A good start for start-up Orionis Biosciences
This innovative biotechnology company was founded with the help of a consortium of international investors. In April the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) and the University of Ghent announced the launch of Orionis Biosciences, a start-up specialised in the development of new drugs for the treatment of certain autoimmune diseases and pathologies linked to certain types of cancer. The start-up managed to raise € 5 million thanks to a consortium of international investors led by Excel Venture Management of Boston, United States.
The company holds the rights to a series of technologies needed to develop drugs which were originally developed by its co-founder Professor Jan Tavernier (VIB / University of Ghent) and research partners. The company is to operate in Ghent and Boston, United States. Dr Niko Kley is the CEO and co-founder of the company. He is an expert in the development of drugs and an experienced entrepreneur - he is also the successful co-founder of FORMA Therapeutics (a laboratory specialised in the development of anti-cancer drugs and drugs for genetic conditions).
The establishment of Orionis Biosciences, supported by a strong consortium of international investors and an experienced team, demonstrates the quality of the research and of the excellent cooperation of the laboratories of the VIB and the University of Ghent with the industry.