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ViroNovative's people ranges from scientifics and technicians working in the lab to consultants. We work to find the road to provide the market with efficient tools to prevent, diagnostic and cure hMPV. Find in this page some of the ViroNovative's people. Business Management Team Albert D.M.E. Osterhaus D.V.M., PhD Albert Osterhaus co-founded ViroNovative BV upon the discovery of human metapneumovirus. He is professor of virology at the Medical School of the Erasmus University, Rotterdam, where he leads a cross-disciplinary team of over 100 scientists, MD’s, DVM’s, technicians and students. His interest in virology started while studying for his veterinary degree at the University of Utrecht and he went on to obtain a PhD. He worked at the National Institute of Public Health, becoming Head of Laboratory, prior to moving to Rotterdam. His research activities have grown to span many types of viruses, focussing largely in the respiratory area. He is leading contributor to our understanding of major human pathogens such as hMPV, RSV, influenza and SARS, publishing over 550 papers. He has become an internationally respected scientist, serving on editorial boards of several scientific journals and on scientific advisory boards for various international and governmental health organizations, including WHO committees, the National Health Council and he is Chairman of the European Scientific Working Group on Influenza. Besides his academic interest, Albert has been an active entrepreneur founding several life science companies and holding many patents encompassing several aspects of vaccine development. He is a scientific advisory board member of several global pharmaceutical and vaccine companies.
Eric Claassen Ph.D.Eric Claassen is co-founder and CEO of ViroNovative BV. His commercial experience stems from his time as ID-Lelystad, where he managed major industrial clients, negotiating commercial agreements and strategic alliances. He went on to hold several executive and Board positions in early stage life science companies, including Dynomics BV and AM Pharma. He is consultant for several biotech companies and venture funds and most recently co-founded Viroscope, a spin-out from ViroNovative BV. In 2002, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs appointed Eric as the first Biopartner professor in “Entrepreneurship in the Life Sciences”. He also holds many senior academic positions, including professorships at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the university of Utrech and Institut Pasteur/University of Paris. He is board member of three Royal Academy of Sciences accredited graduate schools, the post academic veterinary education foundation and member of several prestigious governmental advisory groups and committees including the Dutch Health Council. Eric’s extensive scientific career began at the Free University of Amsterdam where he gained a PhD in Medical Biology and a doctorate in Medicine. He became a visiting investigator at St. Jude Children Hospital, USA, and then returned to The Netherlands, where he worked for TNO Medical Biology Lab in a number of roles culminating in Deputy Chief of the Division of Imnmunological and Infectious Diseases. His research has focused on oral vaccines for infectious and auto-immune disease, dermatitis and for human and animal health and he has over 180 publications and holds several patents.
James H M Simon D.Phil., M.B.A.James joined ViroNovative BV as COO and deputy-CEO shortly after its foundation in 2002. He brings to the team a broad experience in the health care sector gained both in the commercial ad academic research words. He received a MBA from the Wharton Business School, where he majored in Health Care Management and went on to work for the Boston Consulting Group in its London office, concentrating on health care assignments for a variety of pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients. He originally trained as a molecular biologist and virologist, obtaining BA ans Dphil degrees from Oxford University, and then undertaking post-doctoral research with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. He worked in the molecular biology of HIV and has published numerous research papers.
Ron A.M. FouchierRon was involved in the discovery of the Human Metapneumovirus and currently coordinates the molecular biology research of the company. He works primarily for The Department of Virology, Erasmus University of Rotterdam, and National Influenza Centre, focusing on influenza and human metapneumovirus. He has published over 80 papers in peer-reviewed journals and holds several patents in the field of virology. Ron is a fellow of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences (K.N.A.W). And, he has been appointed as an expert for the European Agency for Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA). Ron was a post-doctoral fellow at Howard
Hughes Medical Institute, University of Pennsylvania, USA
where he investigated the molecular biology of HIV. Previously
he received his PhD in medicine from the University of Amsterdam,
The Netherlands, and his B.Sc. in Microbiology from the
State College of Agriculture, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Olaf M. de JagerOlaf joined Vironovative B.V. as consultant at the end of 2006. With a background as an attorney at law and as legal counsel with the Technology Transfer Office of the Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Olaf has acquired extensive experience drafting, negotiating and managing contracts in the biotechnology sector. Olaf studied tax law at the University of Tilburg, the Netherlands, obtaining his J.D. in 1998. He subsequently went on to obtain an LL.M in international law from the University of Minnesota, USA, after which he joined a Dutch law firm working in the intellectual property section and completing his professional training as an attorney at law. In 2004 Olaf moved to the Erasmus MC to work as legal counsel. There he saw and followed the start ups of several spin-out companies of the Erasmus MC, including Vironovative. |
