About us
Bioxodes is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of novel therapeutics to prevent thrombotic events without hemorrhagic risk.
About us
Company overview
Bioxodes takes advantage of its deep understanding of thrombotic processes to design novel product candidates with an aim to achieve anticoagulation without hemorrhagic risk.
Our innovative pipeline includes a clinical-stage program for the prevention of acute thrombo-inflammatory processes.
The lead product candidate of this program, Ir-CPI, exhibits a unique mechanism of action by targeting coagulation factors (FXIIa and FXIa) and neutrophils, key driver components of thrombo-inflammatory processes involved in various diseases such as stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and sepsis.
Bioxodes has recently completed with success the active phase of its First-in-Human study performed in healthy adult volunteers with Ir-CPI.
In parallel, Bioxodes is developing a pipeline of drug candidates targeting chronic thrombo-inflammatory and inflammatory diseases.
Bioxodes is located in the Brussels South Charleroi Biopark, Belgium.
Our Team
Management
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Before founding Bioxodes, Edmond Godfroid was a long standing senior Professor at the University of Brussels (ULB) where he applied his expertise in molecular biology to the discovery of pharmacologically active proteins in the saliva of the tick Ixodes ricinus. Dr Godfroid’s and his former team’s work is the basis for the creation of Bioxodes. He received his PhD in Molecular Biology from the ULB in 1988 and subsequently acquired post-doctoral experience in the field of Alzheimer’s disease at the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL). In 1992, he joined Applied Genetics (ULB) where he developed the first PCR-based diagnostic device specific to the tick-borne bacterial pathogen, Borrelia burgdorferi, the causal agent of Lyme disease. In 1995, Dr Godfroid began researches on the molecular interaction between Ixodes ticks and their hosts. He was the Head of the Ectoparasite Molecular Biology Unit at ULB. He has experience of a range of collaborations with academic groups and pharmaceutical companies. Dr Godfroid is a co-founder of Bioxodes.
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Pierre Detrixhe is Managing Partner at Financière spin-off luxembourgeoise and Venture Director at Newton Biocapital. He brings more than 10 years of experience in the field of venture capital and has accompanied many companies in the start-up phase. Previously, he held positions of scientist and technology transfer officer in the biotechnology field. Pierre Detrixhe is Director at the Board of some promising Belgian start-up companies. He holds a Master in Bioengineering from the University of Liège (Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech), Belgium and a Master in Management from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium.
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François Fontaine holds a law degree from the University of Brussels and he is a specialist in Tax affairs. He was counsel in various public institutions and cabinet. He is currently general counsel to the Federal Holding and Investment Company (SFPI)-FPIM. SFPI is focusing its investments on innovative Belgian Companies, hoping to contribute to their financial and societal success story. Mr. Fontaine is also a Board member of several companies including biotechs.
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Dr Thérèse Croughs has over 30 years of experience in the Pharma and Biotech Industry, specializing in the provision of clinical development and regulatory strategy services to manufacturers and developers of biologics and biotech products. She brings a high level of medical expertise in the fields of hematology, immunology, infectious diseases and oncology, as well as experience of clinical development in biotechnology and regulatory affairs, having taken a number of early stage compounds from preclinical studies to the clinic. Dr Croughs started her career working in R&D for Bayer, NovoNordisk and BioAlliance Pharma, Paris, before joining Cytheris and then Neovacs as CMO. Whilst there, she was responsible for all R&D development activities, including Regulatory Affairs in EU, US as well as ROW. This included the registration of Kogenate® in EU, Loramyc® (miconazole Lauriad) in FR-EU and US/Japan, together with other applications using the same drug delivery technology. She was also responsible for the management of Medical Affairs and R&D and the development of a NCE pipeline (therapies developed to target drug resistance such as small molecules in infectious diseases, gene therapy in oncology).
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Before founding Bioxodes, Edmond Godfroid was a long standing senior Professor at the University of Brussels (ULB) where he applied his expertise in molecular biology to the discovery of pharmacologically active proteins in the saliva of the tick Ixodes ricinus. Dr Godfroid’s and his former team’s work is the basis for the creation of Bioxodes. He received his PhD in Molecular Biology from the ULB in 1988 and subsequently acquired post-doctoral experience in the field of Alzheimer’s disease at the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL). In 1992, he joined Applied Genetics (ULB) where he developed the first PCR-based diagnostic device specific to the tick-borne bacterial pathogen, Borrelia burgdorferi, the causal agent of Lyme disease. In 1995, Dr Godfroid began researches on the molecular interaction between Ixodes ticks and their hosts. He was the Head of the Ectoparasite Molecular Biology Unit at ULB. He has experience of a range of collaborations with academic groups and pharmaceutical companies. Dr Godfroid is a co-founder of Bioxodes.
