VectorY strengthens leadership with appointments of new CEO and CTO
VectorY appoints experienced biopharma entrepreneur Alexander Vos as Chief Executive Officer
Gene therapy pioneer and renowned expert Prof. Dr. Sander van Deventer joins the Company as Chief Technology Officer
VectorY has also raised €31 million in seed financing – see today’s separate announcement
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 15 June 2021 – VectorY B.V., a biotech company focusing on the development of innovative gene therapy approaches for the treatment of muscular and neurodegenerative disorders through vectorized antibodies, today announces the appointments of Alexander Vos as Chief Executive Officer, and Dr. Sander van Deventer as Chief Technology Officer, effective immediately.
Alexander brings over 25 years of leadership experience in the biotech industry, having held senior positions at multiple private and public biopharma companies, such as Genzyme (Europe), Paion AG, and most recently, VarmX. Specifically, he brings many years of experience in cell and gene therapy as the CEO of PharmaCell BV, the leading European CDMO where he served from 2010 until 2017 when it was acquired by Lonza. He has been one of the industry pioneers laying the foundation in Europe for the global industry group Alliance for Regenerative Medicine and subsequently served on the executive board. Mr. Vos holds a MS in Pharmacy and Pharmacology from the University of Amsterdam and an MBA from Stanford University.
Dr. van Deventer joins VectorY following his most recent appointment at uniQure as its Executive Vice President, Research and Product Development. He is a leading expert in the drug development industry having brought to market several innovative drugs. Dr. van Deventer is a pioneer in the field of gene therapy. As one of the co-founders and Chief Medical Officer of uniQure’s predecessor Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics (AMT) in 1998, he was instrumental in deploying uniQure’s strategies in gene therapy, its research activities, clinical development, process development, analytical development and vector development, culminating in the first ever commercially approved gene therapy, Glybera, in 2012. Dr. van Deventer is a trained internist and board-certified gastroenterologist. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Amsterdam.
Alexander Vos, CEO of VectorY, said:
“I feel very privileged to lead the distinguished team at VectorY. Our world-class team of scientists will be breaking new ground in the field of gene therapy, which is an area I have worked in for many years. I am proud to be able to support the team in developing new therapies for patients in the challenging field of neuroscience and muscular disorders. With today’s announcement of the €31m seed financing, co-led by Forbion and a leading global investment firm, we have the resources to drive the Company forward. We believe our novel vectorized antibody technology can have significant positive impact on patients’ lives.”
Carlo Incerti, Chairman of VectorY, commented:
“On behalf of the VectorY Board, I’d like to welcome Alexander and Sander to the Company. With significant experience in cell and gene therapy, their expertise will be critical to VectorY as it looks to establish pre-clinical proof of concept for vectorized antibodies in our target indications of ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders. I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank Marco Boorsma for his essential contribution as interim-CEO since the launch of the Company, especially for being instrumental in completing the €31 million seed financing round that was announced today.”
VectorY is a fully integrated gene therapy company focused on the development of innovative vectorized antibodies for muscular and neurodegenerative disorders, such as ALS. The Company was launched in October 2020 and has established its laboratories and offices at the Amsterdam Science Park in The Netherlands.
The Company has today announced the completion of a €31 million seed financing round, co-led by founding investor Forbion and a leading global investment firm. See the VectorY website for the full announcement: www.vectorytx.com.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
VectorY B.V.
Alexander Vos, CEO
Tel: +31 6 46 736 915
Instinctif Partners (media enquiries)
Melanie Toyne-Sewell / Phil Marriage
E-mail: VectorY@instinctif.com
Tel: +44 20 7457 2020
Notes to Editors
About VectorY
VectorY combines the therapeutic potential of antibodies, RNA and gene therapy to develop long-lasting therapeutic solutions for muscular and neurodegenerative diseases with high unmet medical need. Founded in October 2020, and based in the Amsterdam Science Park, VectorY is a fully integrated gene therapy company focused on the development of innovative therapeutics based on a novel AAV gene therapy platform, antibody- and RNA-based targeted degradation technologies, and proprietary manufacturing technology. VectorY develops proprietary & partnered programs and product candidates are based on new technologies that will enable the next generation of highly scalable manufacturing processes within VectorY’s own manufacturing facilities. VectorY’s manufacturing capabilities will include a state-of-the-art multi-product GMP facility in the Netherlands, with the capability to deliver suspension based AAV viral vector manufacturing of up to 2000L for both clinical and commercial supply.
For more information, see www.vectorytx.com
