EU Business News- Q3 2025 Dr. Katleen Verleysen is a visionary leader maintaining an impressive position at the very cutting-edge of advancement. Recognised as an instrumental player within the life sciences sector, she has dedicated more than two decades to advancing and enhancing its operations – leveraging her broad expertise to lead the charge. She is uniquely prepared to steer this mission, having achieved a significant volume of academic and professional success since first entering the field. Katleen’s journey began with the achievement of a B.Sc. and PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Ghent University, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University, North Carolina, within the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology. More recently, she has completed certification in Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy from MIT Sloan School of Management. Across her educational experiences, Katleen received a high calibre of rigorous scientific training that contributed towards reshaping her mindset. She developed an unwavering commitment to evidence-based thinking, analytical precision, and a continuous drive to explore and learn. These are principles that have long served Katleen, guiding her through every stage of her career in the life sciences sector. Over the last 20 years, Katleen has been instrumental in founding, funding, and successfully exiting multiple biotech and medtech companies across both the US and Europe, holding various CEO, Senior Management positions, and Board roles across the sector. This has included serving as CEO at Pronota, CellSeeQ, and DNameIt; and holding Board of Director positions at Best Health Screening Solutions CEO 2025 (Belgium): Katleen Verleysen Healthcare professionals are increasingly demanding quick, high quality testing technology for rapid and reliable results. Enter miDiagnostics, a healthcare technology company redefining the future of diagnostics and quality control tests for biomanufacturing, is meeting this need by redefining the future of diagnostics. Its innovative solutions are particularly relevant for the growing field of cell and gene therapies, where precision, speed, and scalability are critical. Steering this forward-thinking firm is Dr. Katleen Verleysen, its CEO and a key figure in the life sciences sector. We caught up with Katleen below for more information, in the wake of her recent recognition in the European CEO of the Year Awards 2025. Jun25084 ImmunExpress, PharmaFluidics, and the Center for Medical Innovation. Every stage of Katleen’s professional journey has been a continuous learning experience – from producing early stage proof-ofconcepts to delivering scalable products. These moments have taught Katleen how to effectively navigate complexity, build performing teams centred around a shared vision, and translate cutting-edge science into tangible value for patients and healthcare systems alike. One of Katleen’s most recent endeavours has included entering the position of the new Chair of the Board of 4Tissue – a company on a mission to revolutionise breast reconstruction following breast cancer treatment through innovative regenerative medicine. Regardless of the project scope, Katleen leans upon her foundation of knowledge – acquired over two decades of hard work – to steer her decisions, guide her team, and achieve scientific excellence every step of the way. “I draw from this broad experience daily,” she told us. “My scientific background helps me engage deeply with R&D; my entrepreneurial path sharpens my strategic thinking; and my leadership journey has taught me that success depends on authenticity, resilience, and creating environments where people can thrive. In short, I’ve learned that leadership isn’t just about direction; it’s about grit, clarity and communication, and consistently showing up with purpose. That’s how I aim to lead and continue to grow.” Today, CEO Katleen stands at the helm of miDiagnostics, steering the team with an expert hand. miDiagnostics was founded in 2015, as a spin-out of the global nanoelectronics leader imec with a large scale strategic collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, a premier medical research facilitation. Now, the company is on a mission to redefine the future of diagnostics and quality control tests for biomanufacturing. Connecting advanced engineering with critical medical needs, miDiagnostics supports a wide range of partners in pharmaceutical services, healthcare systems, and diagnostics. Its focus, however, lies in cell and gene therapy manufacturing – where its impact will be most tangible. After a decade, miDiagnostics now stands as a renowned company entrusted by its clientele to deliver forward-thinking solutions that are compliant with the most stringent regulatory standards. miDiagnostics’ core programme focuses on rapid sterility testing for CAR-T and other advanced therapy batch releases. Using its proprietary silicon-based PCR technology, the company enables biopharmaceutical companies to dramatically reduce release times for life-saving therapies. In a highly specialised area – where every hour matters – miDiagnostics’ platform can help save countless lives by accelerating access to personalised treatments. At the heart of miDiagnostics’ solutions is a revolutionary nanofluidic processer with embedded silicon technology, paired with a compact, user-friendly reader. This platform delivers lab-quality results from minimally invasive samples – with exceptional speed, reliability, and ease of use. By miniaturising and automating highsensitivity molecular tests, miDiagnostics effectively eliminates the traditionally enforced trade-off between quality and speed in decentralised settings.
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