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Dr. Hans Warrinnier joined Bioxodes following a leadership tenure at Roche Belgium where he held various senior leadership positions such as Medical Director. In this position, he led a team of 70+ across Clinical Operations, Medical Affairs and Medical Information, Drug Safety and Regulatory Affairs. He developed and supported affiliate and global clinical studies in different therapeutic areas, maintaining Belgium’s top spot in clinical trials per capita in the world. He delivered strategic expertise and advice for market access solutions in Belgium across different therapeutic areas, including oncology, hematology, neurology, immunology, and hemophilia. In addition to receiving his medical degree from the KU Leuven in Belgium, Dr. Warrinnier followed Business school programs from London Business School and Harvard Business School.
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Joël Tassignon obtained his PhD in immunology from the University of Brussels (ULB) and a Master in Total Quality Management from the Polytechnic Faculty of the University of Mons. After postdoctoral research on breast cancers at Bordet Institute (Brussels) and on transplantation at Erasme Hospital (ULB, discovery of a new immunosuppressant), he became project manager and lab director of a ULB spin-off. He then continued working in the management field as coach in innovation for companies and as director of a laboratory in a Belgian research center acting as a CRO. In parallel to the management of people, projects, technological platforms and laboratories, he was also involved in the management of several types of quality systems as manager and auditor. Joël is now Senior Project Manager and Quality Assurance Manager at Bioxodes.
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Sandrine Derochette obtained her PhD in Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Liège in 2015 (study of the effect of curcumin on oxidative response of neutrophils). After her PhD, she joined Bioxodes as Study Coordinator in 2015. She is now Project Manager and member of the Quality Assurance team at Bioxodes.
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Valérie Pireaux obtained her PhD in Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology (atherosclerosis specialization) from the University of Namur in 2017. After her PhD, she joined Bioxodes as Preclinical Scientist in 2017.
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Estelle Hess obtained her PhD in Immunology from the University of Strasbourg in 2011. She pursued her career by a postdoc at the University of Namur in the field of host pathogen interactions. In 2018, she joined a private company specialized in the development of diagnostic kits in the veterinary field as a project manager and then as an R&D manager. She joined Bioxodes in 2021 and is now holding a position of preclinical scientist.
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Stéphanie Demoulin obtained her PhD in Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (Immunology & cancer specialization) from the University of Liège in 2014 (study of the implication of dendritic cells in cervical cancer progression). After postdoctoral researches on the developement of therapeutic approaches for breast cancers at the University of Liège, she became Scientific Writer at Bioxodes in 2016. She is now leading medical writing activities for the Company.
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Charlotte obtained her Master in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2014. Having started her career in pharmacies, she quickly reoriented herself in the field of clinical studies. She began her career in the field of Clinical Research Organization (Medpace) where she developed the qualities needed for the successful development of a Clinical Project Manager. She worked there for 2.5 years, before starting to work as a Clinical Project Manager for a large pharmaceutical company for 3 years (Bristol Myers Squibb). She joined Bioxodes in 2021 where she holds the position of Clinical Project Manager.
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Cindy Hespel obtained her PhD in Immunology from the University of Brussels (ULB) in 2012 (Regulation of Adaptive Immune Responses by Conventional and Inflammatory Dendritic Cells). After her PhD, she began her career as Project Execution Manager (Global Medical Affairs Operations) at GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines for 2 years. She then moved to Bristol Myers Squibb as Clinical Trial-Global Submission Manager managing large portfolio across diverse Therapeutic Areas for 7 years before joining Bioxodes as Regulatory Affairs Manager in 2021.
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About us
Scientific &
Clinical Advisory Board
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Thomas Lecompte, M.D
01.Geneva, SwitzerlandDr. Lecompte is a former associate physician in the Hospital Department of Medicine and Full Professor in the Academic Department of Medicine at the University of Geneva. Since the beginning of his scientific carrier, Dr. Lecompte has been interested in haemostasis and more specifically in blood platelets. His first paper of basic research was on phospholipid metabolism in platelets and was published as a Letter in Nature. Dr. Lecompte has been since them interested in inherited platelet disorders – and the way to investigate them, including extracellular vesicles. Dr. Lecompte has conducted research on the so-called antiphospholipid antibodies and on acquired haemostatic disturbances in complex settings associated with a thrombotic risk (COVID-19; post-vaccine thrombosis and thrombocytopenia; haematological malignancies such as essential thrombocythemia and multiple myeloma; liver cirrhosis); on the phenotyping of primary haemostasis under flow conditions and of the blood coagulation system by means of thrombin generation assays; on the pharmacology of haemostasis (with special interest in laboratory testing for patients receiving antiplatelet agents and anticoagulant, including parenteral direct thrombin inhibitors; on transfusion products with haemostatic properties; and on heparin-induced thrombocytopenia).
