NecstGen announces the addition of Johan Hyllner to its strategic advisory board. Johan Hyllner is leading expert in cell therapy and enabling technologies. He is professor of engineering biology at Linköping University, Sweden and head of the Cell Therapy BioPharmaceutical R&D at AstraZeneca. He was responsible for building five startups, including Cellartis and Cellectis, in the cell therapy field into successful international businesses.

“I am excited to join NecstGen’s advisory board. Cell and gene therapies offer great potential to provide something better than existing medicines. It is important to promote this next generation of medicines. NecstGen does this by actively supporting the first steps of their manufacturing. This will ultimately help combat some of the most complex diseases.” Says Prof. Hyllner.

Johan Hyllner obtained his doctorate at the University of Gothenburg. He is devoted to both scientific and industrial aspects of cell therapy, publishing over 60 peer reviewed articles in this field. Since 2012, he is adjunct Professor of engineering biology at the department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology at Linköping University, Sweden. Throughout the last 20 years, Johan was a C-level executive in five startup companies in the cell therapy field and built these into successful international businesses. Among others, as CSO, he has been part of building Cellectis, Cellartis, SQC Lab and Vitrolife into thriving entities. From 2013 he held the position as CSO of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Ltd, London, a high-profile innovation centre established by the British government, where he helped grow the organization from 12 to 170 people. In 2019, he joined AstraZeneca, where he is leading Cell Therapy BioPharmaceuticals R&D. Here, he is responsible for the discovery and development of cell therapy based projects from discovery to clinic across cardiovascular, renal, metabolic, respiratory and immunological diseases. In this role, he oversees the strategic direction of this newly-formed department while building capabilities both internally and through collaborations. Prof. Hyllner brings vast experience in applied research through development to global marketing, manufacturing and commercialization of advanced cell-based products. In addition, he has extensive experience of strategic outlining and execution, external scientific relations, assessment of candidate projects and technical oversight of preclinical programs.

NecstGen announces that the Dutch constructor Kuijpers has obtained the contract for the construction of its Cell- and Gene Therapy facility. Throughout the next year, NecstGen’s facility will be constructed in Mirai House on the largest Life Science and Health hub of The Netherlands, the Leiden Bio Science Park. Kuijpers is specialised in the design and construction of cleanrooms and GMP facilities. As main contractor the company will be responsible for technical installations and construction.

“We are pleased with the collaboration with Kuijpers, and look forward to a successful construction trajectory. This brings us one step closer to realizing our mission – to bring more regenerative therapies, faster to the patient,” comments Paul Bilars, CEO of NecstGen.

Today, Meindert Stolk, deputy Economy and Innovation of the Province South Holland visited NecstGen to hand over a symbolic cheque of € 2 million to Paul Bilars, CEO of NecstGen. Throughout the last years, the province has been closely involved with developments at the Leiden Bio Science Park. This included investments in facilities, networks and collaborations. The € 2 million subsidy has been awarded to support the establishment of NecstGen’s facility at the Leiden Bio Science Park. At this facility, academic and industrial clients can make use of state-of-the-art labs and cleanrooms to develop and produce regenerative therapies.

NECSTGEN announces the addition of Markwin Velders to its strategic advisory board. Markwin Velders brings almost 20 years of experience as entrepreneur in the field of cell and gene therapy. He is Chairman of HollandBIO and co-founder of various biotech companies. As VP Operation at Kite Pharma, he led the establishment of a large scale CAR-T manufacturing site, after Kite’s acquisition by Gilead.

“NECSTGEN can play a crucial role in the development of new cell and gene therapies, and thereby provide a solution to numerous patients. It offers a solution to many researchers and young companies with revolutionary therapies. This field holds great potential and I am excited to join in making the company’s ambition a reality.”

Dr. Markwin Velders obtained his PhD in molecular immunology at Leiden University and worked as post-doc and assistant professor at Loyola University, authoring over 40 peer reviewed papers. He was CSO at AM-Pharma, a biopharma company developing treatment for acute kidney injury. Markwin subsequently joined TNO, where he held positions as Operations Manager and Business Unit Manager. In 2013, he was involved in NKI spin-off T-Cell Factory. There he played a crucial role in its acquisition by Kite Pharma. He was also CEO of SomantiX, a biotech company developing on angiogenesis inhibitors. From 2015 until 2020, Markwin Velders worked as Vice President Operations at Kite Pharma. In this period he established the company’s EU headquarters and built the organization from 3 until 300+ employees. After the company’s acquisition by Gilead, in 2017, Markwin headed the establishment of its CAR-T commercial manufacturing site, in Hoofddorp. He played a key role in the clinical advancement and commercial launch of its therapies in Europe. As of 2017 he is chairman of the board of HollandBIO, the association of Dutch biotech companies. He is also supervisory board member at Amarna Therapeutics, a Dutch gene therapy developer, and ISA Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage immunotherapy company. Markwin Velders brings over 19 years of experience at leading positions in various biotech companies. He combines scientific and commercial experience, specifically in the field of cell and gene therapy.

NECSTGEN announces the appointment of Sander van Deventer to its strategic advisory board. Sander van Deventer adds both scientific as well as commercial expertise in the field of cell and gene therapy. He is professor of Translational gastroenterology at the Leiden University Medical Center and partner at venture capital firm Forbion. Among others, he co-founded gene therapy developer uniQure and played a crucial role in the commercialization of the first gene therapy Glybera.

“There is a lack of early phase development and manufacturing capacity, in The Netherlands. Hence, we are in danger of falling behind internationally. I am happy to support NECSTGEN’s vision, to answer to this clear market need and advance the field of cell and gene therapy.” Says Prof. van Deventer.

Prof. van Deventer is certified internist and gastroenterologist. He received his medical doctorate from the University of Amsterdam, and worked as a scientist in the Laboratory for Medical Biochemistry, Rockefeller University, New York. He was the first to administer the first commercial monoclonal antibody (Remicade®) to patients with Crohn’s disease. Also he had a critical role in the development of other therapeutic interventions, targeting cytokines, cytokine receptors, T‐cells and signal transduction pathways, using small molecules, antibodies, peptides, proteins and antisense DNA technologies. He supervised the development of Glybera, the first gene therapy product to be approved in Europe, and several other gene therapy products. In 1995, he became director of the laboratory for Experimental Internal Medicine at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam. In 1998 Prof. van Deventer co-founded uniQure B.V., developing AAV-based gene therapy products and now listed on Nasdaq, acting subsequently as CSO, CMO and CEO. He furthermore headed Dezima Pharma, that was later acquired by Amgen. From 2001 until 2004, he chaired the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam. In 2006, Sander van Deventer co-founded as Managing Partner and subsequently as Operating Partner the venture capital firm Forbion Capital Partners. Until recently, he served on the scientific advisory boards of Argos, Engene, Staten and Hookipa Pharma. Since 2018, he is professor of Translational Gastroenterology at the Leiden University Medical Center, authoring over 400 peer-reviewed scientific papers.