– NETHERLANDS, Amsterdam – VectorY Therapeutics, a biotech company developing innovative vectorized antibody approaches for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, today announced the appointment of co-founder and former CTO, Sander van Deventer as CEO, succeeding Alexander Vos who led the Company during the start-up phase.
“I’m delighted to welcome Sander as our new CEO. We are confident that with his impressive industry track record and scientific knowledge, Sander will lead VectorY forward at this exciting time as we work towards our first IND,” said Supervisory Board Chair, Dr. Carlo Incerti.
The company also announced the appointment of Dr. Frank Walsh (Ph.D.) to its Board as an Independent Director, bringing two decades of experience as a senior executive in pharma and biotech companies as well as invaluable research experience in ALS, where his current work concentrates on the role of the neurotrophin receptor TrkB on motor neuron survival.
About Sander van Deventer
Sander van Deventer has 25 years of experience in drug development and a longstanding track record in antibody and gene therapy development.
“In the two years since VectorY’s inception, we have made significant progress in validating our technology and are now advancing towards development,” said CEO, Sander van Deventer. “We have a promising technology of vectorized antibodies which has the potential to transform the therapeutic landscape in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Huntington’s, and ultimately dementias. I am looking forward to working with the team to progress our innovative pipeline towards our first IND.”
Sander is a co-founder of VectorY and has 25 years of experience in drug development. He had a critical role in the development of the first commercial monoclonal antibody (Remicade) and the first gene therapy to be granted market authorization in the Western world. Sander is also co-founder of Forbion, a leading life science venture capital firm where he is currently an Operating Partner. In 1998 he co-founded Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics (AMT N.V.), currently, uniQure N.V. (NASDAQ: QURE), an AAV-based gene therapy company, acting subsequently as CSO, CMO, and CEO. He also served as CEO of Dezima. In 2017, he re-joined uniQure as its part-time CSO, bringing the hemophilia B and Huntington’s disease programs to clinical development. Sander is a former professor of Experimental Medicine and Gastroenterology at the Amsterdam Academic Medical Center and of Translational Gastroenterology at the University of Leiden. He authored over 80 book chapters, and 600 peer-reviewed papers, organized international scientific conferences and supervised more than 40 Ph.D. students. He served on the Boards of Hookipa, Engene, Borean, Dezima, Argos, and the scientific advisory boards of Hookipa, Argos, Engene, and Staten.
About Dr. Frank S Walsh
Dr. Frank Walsh is an accomplished pharmaceutical and biotechnology senior executive with over 20 years of experience. He currently serves as the founding CEO of Ossianix. Frank has had a long-term research interest in ALS, where his work initially focused on developing human neuronal cell culture models and on the role of autoimmunity. His current work is determining the role of the neurotrophin receptor TrkB on motor neuron survival. As head of Discovery Research worldwide at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in Collegeville, PA he studied myostatin and neutralizing antibodies in the SOD-1 ALS mouse model. Before joining Wyeth, he was SVP at GlaxoSmithKline UK and Head of the Neurology CEDD, and VP of Neuroscience Research at Smith Kline Beecham UK. Before joining the pharmaceutical industry, Frank had a distinguished academic career in Neuroscience as the Sir William Dunn Professor of Experimental Pathology at London’s UMDS, Guy’s Hospital. Frank has served on the research committee of the Motor Neuron Disease Association in the UK and was Chairman of the ALSA Ice Bucket Challenge drug discovery initiative. Currently, he is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board at Target ALS, New York, and the Packard Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.
He received his Ph.D. from University College London and has authored over 200 scientific publications. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and has honorary degrees from the University of Perugia and Bologna, Italy, and Dundee and Strathclyde, UK.
About VectorY
VectorY combines the therapeutic potential of antibodies and gene therapy to develop long-lasting therapeutic solutions for neurodegenerative diseases with high unmet medical needs such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Huntington’s disease.
VectorY is a fully integrated gene therapy company focused on the development of innovative therapeutics based on a novel AAV gene therapy platform, antibody-based targeted protein degradation technologies, and proprietary manufacturing technology. While focusing initially on neurodegenerative diseases, VectorY’s synergistic technologies may be applied across various indications.
VectorY was founded in October 2020 and is based in Amsterdam Science Park.
For more information: https://www.vectorytx.com/
- Disclaimer - News, data, and statements included in this release are intended exclusively for general information purposes. Talent4Boards does not guarantee that news is accurate or about the correct person and accepts neither liability for the consequences of the reader’s reliance, nor responsibility for the accuracy of the information. Nothing in this release should be considered for decisions about referred securities. Products and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
