Oncurious NV, an oncology company focused on the development of innovative medicines for the treatment of pediatric tumors, today announces the appointment of Prof Dr Peter Carmeliet as its Chief Scientific Strategy Advisor. Oncurious is a new oncology company and a joint venture between ThromboGenics NV and VIB, a leading life sciences institute in Flanders (Belgium).
Since 15 years Prof Carmeliet (VIB Vesalius Research Center, KU Leuven) has focused his research interests on unravelling the molecular basis of neuro-vascular biological processes and diseases, and translating these genetic insights into therapeutic concepts – with the ultimate aspiration to develop novel treatments.
Research conducted by Prof Carmeliet’s team at VIB/KU Leuven, in collaboration with Prof Rakesh Jain from the Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard (Boston), generated the first pre-clinical data on the use of human monoclonal antibodies against placental growth factor (PlGF) in the treatment of medulloblastoma. Based on the positive results, TB-403 will be now further developed by Oncurious for the treatment of pediatric tumors.
Prof Dr Peter Carmeliet comments: “I am pleased with this opportunity to support the translation of pre-clinical research conducted at VIB/KU Leuven and other world leading institutes into potential novel cancer treatments. Working with Oncurious NV gives me the occasion to remain very closely involved in the process of developing a drug for clinical use.”
Dr Patrik De Haes, CEO of ThromboGenics NV and Executive Chairman of Oncurious NV: “We are delighted that Prof Carmeliet has accepted the role of Chief Scientific Strategy Advisor with Oncurious. Professor Carmeliet is a globally renowned leader in the field of oncology research and its underlying biological processes. His scientific insights, research and in-depth expertise will be very valuable as the Oncurious team progresses its current clinical development of TB-403 for the treatment of pediatric brain tumors, I am confident that his insights will, in time, allow Oncurious to build an oncology pipeline and become an international leader in developing novel cancer therapies.”
(Source: VIB)
