Blood-brain barrier company to-BBB moves into commercialization mode with new CEO Willem van Weperen
Biopharma company to-BBB appointed Willem van Weperen as the new CEO. Willem van Weperen joins to-BBB after a long career at Genzyme, where he was involved in the development and commercialization of therapies in several European and Global leadership roles. These positions allowed him to be involved in the full spectrum of activities to bring a product from early stage to full commercialization. In his last position, he was General Manager of Genzyme Netherlands. Willem van Weperen graduated as Biomedical Scientist at the University of Utrecht and holds an MBA from NIMBAS/ Bradford University.
"I am immensely proud to join to-BBB at a moment that the G-Technology opens many different avenues to treat patients with serious CNS diseases.” says Willem van Weperen. “The last few years, the team of to-BBB has built a strong scientific foundation under the leadership of Pieter Gaillard. With such momentum in the company it is a privilege to help move development forward towards the clinic."
Pieter Gaillard, CSO and founder of the company, is excited that Willem van Weperen has chosen to join the company now that the first Proof of Concept data of the recently in-licensed G-Technology look very promising. “We can now study a range of existing compounds formulated in our brain targeted liposomes. Furthermore, while many blood-brain barrier initiatives have been struggling with immunogenicity, the glutathione-based G-Technology seems to overcome this hurdle."
Based on the current Proof of Concept data with the G-Technology and on existing opportunities, the company will focus its in-house development efforts on brain tumors, Alzheimer’s disease and also on Lysosomal Storage Diseases. to-BBB believes there are also good partnering opportunities in these disease areas, as well as in other CNS areas, like pain, MS, Parkinson and viral encephalitis.
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