Leiden, The Netherlands, 1 October 2020 - Vico Therapeutics, a Leiden, the Netherlands, based biotech company focusing on the development of RNA modulating therapies for rare neurological disorders, today announced the appointment of Rupert Sandbrink, M.D., Ph.D., as the company’s chief medical officer and Anders Hinsby, Ph.D., as independent Director.

“We are very excited to welcome Rupert as our CMO, as he brings a wealth of clinical development and regulatory experience to the team as we prepare for our first in human trials. Anders is a great addition to our Board of Directors given his experience from Orphazyme“, said Luc Dochez, Founder and Chairman of Vico Therapeutics.

Dr. Sandbrink has over twenty years of experience spanning all stages of clinical development, from first-in-human studies to product launches. Prior to joining Vico, Dr. Sandbrink has held many senior positions, most recently as Chief Development & Chief Medical Officer, at Topas Therapeutics GmbH. Before that he was Executive Vice President, Multiple Sclerosis/Neurology & Immunology at Forward Pharma A/S and a member of Forward’s Executive Management Team. At Bayer he was Vice President, Head Experimental Medicine Women’s Health & Common Mechanism Research, and he also served as Vice President, Head Global Clinical Development Neurology, Ophthalmology, Haematology, Immunology. At Bayer, Dr. Sandbrink led the clinical development programs for multiple small molecules and biologics, including Eylea®, Betaferon®, Lemtrada®, and Kovaltry®.

Dr. Sandbrink is a Board-certified clinical pharmacologist and received his Ph.D. in molecular biology and his medical degree from the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg. He completed the Advanced Management Program at the IESE Business School and is also a lecturer and guest scientist at the Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Department of Neurology. He is the author of more than 80 peer-reviewed scientific and review articles.

“I am delighted to join the highly experienced team at Vico to discover, develop and deliver therapies for rare CNS disorders, and I am looking forward to bringing Vico’s lead compound to the clinic for the benefits of patients suffering from these progressive and potentially fatal neurogenetic diseases”, said Rupert Sandbrink.

Dr. Hinsby joins the Board as an independent Director. He brings more than 15 years of experience as a biotech entrepreneur, executive and investor. Currently, he is the CEO of Muna Therapeutics and works as entrepreneur-in-residence with Novo Seeds. He co-founded and was the CEO of Orphazyme A/S from 2009 to 2019 and led the company’s journey from University spin-out to a late-stage biopharmaceuticals company with a focus on rare diseases. Anders has a Ph.D. in Medicine from the University of Copenhagen.

“It is an honour to join the Board of Vico. The company has promising programs in development for detrimental diseases of the CNS, an exciting RNA editing platform and a very experienced team in place to move the company forward. I look forward to taking part in its journey from discovery to becoming a leading CNS company.”, said Anders Hinsby.

Rupert Sandbrink (download high res), new CMO Vico Therapeutics of Leiden, The Netherlands

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About Vico Therapeutics

Vico Therapeutics is a Leiden, the Netherlands, based biotech company focusing on the development of RNA modulating therapies for rare severe neurological disorders. Vico’s antisense oligonucleotide platform (AON) is focusing on different forms of Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA) and Huntington Disease (HD). Its early discovery RNA editing platform is directed towards RETT syndrome.

Vico was founded in 2019 by highly experienced entrepreneurs Luc Dochez and Josh Mandel-Brehm and seasoned scientists Dr. Judith van Deutekom and Dr. Gail Mandel with strong academic reputations and vast industry experience.