Masterclass Biotechnology – Faculty members
Eva-Lotta Allan, Chief Business Officer Ablynx
Eva-Lotta Allan has 23 years of industry experience with the last 13 years in business development. She joined Ablynx from Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated [NASDAQ: VRTX] where she held a number of positions between 2000-2006 and was most recently Senior Director of Global Business Development and Site Operations Vertex Europe. Prior to joining Vertex, Eva-Lotta held senior business development and sales and marketing roles at Amersham International, Oxford Asymmetry International (OAI) and Oxford GlycoSciences (OGS). Eva-Lotta holds a degree in microbiology from the University of Stockholm (Laborantskolan) and held a position for a number of years at the Karolinska Institute, in the department of Tumour Biology.
Address: Ablynx nv, Technologiepark 4, 9052 Ghent/Zwijnaarde, Belgium, Tel. +32 9 262 0000, : eva-lotta.allan@ablynx.com .
Désiré Collen, Founder and chairman ThromboGenics
Désiré Collen is Prof. em. at the Center for Molecular and Vascular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, K.U.Leuven, Prof. em. at the Vesalius Research Center, VIB, and founder and chairman of ThromboGenics. Désiré Collen holds a MD and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Leuven, Belgium. He received four honorary doctorates and several scientific awards including the Francqui Prize (Belgium). His team discovered and initially developed tPA, currently the most effective drug for thrombolytic therapy of acute myocardial infarction.
Address: KULeuven, Herestraat 49, box 911, B-3000 Leuven, Tel. 016/345775, Desire.Collen@med.kuleuven.be
Jean-Luc Dehaene, member of the European Parliament for CD&V
Jean-Luc Dehaene is a Doctor of Law from the University of Namur and K.U.Leuven. He became in 1965 member of the Research Department of the Christian Workers’ Union (ACW). From 1972 to 1982 he worked in various ministerial offices, he was/is member of the CVP (now CD&V) bureau (since 1972), Senator (1982-1987), Member of the House of Representatives (1987-1995), Senator (1995-2000), Member of the European Parliament (since 2004), Minister for Social Affairs and Institutional Reform (1981-1987), Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Transport and Institutional Reform (1988-1992), Prime Minister (1992-1999), Vice-Chairman of the European Convention (2001-2003), Mayor of Vilvoorde (2001-2007). He is currently Chairman of the Administrative Council of the College of Europe (Bruges-Natolin) (since 1999), Member of the board of the King Baudouin Foundation (since 2004) and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dexia (since 2008). Address: Europees Parlement, ASP 8F356, Wiertzstraat 60, 1047 Brussel, Tel. 02 284 58 67, jldehaene@europarl.eu.int
Rudy Dekeyser, Managing Director Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie
Rudy Dekeyser is managing director of VIB and manager of VIB’s technology transfer department. He is involved in the strategic management of an important patent portfolio, the negotiation of R&D and license collaborations with companies, the establishment of biotech start-up companies and the exploitation of bio-incubators. He has been board member at Devgen, CropDesign and Ablynx nv, and is board member at ProNota nv, Actogenix nv, Solucel OY, CardioBiosciences sa, KBC PRIVAK, Bio-Incubator Leuven nv, EMBLEM (the EMBL tech transfer company) and FlandersBio (the Flemish biotech cluster). He is also co-founding board member of the European Association of European Science and Technology Transfer Professionals (ASTP), chairman of Valorisation Advisory Board of NGI and guest professor ‘Innovation management’ at the University of Ghent. Dr. Dekeyser obtained his PhD in biology at the University of Ghent. Address: VIB headquarters, Rijvisschestraat 120, 9052 Gent, tel. +32 9 244 66 11,
Rudy.dekeyser@vib.be
Johan De Rycker, Director Corporate & Public Affairs at Raffinerie Tirlemontoise and ULB Professor in communication
Johan De Rycker joined Raffinerie Tirlemontoise in 1992 as Director Corporate & Public Affairs. Before that he worked for Burson-Marsteller (1986-1992) as senior PR & PA Consultant and Young&Rubicam Advertising (1979-1986) as Account Director, both on fast moving consumer goods and pharmaceutical accounts. He studied Biochemistry at the VUB (1972-1976) and King's College London (1976-1979), and is since academic year 1988/89 Maître de Conférences at the ULB, in the Department of Information and Communication Sciences, where he is responsible for the operational aspects of the Corporate Communications course. Since 2008 he also teaches at the Vlaams Instituut voor Journalistiek. Address. Raffinerie Tirlemontoise S.A. Tervurenlaan 182, 1150 Brussels, tel +32 478 84 35 26,
johan.derycker.ext@raftir.be
Ann Dhoore, Human Resources Senior Manager at Amgen Belux & Amgen Netherlands Affiliate
