Bioxodes led by its founding CEO, Professor Edmond Godfroid, is exploiting the results of work conducted by his former team at the Ectoparasite Molecular Biology Unit, part of the University of Brussels (ULB), in collaboration with prestigious academic research units at the Université Catholique de Louvain, the Facultés Universitaires Notre Dame de la Paix Namur, the Université de Liège, all in Belgium and the Université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The company’s goal is to develop a range of pharmaceutical and other bioscience products derived from natural sources.
The company’s initial focus is Ir-CPI, a unique antithrombotic peptide offering a remarkable and unprecedented balance between antithrombotic benefit and hemorrhagic side effect.
Prof. Edmond Godfroid’s research has established the molecular basis of the parasitic relationship a tick establishes with its vertebrate host. Ticks rank second only to mosquitoes as global vectors of disease. The research has focused on a particular tick species known as Ixodes ricinus, familiar to some as the carrier of Lyme disease. Ixodes ricinus is considered capable of infesting most terrestrial vertebrates in Europe. The tick feeds on the blood of its host following a bite. A particular characteristic of this meal is its extended duration of up to two weeks. This long meal involves no pain, blood clotting or inflammation. Scientists believe that such effects result from the presence of active principles in the saliva of the tick. Bioxodes controls intellectual property relating to active molecules derived from this source and is developing a portfolio of products with a wide range of benefical healthcare applications in man.