In November 2025, we had the opportunity to visit Vixen Bio for a brief secondment, as part of our MSCA fellowship trajectory. Vixen Bio is a biotechnology company situated in Ghent, Belgium, specializing in bioanalytical measurements and fiber-optic biosensing technologies.
The aim of this research visit was to explore analytical approaches that could complement the characterization of our targeting systems within our respective PhD projects. This was possible thanks to Vixen Bio’s expertise in label-free analysis of biomolecular interactions using optical fiber surface plasmon resonance (FO-SPR), a technique designed to monitor binding events in real time under physiologically relevant conditions.
During our stay, we were introduced to the principles of FO-SPR and used this technique to measure target association and dissociation with our probe. These measurements allowed us to understand how targeting molecules behave dynamically.
Collaborating closely with the Vixen Bio team, we explored assay design, probe functionalization strategies, and experimental workflows required to measure interaction kinetics using FO-SPR. The exposure to this technology provided insight into how to set up analytical characterization directly in complex samples, while taking into account all the parameters that are present.
This secondment highlighted how industrial analytical platforms can complement academic research by enabling rapid evaluation of molecular interactions.