We’re polymer chemists, meaning we produce the inks, not the tissues. But our commitment ensures that any product you buy today will remain exactly the same five years from now.’

‘You could compare it to car parts,’ he laughs. ‘If a car breaks down, you can fix it with the right spare parts. Our core idea is that we should be able to create spare parts for people, too, based on their own cells. Instead of implanting foreign ‘spares’ into a body, you could print completely new pieces of tissue that are tailor-made, and a perfect fit.’

'I want to elaborate some more about reproducibility because it’s absolutely critical for us. For example, we work a lot with gelatin, and since last year, we’ve officially partnered with Rousselot, which also has a branch here in Ghent. Just like us, they’re strongly focused on product consistency. The partnership was really a natural next step, as we’ve been collaborating with them through the university for over 25 years.

In recent years, Rousselot has also shifted toward biomedical applications, and their timing aligned perfectly with ours. On top of that, they don’t just work with pure gelatin — they take it a step further by purifying it to remove endotoxins. That allows us to work with clinical-grade gelatin — a material that already meets the strict quality standards for clinical applications.’

A glimpse of the future

The ultimate goal? To make it possible for patients to walk into a hospital within the next 10 years and have their own tissue 3D-printed on the spot. ‘We currently have a major advantage: since ‘our’ market is still heavily research-driven, we can now offer our products as ‘research use only'. That means we don’t have to navigate the complex regulations maze, yet. Plus, we get a ton of feedback from our users, which becomes much harder in a later, more tightly regulated phase. Right now, we’re in a position to help shape the market, instead of just following it. We’re pioneers. And this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’