CASC8 1A
Marc Hendrikx
CEO
Prof. Dr. med Marc Hendrikx performed one of the first prospective randomized clinical trials, using autologous bone-marrow derived cells for the treatment of myocardial infarction in CABG patients. As a member of the Cardiology and Organ Systems research group (Uhasselt, Belgium), he focuses on in vitro and in vivo cellular and animal models in cardiovascular disease and their application in humans
Paul Celen
CFO
CFO Paul Celen Dr. Sc. has a background in managing, mentoring and scaling up startups. His skills involve business strategy, consulting, business development, sales, and management. He is the CEO of Celen Consulting for over 22 years now
Dirk Groenewegen
COO
CSO Dirk Groenewegen has a background as cell&gene therapy startup and scale-up coach. He is immuno-oncology expert. His expertise also includes IP valuation and licensing
Barbara Gaethofs
Adviseur
Advisor Barbara Gaethofs, Master in Bioscience engineering, has a background in bio-engineering. She has broad experience in managing innovation projects in agrofood and life sciences, particularly in start-ups. Barbara combines a longterm strategic 360° view with a strong eye for detail, managing projects to deliver the result within the boundaries of scope, time and cost. Barbara has more than 10 years of experience in applying for non-dilutive funding.
Ellen Heeren
Manager
Ellen Heeren MSc has a background in Biomedical Sciences. Her field of expertise is both cell biology and cardiac atrial appendage stem cells. She has received Master’s degree (Magna cum laude) in Biomedical Science from Uhasselt and is also pursuing her PhD in this field. She has extraordinary research and analytical skills.
Désiré Collen
Adviseur
Baron Collen is a medical doctor, chemist and biotech entrepreneur. He made various discoveries in the field of thrombosis, haemostasis and vascular biology and gained fame mainly because of his role in the development of recombinant t-PA (rt-PA) from a laboratory concept to a life-saving medicine. Until his retirement (2008), he was associated with KU Leuven.
Founder of:
• "D. Collen Research Foundation", now Life Sciences Research Partners
• Private Foundation Désiré Collen Foundation
• Thromb-X NV
• ThromboGenics NV (now Oxurion)
• Investment fund Fundplus NV
Matthew Springer
Adviseur
Received his BA from the University of California, Berkeley in 1985 and his PhD from Stanford University in 1992. He did postdoctoral research at Stanford and continued his research there as a senior scientist until joining the UCSF faculty in 2003, where he is currently one of two non-clinicians on the faculty of the Division of Cardiology. The close juxtaposition of his basic research background with the clinical cardiologists in the Division has resulted in an active translational research program.
Research interests:
• Cell therapy and gene therapy approaches to studying cardiovascular disease, with the goals of exploring potential treatments and understanding underlying mechanisms involved in angiogenesis, vascular function, and treatments for myocardial infarction.
• The therapeutic effects of ultrasound-guided bone marrow cell implantation into the heart after myocardial infarction, with a special emphasis on the therapeutic implications of the age and cardiac disease state of the cell donor
• The effects of age and disease on circulating angiogenic cells (sometimes called endothelial progenitor cells), with a focus on the roles of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and nitric oxide in the function of these cells.
Jean-Luc Rummens
Adviseur
Prof. Dr. J-L Rummens is clinical biologist, associate Professor at UHasselt and co-inventor of the CASC technology. He is the former head of the dept. Clinical Biology at Jessa Hospital, Hasselt Belgium
Carlos Rodrigues Cabello
Adviseur
Professor at the University of Valladolid, Spain and head of the BIOFORGE group. He has a broad background in the recombinant synthesis, processing and characterization of protein like polymers for biomedical applications such as tissue engineering, cell therapy, gene therapy and drug delivery.