Ann Dhoore is Human Resources Senior Manager at Amgen Belux (since 2003) and Amgen Netherlands (since 2008). Previously she worked as HR & Legal Director for SCOOT Benelux en Vendex Food (now Laurus). Ann Dhoore has a master in law and a master in political sciences from the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium) and followed a special program in international politics at the JFKennedy School (Cambridge, Ma, USA). France Fannes, General Manager BioWin
France has a master’s degree in medical biology. She started her career as an academic researcher in virology at ULB, before joining Biolab, a Walloon-based company specialised in biomedical diagnostics. During the ten years she spent at Biolab she held various positions as head of R&D, production and market¬ing. Then, in 1996, she set up BIO ART, a Flanders-based company specialised in the development and production of diag¬nostic kits. At Bio ART she gained experience in particular in filing patents and negotiating partnership agreements with both small and large-sized biomedical companies. During her time with BIO ART, France was a member of the steering committee of Flanders¬Bio and also become an accredited independent expert to the IWT (the Flemish regional agency for innovation) ». Bruno Flamion, Chair of Scientific Advice Working Party, European Medicines Agency (EMEA)
Bruno Flamion chairs the Scientific Advice Working Party (SAWP) at the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) in London. Through SAWP, the Committee for Human Medicinal Products (CHMP) gives advice to large and small companies on drug development in all therapeutic areas. Bruno Flamion holds an MD (internal medicine, nephrology) and PhD (physiology) from the University of Brussels (ULB). He was a Research Fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, USA, 1988-1992 and with the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research, 1992-1996. He is now Full Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Namur, Belgium and medical expert for the Belgian Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP) and the EMEA. He is a member of, a.o. CHMP, the Pharmacogenomics Working Party and the new (2009) Committee for Advanced Therapies.
Marjorie Gobert is the company lawyer of pharma.be .
Since obtaining her law degree from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and after a short experience at the Brussels Bar, she has specialized in health law in general. She has five years of experience in hospital law and of legal advice to a hospital. Over the past years she has been a practitioner of pharmaceutical law in the widest sense, actively keeping up with the latest developments in clinical research and avdanced therapies.pharma.be, the Belgian Pharmaceutical Industry Association, combines 140 (bio)pharmaceutical companies based in Belgium. pharma.be is active at all three stages in the life of a medicinal product: research (human experimentation and clinical trials); marketing of the medicine (public health); price and reimbursement (social and economic affairs). As a partner to doctors, pharmacists, authorities and other stakeholders, pharma.be ensures the promotion of the best available healthcare treatment in the field of medicines through therapeutic innovation. pharma.be has been involved closely in the legislative changes regarding cells and tissues in Belgium. www.pharma.be Annie Hubert, Corporate Affairs Director of Amgen’s affiliate in Belgium and Luxembourg.
Annie Hubert joined Amgen in 2001 at the time Amgen expanded its portfolio and activities. Annie Hubert holds a Master in Pharmacy (UCL, Belgium) and obtained the qualification of Industrial Pharmacist in 1983. She started her career in quality assurance, quickly moved into international and national regulatory affairs, to progressively become more involved in national pricing, reimbursement and other external and public affairs activities. During the last few years, she often represented Amgen at industry associations including the management boards of pharma.be and bio.be. She is an active member of different industry working groups dealing with clinical trials, pricing & reimbursement, biotechnology and biosimilars. She is the lead of the biosimilars working groups at bio.be. Address: Amgen Belgium, Avenue Ariane / Arianelaan 5, B-1200 Brussels, Tel. +32 2 775 27 21, Email: ahubert@amgen.com
Frank Landolt, IP and Legal Counsel Ablynx nv
Frank Landolt is a Dutch (1994) and European (1995) patent attorney and a licensing lawyer. After studying chemistry (M.Sc., 1990) and law (M.Sc., 1992) at Leiden University, he worked for almost ten years at the private practice firms of Polak and Charlouis (now EP&C) and Nederlandsch Octrooibureau in the Netherlands, where his clients included major pharmaceutical companies as well as biotech firms and research institutions. Prior to joining Ablynx as IP and legal counsel in 2004, he worked for 4 years as director of IP and legal counsel at Devgen N.V. Frank is a member of EPI, the Dutch Association of Patent Attorneys, LES and L'institut des Juristes d'Entreprise, and holds an M.Sc. in business law from the University of Antwerp (2006). Marc Martens, Bird & Bird Senior Associate.
