Allegro, an innovative treatment to fight osteoarthritis

Top-level talent, an outstanding logistics location and a dynamic ecosystem: these are the factors that convinced Allegro to develop its activities at Liège’s LégiaPark.

The Flemish biotech company Allegro has chosen the facilities at LégiaPark in Liège to develop its activities aimed at treating osteoarthritis in horses and in humans.

Allegro is a biomedical company developing breakthrough nanotechnology-based treatments for degenerative joint diseases. Founded in 2021, Allegro is now approaching a decisive milestone after several years of research and clinical trials. The company is launching the commercial production of Synoglide, an injectable product designed to treat osteoarthritis in horses.

“We will be producing syringes containing a new technology to treat osteoarthritis. This is a major innovation worldwide. These are gel particles suspended in a liquid, which makes a big difference compared with other products,” explains Lucas Decuypere, CEO of Allegro.

This production is intended in particular for American Regent, a US pharmaceutical group that will distribute this new treatment on the American equine market.

“I am extremely proud that we are launching production of our innovative product only four years after Allegro was founded. We plan to start clinical trials in 2026, with the ambition of restoring mobility to the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who suffer from osteoarthritis,” adds Lucas Decuypere.

Allegro will now focus on the clinical development of its hydrogel technology in humans under the name Hydrocelin. The company plans to launch a feasibility study in humans in the first half of 2026, followed by an international registration trial. Hydrocelin contains cross-linked particles designed to act as tiny shock absorbers in the synovial fluid. Restoring the shock-absorbing capacity of the synovial fluid aims to relieve pain and protect joint cartilage.

Wallonie: a strategic choice

After initially starting out in Flanders in 2021, Lucas Decuypere made the strategic decision to transfer all of Allegro’s activities to Wallonia, at the heart of a life sciences ecosystem located at LégiaPark in Liège.

“In Wallonia, we find top-level talent, an exceptional logistics location thanks to Liège Airport, and a dynamic ecosystem supported by Noshaq, as well as by the government and AWEX. Everything is in place to develop an innovative technology,” summarises Lucas Decuypere, CEO of Allegro.

“We could have chosen to outsource production. That might have been easier, but not more meaningful. Producing your own product and mastering the entire production chain from end to end is the most rewarding thing you can do in this business. It is also the best way to create value, both as a company and as a regional ecosystem,” he concludes.

Isabelle Anneet (AWEX)