Zwijnaarde, Belgium – May 15, 2024: Animab, a front-runner in the field of highly innovative first-in-class oral antibody solutions for unmet needs in production animals, is excited to announce Jan Spaas joined the company’s board as Chairman.

Animab established a new class of oral monoclonal antibodies based on a scalable platform, that offers instant protection by specifically targeting harmful pathogens in the intestines of production animals (such as enterotoxigenic E.coli = ETEC). The patented and cost-competitive technology prevents intestinal bacterial colonization and immediately raised the interest of the serial entrepreneur and former Global Head of Research from Boehringer Ingelheim until 2024.

Jan Spaas has a proven track record in veterinary biotech by bringing different novel therapies to market and establishing partnerships with the largest veterinary pharmaceutical companies in the world. For 10 years, he was the general manager of Global Stem cell Technology (GST) that was acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim in 2020 and for which he then held several R&D positions (US, Germany, Belgium) until being the Global Head of Research for Animal Health. He is also the founder of Via Nova Equine Hospital which was eventually acquired by Altano in 2022 and a visiting professor at the University of Ghent, as well as the inventor of over 40 patents.

As Animab is making great progress towards the commercialization of its products, Jan’s entrepreneurship and experience in creating value through innovation and partnerships will be very valuable additions to take the next steps in the company’s growth. He will succeed Patrik Keereman who served as Chairman since inception, and whose support in guiding and growing the new venture until now is unanimously recognized by the Board.

Alain Wille, CEO of Animab: “We are excited to welcome Jan as Chairman of the Board. He is a force of enthusiasm and has a passion for veterinary biotech. He also brings R&D and strategic experience to the table. Our frontrunner product has demonstrated to prevent diarrhea in vivo and in combination with the progress of the other programs, this validates the value of our state-of-the-art platform. We are determined to deliver on our pipeline and to take the right strategic decisions with the experience, support and personal way of working from Jan and the entire board.”

Jan Spaas, Chairman of the Board of Animab: “It is a real honor to join the Animab board as chairman. It is clear to me that this company will significantly contribute to a more sustainable livestock production and significantly reduce antibiotic usage in animals. The entire team is diverse, dynamic, driven and determined to deliver cutting edge products based on a solid and affordable platform. I am committed to make sure the company has the oxygen to be successful and to advance the highly innovative pipeline with a strong commitment towards the team, shareholders and investors.”

For further information, please contact:

Alain Wille, CEO of Animab
Phone: +32 467 06 00 91
Email: alain.wille@animab.com

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About Animab

Animab is a biotech company designed to address the changing needs of livestock production. Using proprietary research discoveries, Animab targets gastrointestinal infections. The interdisciplinary team integrates cutting-edge research in animal science and biotechnology for product breakthroughs, cost-efficiencies and sustainability in animal health. Led by experts in a range of relevant domains from vaccines, biotechnology, business management and international marketing, Animab is dedicated to offering a safe and sustainable way to ensure better animal performance. Animab was founded in 2020 as a spin-off of the VIB and its partner universities Ghent University (UGent) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), backed by a solid European investor consortium. The company previously secured over 12 million euro from government grants and its investors syndicate of Seventure Partners, VIB, PMV, AIF, V-Bio Ventures and Qbic III.

More information: www.animab.com

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