Brussels Airport launches trial shipments of advanced cell therapies

Brussels Airport has started sending test shipments of human cell and blood material used in precision therapies, including treatments for cancer and rare diseases, from Brussels to Dallas in the United States as part of the Precision Therapy Logistics Gateway (PTLG) project. The initiative aims to analyse how such therapies can be transported safely and quickly around the world and to create the first internationally recognised standard for their air transport.

Since November, ten test shipments of cell and blood samples have left Brussels Airport for BioLabs Pegasus Park, a biotech cluster in Dallas, with another 50 shipments planned in the coming weeks. These highly sensitive materials, which represent personalised treatments for individual patients, demand fast and carefully controlled conditions during transport, including strict temperature and timing requirements.

The test shipments are coordinated by at.las, the Antwerp ecosystem for Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP), and the Science Park University of Antwerp, with research samples provided by the Laboratory of Experimental Haematology at the University of Antwerp. The cellular material comes from healthy donors and is moved from the Centre for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine at Antwerp University Hospital to Brussels Airport, and then returned to the centre after the Dallas leg.

Brussels Airport, known as a major European hub for temperature-controlled pharmaceutical cargo, handles these consignments through customs into a dedicated cold storage zone before loading them onto passenger flights in specially developed refrigerated containers. In Dallas, the material is taken to a laboratory for inspection before being flown back to Belgium.

Sensors attached to the shipments monitor key factors such as temperature, lead times and traceability to identify possible risks and bottlenecks across the logistics chain. Results of the test phase are expected in the first half of 2026, after which project partners led by Air Cargo Belgium plan to develop a standardised international protocol for precision therapy logistics. Brussels Airport is also exploring whether to establish a dedicated logistics centre for these specialist shipments.

The PTLG project launched in early 2025 and brings together Brussels Airport, Pharma.Aero, Air Cargo Belgium and the Antwerp ATMP ecosystem, with financial support from the provinces of Antwerp and Flemish Brabant.