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Jeff Weitz, M.D
02.Ontario, CanadaDr. Weitz is Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University, Executive Director of the Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute and President of Council for the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis. Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Dr. Weitz focuses his clinical practice on patients with thrombotic disorders. His research spans the spectrum from basic studies in the biochemistry of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis to animal models of thrombosis and on to clinical trials of antithrombotic therapy. The breadth of his work is highlighted by his 600+ publications in journals as diverse as the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Biochemistry, Circulation, Blood, Annals of Internal Medicine, New England Journal of Medicine and Lancet, and 65 book chapters. Recipient of numerous awards, Dr. Weitz is a Fellow of the American Heart Association, the Royal Society of Canada, and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
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François Pattou, M.D
03.Lille, FranceDr. Pattou entered as a student at the Faculty of Medicine of Lille in 1984 and became Professor of General Surgery there in 2002, then Head of the Department of General and Endocrine Surgery at the CHRU of Lille in 2006. Since 2001, Dr. Pattou has directed the UMR 859 “Biotherapies for diabetes”, a research team accredited by INSERM and LABEX EGID (European genomic institute for diabetes). For 20 years, his research has focused on the development of new interventional treatments for diabetes and metabolic diseases, and more particularly on cell therapy and metabolic surgery. As Principal Investigator, François Pattou has obtained more than 30 research contracts with French (PIA, PHRC, ANR) and international (FP7, IMI, JDRF) institutional partners. This research has given rise to 500+ international publications. Dr. Pattou also received a Grand Prize from the Academy of Medicine for his work on cell therapy in diabetes. He coordinates the RHU Precinash project and several clinical trials for the surgical treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.
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Cedric Hermans, M.D, Ph.D, FRCP (Lon, Edin)
04.Brussels, BelgiumProf. Hermans currently heads the Division of Haematology, the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Unit as well as the Hemophilia Center of the Saint-Luc University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium. He was appointed Associate Professor at the Medical School of the Catholic University of Louvain in 2003, Full Professor in 2012 and Vice-Dean in 2015. Prof. Hermans has (co)-authored more than 275 original articles in international journals and is a member of several scientific societies and international advisory boards and collaborative research projects. He was president of EAHAD and is currently member of the Board of Directors of the World Federation of Haemophilia and the Editor-in-Chief of the Haemophilia Journal. His main research interests lie in the area of haemostasis and thrombosis, especially clinical studies on the treatment modalities and the wide spectrum of complications of haemophilia in both developed and developing countries, as well as new anticoagulants and the management of thrombosis.
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Christophe Dubois, Ph.D
05.Marseille, FranceProf. Dubois studied biotechnology and cell biology at the university of Marseille, France. During his PhD he worked at Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland in the Dr Beat Steiner’s group. He obtained his PhD at the university of Marseille in 2003. Then he moved to the United States in the Dr. Barbara and Bruce Furie’s lab at Harvard Medical Scholl in Boston, MA. Back to France, between 2006 and 2015 he held a position of Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Marseille. In 2015, he joined the Faculty of Pharmacy, Aix Marseille University, as Professor of Cell Biology. His research activities are mainly focused on the mechanisms involved in thrombus formation and in thrombosis associated with cancer. He was elected member of the INSERM Scientific specialized committee (2009-2012), member of the council of the French Group on thrombosis and Cancer (2011-2016) and member of the council of the French Group for Thrombosis & Haemostasis (2013). Since 2017, he is co-chair of the Scientific and Standardization Committee on Hemostasis and malignancy from the International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis.
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Denis Vivien, Ph.D
06.Caen, FranceDr. Vivien is Professor and hospital practitioner in Cell Biology, head of the Inserm unit UMR-S U1237 (“physiopathology and Imaging of Neurological Disorders”, PhIND), Scientific director of the Institute Blood and Brain @ Caen-Normandie (BB@C, Inserm, Unicaen, CHU Caen), responsible of the research axis Heart and Brain at the Caen Hospital and of the center for biological resources of the department for clinical research of Caen University Hospital. His lab is a leading group in the field of experimental stroke and on the coordination of clinical trials. Dr. Vivien is also Scientific Advisor for the CRO Strok@lliance through which he offers his laboratory’s expertise and know-how to the pharmaceutical industry, in a bid to accelerate innovative drug development from bench-to-bedside.
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Thomas Marichal, Ph.D
07.Liège, BelgiumProf. Marichal is trained as a Veterinary Doctor and obtained a PhD in Immunology from Liege University, Belgium. He then performed a postdoctoral training at Stanford University School of Medicine before being appointed as a permanent researcher from the F.R.S.-FNRS at Liege University. His research has made major contributions in understanding the mechanisms by which allergic type 2 immunity is orchestrated upon exposure to pro-allergic environmental factors, and how allergic type 2 immunity can be prevented. Moreover, he has discovered a beneficial function of allergic type 2 immunity in host defense against toxins. His research currently focuses on lung tissue biology during homeostasis and in the context of lung chronic inflammatory diseases by exploring the relationships existing between structural and myeloid cells that mediate tissue- and context-specific functions.
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