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ABLYNX APPOINTS EDWIN MOSES AS
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
GHENT, Belgium, November 22, 2004 – Ablynx, a
pioneer in the discovery and development of Nanobodies™, a novel class of
therapeutic antibodies, has appointed Edwin Moses, Ph.D., as non-Executive
Chairman of its Board of Directors.
Dr. Moses has a non-executive role in a number of prominent life sciences
companies in Europe including roles as Chairman of BioImage, Avantium,
Inpharmatica, Paradigm Therapeutics, Amedis Pharmaceuticals and Clinphone as
well as being a Director of Ionix. He was previously Managing Director and then
CEO of Oxford Asymmetry International (OAI) from 1993 up to and beyond its
flotation in 1998 on the LSE. As Chairman, Dr. Moses led the cross-border merger
between OAI and Evotec Biosystems of Germany in a deal which valued OAI at
£316M. He has also held positions in Amersham International, Enzymatix
(forerunner of Chiroscience and Celsis) and Raggio-Italgene. He holds a B.Sc.
and a Ph.D. in Chemistry.
Welcoming Dr. Moses as the new Chairman, Dr. Mark Vaeck, CEO of Ablynx said:
“Edwin’s experience of steering biopharmaceutical companies through critical
stages of their growth will be invaluable at this important point in Ablynx’s
strategic development. We have achieved successful proof of concept of our
Nanobody™ platform and, with the financial resources in place and a strong
management team, we are well placed to build a leading biopharmaceutical
company. As Chairman, Edwin will strengthen our ability to achieve this goal.”
Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Moses said: “ Ablynx’s Nanobodies™ offer
significant potential as next generation antibody drugs as they have the
positive qualities of conventional antibodies with many important features of
small-molecule drugs. The Company is at an exciting stage of its development and
is positioned to drive this novel class of therapeutics into the clinic, through
in-house development and strategic partnering. I look forward to playing a
pivotal role in building success for this exciting company.”
Ablynx has pioneered the development of its proprietary Nanobodies™, a novel
class of therapeutics that combine the advantages of conventional antibodies
with key features of small-molecule drugs. As the smallest functional fragment
of naturally occurring single-domain antibodies, Nanobodies™ can address
therapeutic targets not easily recognized by conventional antibodies, including
active sites of enzymes and receptors, such as GPCRs, today’s most important
class of therapeutic targets. Additionally, Nanobodies™ can be produced
cost-effectively at large-scale, have a long shelf-life, and can be administered
through non-injectable means. Since commencing operations in 2002, Ablynx has
initiated pre-clinical programs in the areas of inflammation and thrombosis, and
several discovery programs in the areas of oncology and CNS.
Ablynx has the financial backing of some of the sector’s leading investors and
closed a €25 million (US$30 million) Series B financing round in April 2004.
Since then, Ablynx has signed two collaborative drug discovery deals: a
partnership with Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in June to discover
Nanobody™ drug candidates against a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) and an
agreement with Genencor International in September to discover Nanobody™ drug
candidates against cancer targets.
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About Ablynx
Ablynx is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and
development of Nanobodies™, a novel class of therapeutic antibodies, for a range
of serious human diseases. Because of their small size, unique structure and
unparalleled stability, Nanobodies™ combine the advantages of conventional
antibodies with key features of small-molecule drugs. Ablynx has an unrivalled
patent portfolio in the field of single domain antibodies with granted
composition of matter claims both in the USA and Europe. Headquartered in Ghent,
Belgium, Ablynx has raised over €33 million (over US$40 million) from a strong
investor consortium including Abingworth Management (UK), Alta Partners (USA),
Biotech Fund Flanders (Belgium), Gilde Investment Management (The Netherlands),
GIMV (Belgium) and Sofinnova Partners (France).
For further information please visit the website at
www.ablynx.com
Contacts
Media relations:
Sue Charles, MA, MBA, CEO
Northbank Communications
t : +44 (0) 20 7886 8152
e: s.charles@northbankcommunications.com
Douglas Pretsell, Ph.D., Senior Account Manager
Northbank Communications
t : +44 (0) 20 7886 8158
e:
d.pretsell@northbankcommunications.com
At the Company:
Mark Vaeck, Ph.D., CEO
Ablynx NV
t : +32 (0) 9 261 06 20
e: mark.vaeck@ablynx.com
Edwin Moses, Ph.D., Chairman
e: edwin.moses@ablynx.com
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