We are always excited to welcome interns to our IDEVAX family. This summer we had two interns with us, Amélie Donck, who worked alongside our Scientific and Clinical Affairs team and Malé Geerts, who was part of our R&D team.
While their functions and roles were different, it was great to see them interact with the wider team during meetings and outside of office activities. Part of their experience also helped them gain insights into working in a MedTech and start-up environment.
As they finish their projects with us, we asked them a few questions about their time and experience at IDEVAX.
What was the focus of your project🎙️?
Amelie: My main focus was on the long-term management of COVID-19 and the emerging Mpox virus. I compiled the research I gathered into a white paper on COVID-19, which can be used to connect with clinical trials and healthcare organizations, as well as serve as an informative resource.
Male: The focus of my project was on Advanced Therapy Medicinal products. After performing a literature review focused on the intradermal applications, I performed research on shear stress during the administration of cell therapies. I performed this research with VAX-ID at the Immune Regulation and tolerance-inducing Strategies (IRiS) research group at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Antwerp. Also, I explored the options for intradermal applications in dermatology.
What were some of the insights you learned about MedTech and working in a science company from your internship🎙️?
Amelie: I learned that in a MedTech company the work is dynamic and can involve quick pivots in strategy or focus, depending on health care emergencies. This dynamic flow was also present at Idevax, where we brainstormed a lot about current health care emergencies, such as viruses and vaccines supplies.
A MedTech company lies at the fore front of technical innovations, which makes it very interesting and meaningful. For me working in a company in science, felt really satisfying as you really feel like contributing.
Male: I learned the importance of agility and innovation, with the need to adapt designs based on evolving data and feedback. This experience also underscored the significance of attention to detail required for compliance. Additionally, I saw how essential cross-disciplinary collaboration is, combining for instance the insights of science and product development to ensure safe, effective, and user-friendly devices.
What are the next steps – What learnings are you carrying ahead to your studies and future career🎙️?
Amelie: I’m finishing my bachelor’s degree in Nanobiology in June 2025, and I’m planning to pursue a master’s in Biomedical Engineering afterward. I’m excited to expand my knowledge in the biomedical field and hopefully contribute to the MedTech industry in a future career. Alongside my studies, I’ll continue working at Idevax a few days a month.
Male: Moving forward, I plan to carry several key learnings from my internship into my studies and future career. Firstly, the importance of agility and innovation, ensuring that I remain open to new ideas and ready to pivot when necessary. Additionally, interdisciplinary collaboration inspired me by showing the opportunities allowed by teamwork across various fields, as I have seen how diverse expertise can drive innovation and success in a project. Overall, this experience has reinforced my commitment to science, where I can contribute to developing impactful solutions that improve global health. After graduation, I plan to remain involved in research, either by pursuing a PhD or by working in research for a company.
A big thanks to Amelie and Male for their hard work over the past few months and the impact they created in the intradermal injection drug delivery space.
Their research and findings continue to bring us a step closer to our mission of “a world capable of meeting current and future healthcare and well-being challenges through enabling reliable skin drug delivery and patient comfort.”
Interested in our solutions?
Contact our commercial team!