- Dr Jeanne Bolger brings over 35 years of management experience in the pharmaceutical industry to the new Belgium-based vaccine technology company.
- Last month, AstriVax closed its funding round – led by V-Bio Ventures and Fund+ – on 30 million euros.
- With this seed capital and the support of Dr Bolger, AstriVax will continue to build its innovative plug-and-play vaccine platform and bring its first vaccines to the clinical development stage.
Leuven, Belgium, 26 September 2022 – AstriVax has announced that Dr Jeanne Bolger will chair its Board of Directors as non-executive independent director. With over 35 years of management experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr Bolger offers invaluable expertise that will help AstriVax to continue to build its innovative vaccine technology platform and bring its first vaccines to the clinical development stage.
As the new Chair of the AstriVax Board, doctor and biotech investor Jeanne Bolger brings extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with management roles across R&D, commercial and business development, and venture investments. She has held leading positions at GlaxoSmithKline as well as Johnson & Johnson, served as the sole pharma industry representative on two Irish government taskforces, and sits on numerous company and advisory boards.
Hanne Callewaert, CEO of AstriVax, said: “I am truly grateful that Dr Jeanne Bolger has agreed to chair our Board of Directors, and I very much look forward to working with her to continue to build this company and address key challenges in vaccinology. Jeanne brings a lot of valuable expertise to AstriVax, with ample life science industry experience in venture investments, business development, and active board roles.”
Dr Jeanne Bolger (MB BCh BAO) said: “I am delighted to accept the invitation to chair the Board of AstriVax and to support Hanne Callewaert’s impressive leadership. Hanne and her team, supported by a strong investor syndicate, will progress the vaccine platform technology from the KU Leuven Rega Institute labs of the renowned Professor Johan Neyts and Kai Dallmeier, with the exciting mission to deliver effective vaccines for multiple infectious diseases across the world.”
Plug-and-play vaccine platform
The announcement of Dr Jeanne Bolger’s new role in AstriVax comes mere weeks after the company closed its seed capital funding round – led by V-Bio Ventures and Fund+ – on € 30 million. AstriVax will use this seed capital to bring its first thermostable yellow fever vaccine to the clinical development stage, further advance two pipeline vaccine candidates towards clinical trials (vaccines to prevent rabies and treat chronic hepatitis B), and to fuel the preclinical pipeline with several prophylactic and therapeutic leads.
The company will also continue to build its highly innovative, first-in-class plug-and-play vaccine platform based on the ground-breaking work of AstriVax co-founders Professor Johan Neyts and Kai Dallmeier, both affiliated with the KU Leuven Rega Institute. The technology of AstriVax can be used to develop a wide range of vaccines that address major challenges in vaccinology: they are easy to produce, offer long-lasting protection against various infectious diseases, and do not require a strict cold chain.
Media contact
Hanne Callewaert (PhD), CEO of AstriVax,info@astrivax.com
About AstriVax
Founded in 2022, AstriVax NV aims to address global challenges in vaccinology with its innovative plug-and-play vaccine platform. The Belgium-based company develops novel prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines that are easy to produce, have reduced cold chain requirements, and offer broad and long-lasting protection against various infectious diseases. AstriVax is supported by V-Bio Ventures, Fund+, Flanders Future TechFund, Thuja Capital, Ackermans & van Haaren, Mérieux Equity Partners (via OMX Europe Venture Fund), BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity, and the KU Leuven Gemma Frisius Fund. AstriVax is located in the BioHub in Leuven. For more information, please visit www.astrivax.com.
