Drug discovery programme for a new target in oncology
AI-driven drug discovery for small molecules targeting tRNA epitranscriptomics in cancer. More info.
Drug discovery to restore blood-brain barrier function in acute neurological disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. More info.
Antibiotics discovery to fight multidrug-resistant pathogens. More info.
Drug discovery for small molecules targeting selected G protein-coupled receptors in solid tumors and inflammatory diseases.
Drug discovery for small molecule inhibitors of novel targets in tumor initiation and cancer progression.
Partnerships
The partnership established in 2013 between Pierre Coulie & Sophie Lucas (WEL Research Institute - UCLouvain) and ArGenX led to the development of a humanized monoclonal antibody inhibitor of GARP, a novel immuno-oncology target, which is now in clinical development at AbbVie (ABBV-151). More info.
A joined university-company group was established in 2020 between Kaneka, its Walloon subsidiary Kaneka Eurogentec and the laboratory of Jean-François Collet (WEL Research Institute – UCLouvain) to develop optimized bacterial strains for the production of biomedicines. More info.
Downstream translation projects
The iCone (iPSC-derived Cortical neurons) consortium was established in 2016 between the laboratories of Pierre Vanderhaeghen (WEL Research Institute - ULB) and Philippe Hubert (U Liège) and the companies MaSTherCell and Ncardia. The project aimed at developing highly functional human cortical neurons from stem cells to provide a novel platform bridging traditional laboratory and clinical testing in patients. In 2019, the consortium reached a turning point and entered into a large-scale production phase using bioreactors. More info.
The CiclibTest project between Pierre Roger (WEL Research Institute – ULB) and OncoDNA was funded in 2017 by a WALInnov grant to develop a diagnostic to stratify cancer patients for treatment with CDK4/6 inhibitors. More info.