Marc has developed a particular expertise in the various high tech and highly regulated industries Bird & Bird has based its development on. In the specific field of life sciences, he provides strategic advice to Belgian and international pharmaceutical, biotech and medical devices companies as well as sector organisations facing complex regulatory frameworks. His areas of expertise cover amongst others issues relating to life-cycle management, data exclusivity, marketing and reimbursement authorisations and clinical trials. He advises numerous biotech companies and deals with a large range of issues regarding Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products as well as cells and tissues. He regularly publishes and speaks on life sciences regulatory topics at international conferences in Europe and the U.S.A. Prior to joining the firm, Marc spent three years in the office of the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Mobility and Transport as an expert. Marc holds a law degree from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) where he also worked four years as a research assistant, and a degree in public and administrative law from the University of Brussels (ULB). Marc was admitted to the Brussels Bar in 1995.
Dirk Reyn (°1961), obtained his Pharmacist degree at the University of Antwerp, and holds an MBA degree from the Northwestern University (Kellog’s) / Handelshogeschool. Mr. Reyn gained commercial experience at Eli Lilly, where he was involved in the launch of Prozac in the US and was the key driver behind the start-up of a new sales force for Lilly Belgium. In 1992, Mr. Reyn joined Janssen-Cilag where he was a key member of the International Strategic Marketing team that created Prepulsid, the first billion USD blockbuster for the group. He was also a member of a number of GI franchise development and commercial teams and member of the project team that facilitated in-licensing and the launch of the PPI, Pariet (rabeprazole) from Eisai in 1994. In 1995, Dirk Reyn assumed the function of Senior Director GI. The JNJ new product team for prulacopride, in which he was the global strategic marketing representative, was awarded for the best phase II to phase III transition within JNJ. In 2001/2, he was responsible for JNJ’s e-business offerings in the EMEA region. In 2003 he became responsible for new business development in Europe and was involved in various deals including Velcade (Millennium) and the repurchasing of the rights to Risperdal and Natrecor in Europe (GSK). In his last JNJ position, Mr. Reyn was VP New Business Development and in-licensing for Europe at Janssen Pharmaceutica (Janssen-Cilag).Carla Schoonderbeek, Public & Regulatory, Partner NautaDutilh, Amsterdam
Carla Schoonderbeek has extensive experience in European and national regulatory aspects of therapeutic goods. Carla advises clients in those sectors on market access, EU and national marketing authorisations, pricing and reimbursement, compliance matters, advertising and labelling and on interpretation questions of new complex regulatory frameworks, and enforcement actions by the competent authorities both at Community level and at the national level of Member States. She lobbies and litigates before and/or against European and national authorities and courts and drafts, reviews and negotiates contracts relating to regulated products. Carla graduated from the University of Utrecht in 1979 and was admitted to the Dutch Bar in 1980. She was a partner at CMS Derks Star Busmann until May 2005, at which time she joined NautaDutilh as a partner. Carla was a member of the team that conducted the 2000 audit of the Community's pharmaceutical marketing authorisation rules on behalf of the European Commission and has published a book about the recently adapted new EU marketing authorisation rules. She is recommended as a leading practitioner for regulatory law and described as a regulatory superstar (dixit PLC's Cross-border Quarterly)
Address: Nauta Dutilh, Amsterdam, T: +31 20 71 71 905, carla.schoonderbeek@nautadutilh.com
Paul Stoffels, Company Group Chairman, Global Research and Development, Pharmaceuticals Group at Johnson and Johnson
Paul Stoffels studied Medicine at the University of Diepenbeek and the University of Antwerp in Belgium and Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium. He worked for 4 years as a Physician C Researcher in the field of HIV/AIDS in Africa. In 1991 he became the Head of Development for the HIV compounds at the Janssen Research Foundation in Beerse, Belgium and in 1993 he was promoted to Director Clinical Research and Development for Infectious Diseases and Dermatology in 1993.
He was the co-founder of two Belgian biotech companies, Tibotec and Virco. In 1997, Paul left Janssen Research Foundation to become the CEO of Virco. Later he was appointed President of Tibotec. He led the development of Tibotec from a technology-based research company into an integrated pharmaceutical research and development company focusing on the discovery and development of new drugs and diagnostics for HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. Paul has been a co-founder of a number of other biotech companies in Europe. In April 2002, Johnson & Johnson acquired Tibotec-Virco. Currently, Paul is Company Group Chairman, Global Research and Development, Pharmaceuticals Group at Johnson and Johnson.
