Christoph Portier

Christoph Portier holds a Master’s degree in Drug Development and an Advanced Master’s in Industrial Pharmacy from Ghent University. He began his academic career as a PhD researcher in the Pharmaceutical Technology group at the same institution. His doctoral work focused on formulation and process optimization in twin-screw wet granulation and downstream processes, resulting in several peer-reviewed publications. Additionally, he co-authored multiple formulation patents in the field of hot melt granulation. 

After completing his PhD in 2021, Christoph joined the CESPE platform at Ghent University, which focuses on sustainable (bio)pharmaceutical manufacturing innovations. In his initial role as Operational Manager, he mainly focussed on the design of the GMP-like CESPE Incubator and setting up the operational structure. In 2023, he advanced from Operational Manager to General Manager, taking on responsibilities in strategic alliances, business development, and policy making. 

Domains of expertise

  • Continuous Manufacturing 
  • Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing 
  • Life Sciences 
  • Ecosystem Building 
  • Business Development 

Selected projects

CESPE (Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Pharmaceutical Engineering & Manufacturing) is a collaborative innovation platform based at Ghent University. It focuses on advancing sustainable (bio)pharmaceutical manufacturing through interdisciplinary research, academic-industry partnerships, and cutting-edge technologies.  

The platform supports innovation across the full pharmaceutical value chain and emphasizes sustainability, efficiency, and quality. It plays a central role in connecting academic research with industrial needs, facilitating technology transfer, and accelerating the translation of scientific breakthroughs into practical applications. 

CESPE also fosters talent development through its CESPE Academy, offering lifelong learning opportunities for students, researchers, and professionals in the life sciences sector. By building strong partnerships and supporting start-ups, spin-offs, and established companies, CESPE contributes to the development of a competitive and future-proof pharmaceutical ecosystem in Belgium and beyond. 

 Link to Website: https://cespe.be/ 

Selected publications

  • Portier, C., Vervaet, C., & Vanhoorne, V. (2021). Continuous Twin Screw Granulation: A Review of Recent Progress and Opportunities in Formulation and Equipment Design. Pharmaceutics, 13(5), 668. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13050668 
  • Christoph Portier, Kenny Pandelaere, Urbain Delaet, Tamas Vigh, Giustino Di Pretoro, Thomas De Beer, Chris Vervaet, Valérie Vanhoorne (2020). Continuous twin screw granulation: A complex interplay between formulation properties, process settings and screw design. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, Volume 576, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2019.119004. 
  • Christoph Portier, Kenny Pandelaere, Urbain Delaet, Tamas Vigh, Ashish Kumar, Giustino Di Pretoro, Thomas De Beer, Chris Vervaet, Valérie Vanhoorne (2019). Continuous twin screw granulation: Influence of process and formulation variables on granule quality attributes of model formulations, International Journal of Pharmaceutics, Volume 576, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2019.118981. 

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