We believe in the bacterial revolution
3/02/2026 | Probiotherapy | 6 min read
“Within eighteen months, our YUN products will reach two billion people worldwide," says our founder & CEO Tom Verlinden.
With six unique, globally recognized patent families, the Belgian Niel-based biotech company YUN is the only enterprise in the world to have sparked a sweeping revolution with so-called probiotherapy. Good bacteria are now being used to treat skin problems such as acne or eczema without harming the skin’s natural balance. “No one can do what we do,” says founder and CEO Tom Verlinden. “Within eighteen months, our YUN products will reach two billion people worldwide.”
For years, the World Health Organization has been sounding the alarm: if we do not change our massive use of antibiotics, by 2050 more people will die from antibiotic-resistant bacteria and so-called hospital infections than from cancer. In short, an alternative must be found for the widespread use of antibiotics and antiseptics.
“During my pharmacy training, I learned that all bacteria are bad, that you have to kill them and keep everything as sterile as possible,” YUN’s CEO recalls. “But around 2014, I came into contact with bioengineer and microbiology professor Sarah Lebeer and bioengineer Ingmar Claes from the University of Antwerp. Their story completely changed my perspective. They explained that what I had learned about bacteria wasn’t entirely correct. There are good and bad bacteria, and the challenge is to use the good ones to fight the bad ones.”
Tom Verlinden then decided to leave his parents’ pharmaceutical family business and start his own R&D company: YUN.
“Depending on how you pronounce this Chinese word, it has several meanings. It means bacteria, army, and cloud. In short: an army of good bacteria fighting the bad ones,” he explains.
Supported by Professor Filip Kiekens, head of the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy at the University of Antwerp, and pharmacist Tim Henkens, the small YUN team began carefully developing probiotherapy in 2016.
“Instead of killing harmful bacteria with antibiotics and antibacterial care products, the philosophy of probiotherapy adds large numbers of good bacteria. We are the first in the world to succeed in stabilizing live bacteria in creams and sprays with clinically proven results. Most soaps, antifungal sprays, or antibiotics disrupt our natural protective barrier. Our probiotherapy ensures that the skin’s protective properties are maintained or restored.”
Global rollout
After more than ten years of thorough and internationally recognized scientific research, YUN is now on the verge of a global rollout for both humans and pets.
Based on its unique technologies, the company currently offers 30 YUN products in a wide range: creams for acne, eczema, vaginal issues, baby products, and products for skin problems in dogs and cats.
For this rollout, Tom Verlinden partnered with several major pharmaceutical companies that include YUN products in their portfolios.
“We’re too small and don’t have the financial resources to make this new probiotherapy philosophy known worldwide on our own,” he says. “If we tried to take market share away from the big pharma players, we’d be crushed. If you can’t beat them, join them.”
One of those players is the American-Canadian company Bausch Health Companies, with revenues of 9.6 billion dollars.
“Recently, Bausch Health launched our acne products in Poland. It’s already an incredible success. That’s why we recently signed an agreement with them for all of Eastern Europe, Mexico, Ukraine, and even Kazakhstan.”
The successful transition from a relatively small R&D entity to a global business is partly thanks to the Voka Accelero program for business leaders who want to significantly scale up their growing companies.
“We’re not a sales company. Still, we had to convince those big players that our products would succeed in the market,” says Verlinden. “Our Belgian market data convinced them. Usually, it takes three years of due diligence before you can even start talks with a major commercial company. We had everything ready: patents, clinical studies, you name it. Thanks to that preparation, we’ll reach more than two billion consumers within eighteen months.”
That also means strong revenue growth.
"We currently generate a few million euros in revenue. Within seven years, we expect revenues of around one hundred million euros.”
Quality label
With success also comes enormous responsibility, Verlinden knows.
“YUN products guarantee quality. We must ensure that our probiotherapy becomes known worldwide and is correctly applied as an alternative to antibiotics.”
Quality controls remain in the hands of the company in Niel (Belgium). During negotiations with major pharmaceutical companies, Verlinden insisted that the YUN label be included on the packaging.
“Bausch Health always mentions YUN. The well-known veterinary label Ecuphar, which we work with for our animal portfolio, does the same,” he says. “We also insist that the word ‘probiotherapy’ is clearly visible. Our creams are marketed with that quality label.”
Verlinden credits not only himself and his team for his business skills.
“I learned a lot during my time in the family pharmaceutical business,” he says. “I’m grateful to my father and brothers for allowing me to sit on the management board and board of directors from the age of 18. That’s where I learned many business strategies.”
Flemish ecosystem
Now that global dominance is slowly coming into view, the R&D company deliberately wants to remain anchored in Flanders, specifically in the calm, green Rupel region and Niel.
“We’re not planning to move to the United States or India,” the entrepreneur says. “All biotech know-how is in Flanders. Just look at our scientific collaborations with the universities of Ghent, Leuven, and Antwerp. Many top biotech consultants are based here. This ecosystem has brought us to where we are today.”
According to him, the major challenges for the next ten years are threefold.
“We want to firmly establish our probiotherapy in the market through successful marketing and sales,” Verlinden explains. “Then there’s scaling up: we will deliver a hundred times more products through external partners. And the third priority is continuous innovation.”
He refers to a recent McKinsey report stating that 60 percent of innovation lies in bacterial products and applications.
That the R&D company has no intention of resting on its laurels is evident from its current innovative research into a new antiseptic based on a specific type of enzymatic bacteria. The final product (which YUN itself will not manufacture) will ultimately be used by the military, in collaboration with top scientists from the universities of Ghent and Leuven.
Spider silk
The bacterial revolution will be fundamentally disruptive; of that Verlinden has no doubt.
“Through various bacterial processes, humans can produce organic spider silk,” he says. “This spider silk is already being used in operating rooms. It is extremely strong and dissolves over time. My bold prediction? Within 40 years, we’ll use a variant of this ultra-strong spider silk to build houses. Bacteria are the future. At YUN, we are already working on this, to proactively help combat the greatest threats to humanity.”
This interview was leaded by Nadia Dala from VOKA Antwerpen-Waasland
The future of health
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The industry is changing. Consumers demand safer, natural solutions and microbiome-safe care is becoming the new standard.
At YUN, we lead this shift and help businesses to stay ahead of it. By integrating our Microbiome-Safe Scoring into product development, we provide the scientific foundation to create trusted, microbiome-friendly innovations that meet this rising demand. Our innovations are already proving that protecting the microbiome is not just better for health, but essential.
Microbiome-safe is no longer a trend. It is the foundation for the next generation of care.