Patrick Van Beneden, Executive Vice President Life Sciences at GIMV
Patrick Van Beneden (1962) has worked at Gimv since 1985 and joined the Executive Committee in February 2001. He heads up the Life Sciences business unit. He is a board member of various listed and non-listed investments, including Acertys, ActoGeniX, Astex, DeVGen, Pamgene, TorreyPines Therapeutics and the Biotech Fonds Vlaanderen. Former board seats include Innogenetics, Crucell, Avalon, Hypnion (acquired by Eli Lilly) and Crop Design (acquired by BASF). Patrick Van Beneden has a degree in Financial Sciences from VLEKHO in Brussels.
Address: Gimv Belgium, Karel Oomsstraat 37, 2018 Antwerpen, Tel:+32 3 290 21 00
Chris Van Den Broucke, Vice President and Regional Director Amgen International
Has an education of Pharmacist and holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Leuven (Belgium). Graduated as MBA at the Vlerick School in Ghent, Belgium. Started his career in Pharma industry in 1985 and held various positions in Schering-Plough and American Cyanamid in regulatory affairs, marketing and sales management. Was General Manager for Lederle The Netherlands and later Lederle Belgium. Joined Amgen in 1992 as Country Manager Benelux. Became Regional Director Amgen Europe and is currently Vice-President Region North and Australia, responsible for more than 20 countries. Chris is member of the International Management Committee of Amgen.
Address: Amgen International AG, Dammstrasse 23, CH-6301 Zug, Switzerland, Chrisv@amgen.com
Johan Vanhemelrijck, Health Care Manager Bio.Be
Born in 1951, Dr. Vanhemelrijck became Doctor in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Gent, Belgium in 1976. Dr. Vanhemelrijck started with 13 years career in with the Pharmaceutical Industry (Upjohn company) and representation of that industry in AVGI/AGIM now Pharma.Be. In June 1989, he joined the European Federation of Animal Health (FEDESA) as Secretary General until August 2002. In August 2002, he became Senior Director Worldwide Industry Affairs for Pharmacia Animal Health. He is the CEO of HI&PP Consult since 2003. In March 2004, Dr. Vanhemelrijck became the Secretary General of EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries. Johan Vanhemelrijck retired as secretary general on 1 July 2008. As from 1st January 2009 Dr. Vanhemelrijck is the Health Care Manager of the Belgian Association of Bio-industries, Bio.Be. In that function he organises and implement the advocacy of the Health care biotechnology industries at the level of the Belgian Federal State Authorities and continues stimulating the public authorities and the public at large to support this innovative sector. Address: Bio.be, Diamant Building, Boulevard Reyers 80, 1030 Brussels, Tel.: 02/238 98 47, GSM +32475306257, Johan.Vanhemelrijck@telenet.be
Dirk Van Poucke, Professor ‘Negotiation, competitive decision making and conflict management’
Dirk Van Poucke teaches Mediation & Conflict Management at the Ghent University and is Professor "Negotiation & Competitive Decision Making" at the Flanders Business School. He is an experienced trainer in negotiation skills. He is a lawyer specialised in negotiations for mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, commercial contracts and conflict management.
After graduating in law at the Ghent University, he took the M.B.A. programme in Business Management PUB (directed by Prof. A.J. Vlerick), graduated in Fiscal Sciences (Fiscale Hogeschool, Brussels) and took the Program of Instruction for Lawyers at the Harvard Law School (USA) and Negotiation and Competitive Decision Making at the Harvard Business School. He obtained his doctorate in Applied Economics with a dissertation on negotiating. He was Full Professor ‘Negotiation & Conflict Management’ at the Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School.
Liesbeth Weynants, Intellectual Property, Public & Regulatory, Dispute Resolution at NautaDutilh
Liesbeth Weynants focuses on patents, unfair competition, privacy and data protection law, in particular in the Life Sciences sector. She is the Belgian coordinator of NautaDutilh's multidisciplinary Life Sciences Group and a Board member of the Belgian Biotech Association Bio.be. She represents companies in the Life Sciences area, among which large pharmaceutical, medical device and biotech companies, a.o. in advice and litigation relating to intellectual property and regulatory issues. Liesbeth graduated from the universities of Namur and Leuven in 1992. In 1993, she obtained an LLM in law, economics and EC politics at the European College of Parma (Italy). Liesbeth was admitted to the Brussels Bar in September 1994 and worked in the intellectual property department of another Dutch law firm for four years prior to joining NautaDutilh in January 1999. Liesbeth was named a partner in the firm in January 2004. Liesbeth has published a number of articles on selected topics of intellectual property and life sciences and she regularly speaks at seminars in those fields. Liesbeth is a member of the editorial board of the leading Belgian IP periodical IRDI. Liesbeth is also a member of several international IP associations.
Address: Nauta Dutilh, Brussels, Tel: +32 25 66 84 54, liesbeth.weynants@nautadutilh.com