- Appointment of new Scientific Advisory Board comprising thought leaders from academia and industry to boost pipeline progress and expansion
- New laboratories will accommodate growing team and increased activities
- Move supported by key shareholder Noshaq and SPI and confirms Imcyse’s commitment to the Walloon Region of Belgium, a leading center for talent and R&D within Europe
Liège, Belgium, June 24, 2021 – Imcyse, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of a new class of active and specific immunotherapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases, is pleased to announce the formation of a Scientific Advisory Board (“SAB”) and the opening of its new office and laboratory. These developments will enable the next phase of growth in the Walloon region’s diverse and innovative scientific and academic ecosystems.
During the past year, Imcyse has achieved significant milestones with the start of the company’s Phase 2b study in T1D, a research and collaboration agreement with Pfizer in Rheumatoid Arthritis and a financing round raising an additional €21m. To help enable the expansion of its Imotope™ platform to new indications and therapeutic areas, Imcyse has now strengthened and expanded its Scientific Advisory Board with thought leaders from academia and industry. The new SAB comprises of eight leading international experts spanning the fields of Immunology, Inflammation, Vaccinology, Oncology and Autoimmune Disease and will consult with Imcyse’s leadership team and provide independent scientific review and advice. The diverse experience from both the EU and US will help the company identify new opportunities, optimize current research, and help guide the preparation for the next and decisive steps in the expansion of its development programs in indications such as T1D, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Neuromyelitis Optica and Celiac Disease.
”Autoimmune disorders cause a wide range of debilitating and chronic impairments which makes the clincial management challenging and constitutes a burden for patients and society. While symptomatic treatments are available, definitive cures have yet to be approved. Imcyse’s novel approach has the potential to pave the way for a new class of therapies which specifically block disease pathways and could provide long term treatment benefits for patients and could possibly cure patients with a safe and convenient treatment,” said Prof. Mark Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., Professor in the UCSF Diabetes Research Center in San Francisco, USA, and member of the newly formed Advisory Board of Imcyse. “I am excited to be part of the Imcyse’s Scientific Advisory Board and am looking forward to working with the management team and alongside my fellow Advisory Board members, each remarkable experts in their field, to support Imcyse in its efforts to further the development of Imotopes in its current indications and identify novel targets where this technology could make a significant difference.”
To accommodate the strong growth both in the company’s scientific team as well as in the number of pipeline programs, Imcyse has relocated its headquarters. The new premises feature purpose built and equipped laboratories tailored to the unique requirements of Imcyse’s technology. This enables its specialist research and will allow for future growth in one location, enhancing collaboration and productivity among employees and drive efficiency and innovation for the company.
The move was made possible thanks to the tremendous support of Noshaq Immo, Noshaq Group property division, and SPI, the development agency of the Province of Liège.
”The new headquarters and SAB are milestones of our long-term focus and reflect our strategic vision making a significant impact on the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases which have high unmet needs for new medicines. We are proud to have gathered such a renowned Scientific Advisory Board to support our future development plans for our unique proprietary Imotope™ platform. I am certain, that they will play a key role, alongside our team, in developing and guiding our scientific agenda,” said Denis Bedoret, Imcyse CEO. “We are grateful for the fundamental support from the Walloon Region with its mix of academia and industry to which we have very strong ties and are pleased to continue to be an active part. I am excited about the team we have built to continue advance our Imotope™ platform which could stop severe autoimmune diseases from progressing. Our new office and laboratory facilities, supported by our key shareholder Noshaq and SPI will provide the special facilities and equipment to allow us to make our vision a reality.”
“A successful collaboration as well as a good example of the global and tailor-made support that Noshaq Immo is able to offer, both from a real estate and a funding point of view,” underscored Frédéric Driessens, Managing Director at Noshaq Immo. “We were glad to help Imcyse go through the different steps of developing and funding their new headquarters. It is the perfect illustration of the kind of support we can provide to pioneering life science companies such as Imcyse.”
Imotope™ platform to prevent, stop and potentially cure autoimmune diseases
The Imcyse Imotope™ platform represents a next generation and potentially curative approach to severe autoimmune diseases for which there is no satisfactory therapy. Imotopes™ induce cytolytic CD4+ T cells, which specifically eliminate the aberrant disease pathway while leaving the rest of the immune system unaffected. In addition to the Type 1 Diabetes program, its Multiple Sclerosis candidate is expected to commence clinical trials in 2022. In RA, Pfizer and Imcyse will collaborate to develop existing lead candidates and further optimize potential molecules. After a candidate is selected, Pfizer will lead clinical development and commercialisation activities.
Composition of the Imcyse Scientific Advisory Board:
Prof. Eva M Martinez-Caceres, M.D., Ph.D.
Head of the Immunology Division and Associate Professor of Immunology at the Autonomous University Barcelona (Spain)
Prof. Chantal Mathieu, M.D., Ph.D.
Chair of Endocrinology at University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven and Chair European Diabetes Forum (Belgium)
Dr. Marcelle Van Mechelen, Ph.D.
Independent senior scientific advisor in the fields of vaccine, autoimmunity, oncology and regenerative medicine (Belgium)
Prof. Mark Anderson, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor in the UCSF Diabetes Center (San Francisco, USA)
Prof. Bart N. Lambrecht, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Pulmonary Medicine at Erasmus MC and at UGent, and director of the VIB Inflammation Research (Belgium)
Dr. Adrian Liston, Ph.D.
Senior Group Leader at the Babraham Institute (Cambridge, UK)
Prof. Patrick Vermersch, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice-president for research in biology and health at the University of Lille (France)
Dr. Michael Vincent, M.D., Ph.D.
Senior Vice President and CSO of Inflammation and Immunology at Pfizer (USA)
For more information on the Imcyse Scientific Advisory Board, please visit: https://www.imcyse.com/about-us/scientific-advisory-board.html
ABOUT IMCYSE
Imcyse is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of a new class of active specific immunotherapies for the treatment of severe chronic autoimmune diseases. The company’s unique technology platform allows it to locally target immune cells involved in the destruction of the diseased organ. This platform is based on the administration of Imotopes™, which are specifically modified peptides, allowing for the generation of cytolytic CD4 T-cells, that specifically eliminate antigen-presenting cells and autoantigen specific lymphocytes. Imcyse’s approach, sustained over time, helps to prevent and treat diseases with no current therapeutic alternative and to potentially cure patients without impairing immune defense. The company has established proof of concept in several indications and has completed its first clinical trial in type 1 diabetes with promising results. Beyond type 1 diabetes, Imcyse is developing a pipeline of Imotopes™ for the treatment of several autoimmune diseases. Founded as a spin-off of the Catholic University of Leuven in 2011, Imcyse subsequently relocated to Liège, Belgium.
www.imcyse.com
