NEUVASQ - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Member of the Board
- Director of the NeuroVascular Signaling Laboratory
- Member of the Université Libre De Bruxelles
Benoit is a faculty member of the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB, Belgium). He was appointed Assistant Professor in 2009 and was later promoted to Associate Professor and Professor, in 2014 and 2019, respectively. He led the Department of Molecular Biology at ULB between 2017 and 2019.
Benoit is the director of the NeuroVascular Signaling Laboratory, at the Department of Molecular Biology and ULB Neuroscience Institute, which receives support from various agencies, including the European Research Council (ERC), WELBIO, and FNRS. He has received numerous scientific awards for his research.
Job Titles:
- Society Board Member
- Society Vice - President / President Elect
Christina Franssen, PhD, currently an Investment Manager at WE Life Sciences, brings over two decades of experience in innovation and research to her role. Prior to joining WE Life Sciences in 2019, Christina served as Business Development Manager and later Director of State-of-the-Art Technology Platforms at GIGA, a research institute associated with the University of Liège. Christina started her career as a research scientist and went through the full cycle of entrepreneurship, founding a spin-off company, and leading it to a successful exit. She holds a Master's degree in Biology and a PhD in Microbiology & Genetics from the Université de Liège (Belgium).
Denis Bedoret currently serves as CEO of Imcyse. He is also Director in the Boards of Ncardia, BePharBel, and previously Exothera. Prior to joining Imcyse, Denis was Chief Executive Officer at MaSTherCell SA, Belgium and President of MaSTherCell Global Inc., U.S. Under his leadership, the Company expanded significantly growing from 60 to 260 employees and positioning as a leader in the field of CDMO's dedicated to Cell and Gene therapies products before being acquired by Catalent. Denis also held the position of Chief Operations Officer at Quality Assistance S.A. a leading European analytical CRO where he was also a member of the Board of Directors. Before that, Denis served as engagement manager at McKinsey & Company, focusing on life science projects. Denis holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine, a Ph.D. in Life Sciences from the University of Liège and a postdoc in Immunology from Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Richard Porter, PhD, was appointed Chief Business Officer at UniQure in April 2022. He is responsible for global business development, strategic planning, and commercial operations. Prior to this role, he founded and served as CEO at Corlieve Therapeutics, which was later acquired by UniQure. With over 25 years of experience in R&D, he has held senior positions at companies like Therachon, Roche, Shire Pharmaceuticals, Vernalis, and ASTRA. Richard received his PhD in neuropharmacology from Southampton University and conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Rochester and the University of Oxford.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Board
- Ex - Vice President and Partner at UCB Ventures
Emmanuel, ex-Vice President and Partner at UCB Ventures, has an impressive track record of sourcing and leading equity investments in companies like Esobiotec, Walden Biosciences, and Locanabio, as well as LP investments in other funds. As UCB's Head of Business Development Neurology, he successfully executed multiple licensing agreements, product acquisitions, and equity investments in Lumos Pharma (Nasdaq : LUMO). Emmanuel also led the launch and equity financing of UCB's spin-out Syndesi Therapeutics, which was later acquired by AbbVie, and held prior leadership positions in Sales and Global Marketing at UCB and in Gene Editing Research at Cellectis SA.
Emmanuel received an MBA from IMD (Switzerland), a PhD in Molecular Biology from Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB, Belgium) based on research conducted at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (Germany), and a MSc in Biochemistry from the Université de Liège (Belgium). He previously served on the boards of Esobiotec, Walden Biosciences, Syndesi Therapeutics (acquired by AbbVie), and as observer at Locanabio and Lumos (Nasdaq : LUMO).
Job Titles:
- General Advisor to the Société Fédérale De Participations
François Fontaine has served as the General Advisor to the Société Fédérale de Participations et d'Investissements (SFPI) since December 2009. His responsibilities include overseeing investment projects in various sectors, such as new technologies, biomedical, real estate, waste treatment, and water and energy. Prior to his current role, François worked as an advisor for the tax unit of the Walloon Region where he was responsible for implementing and transferring regional taxes. He holds a Bachelor's degree in law and tax sciences.
Guy Heynen, MD, graduated from Université de Liège (Belgium) in 1970 with a degree in Medicine. He is an Internal Medicine specialist with expertise in immunology and rheumatology. Guy has extensive expertise in clinical development, trial design, strategic evaluations, and translational evaluations. He started his career with Pfizer International in 1982 as an International Medical Director and served in various assignments in Brussels, New York, and Zurich. Later, from 2011 to 2014, he worked as a Regional Medical Monitor in Europe. Guy then went on to become the Chief Clinical and Regulatory for Bone Therapeutics up until 2017.
Marc has over 20 years of experience in biotech companies, covering the field of drug discovery. He spent 14 years as head of Biochemistry and In Vitro Pharmacology at Oxurion, and 8 years at Dyax, first as Associated Director Biochemistry, and later as Manager of Operations.
Marc obtained his PhD at the Université de Liège (Belgium) and worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the Université de Liège, the University of Bayreuth and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis TN
Michel Allé, a civil engineer with a master's degree in economics, has held various managerial positions throughout his career. He has been a manager at the Belgian Science Policy Office, served as a member of the Management Committee of Cobepa (formerly a subsidiary of Paribas), and worked as the CFO of both Brussels Airport and the Belgian Railways. Michel's academic accomplishments include serving as a professor at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, where he was also the president from 1997 to 2001. Michel has been the Chairman of the Board of Ogeda and currently holds director positions at the D'Ieteren Group and Elia Group (both listed), and serves as the Chairman of the Board of Epics Therapeutics.