A synergy recognized in the control of inflammation and repair of severe tissue damage.
BioSenic and its mission
BioSenic is an innovative company with the objective of addressing important unmet medical needs in the areas of innate immunity, inflammation and organ/function repair.
Our expertise is focused on cell therapy and the therapeutic use of arsenic trioxide (As2O3). BioSenic aims to become a leading company in the field of regenerative and immune medicine by developing innovative products for and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
BioSenic has a broad and diverse portfolio of solutions in clinical development in a variety of therapeutic areas targeting markets characterized by significant unmet medical needs and limited innovation.
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Our technology is based on two approaches:
Arsenic Trioxide : an innovative drug to treat autoimmune diseases at the source of the immune cascade. Medical arsenic is a small inorganic molecule with a strong therapeutic impact on pro-inflammatory responses. It modulates innate immunity and pro- and anti-inflammatory pathways with a dual mechanism of action:
- ROS-induced apoptosis of overactivated B and T cells.
- Reduction of the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines
ALLOB ® : a unique and proprietary approach to bone regeneration that transforms undifferentiated stem cells into "osteoblastic" or bone tissue reconstitution cells. The administration of these cells is performed in a minimally invasive manner, thus avoiding cumbersome surgical procedures.
Our lead clinical program:
cGVHD - Chronic Graft versus Host Disease.
For this indication, a Phase II study has already shown positive results: the first-line combination of arsenic trioxide and prednisone in cGVHD showed an overall response rate (ORR) at 6 months of 75%, which allows for a rapid reduction in corticosteroids
Medsenic is now finalizing the preparation of a Phase III trial. This study will be a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral arsenic trioxide (OATO) as a first-line treatment. The oral formulation, known as OATO - or ARSCICOR for autoimmune applications - has the characteristics of rapid gastrointestinal solubilization, optimal bioavailability comparable to the intravenous formulation (ARSCIMED, used in Phase II)
A positive Pre IND opinion from the FDA has been issued to initiate a Phase III clinical trial in this disease.
Executive team
François
Rieger, PhD
CEO
After studying physics at the Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, François Rieger joined the Pasteur Institute in 1966, in the group of Nobel Prize winner Jacques Monod. In 1968, he was appointed Fellow in research at the CNRS, assigned to the Institute of Physical and Chemical Biology in Paris, and chose to do a PhD in neurobiology, which he completed in 1973 at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris, rue d'Ulm. His work allowed him to purify and characterize the structure of acetylcholinesterase, the current main target of Alzheimer's disease treatments. François then devoted himself to the study of the cholinergic synapse and neuromuscular pathologies related to deficient functioning of nerve impulse transmission.
Between 1975 and 1978, he was appointed Assistant Professor in Neuropathology at Harvard University. Upon his return to France, he set up a research team in a joint INSERM/CNRS unit at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital on the role of ion channels in the function and morphogenesis of mammalian nerve and muscle. A stay from 1985 to 1988, at the Rockfeller University of New York, in the laboratory of Professor Gerald Edelman, Nobel Prize winner, as Senior Associate Researcher, allowed him to extend his field of investigation to the field of Cellular Adhesion Proteins and to demonstrate the involvement of Neuronal Cell Adhesion Molecules (N-CAM) and cytotactin/tenascin in synaptic morphogenesis and innervation-reinnervation phenomena. In 1990, he established in his laboratory a new line of research on the primary factors of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune demyelinating disease in humans, which led his laboratory to characterize a gliotoxic protein factor in MS patients and, in 1998, to discover in humans a fossil retrovirus still active through its envelope protein, and involved in the triggering of the autoimmune cascade of the disease.
In 2007, François created in Geneva a bi-national Scientific Interest Group on the broader theme of aging and longevity, with the participation of several French-Swiss scientific leaders, to address both the molecular and societal aspects of this largely unexplored field. François is Director of Research at CNRS and author or co-author of more than 175 international publications in the field of Life Sciences and Neurosciences. He is currently leading an innovative project dedicated to the treatment of autoimmune diseases and is co-founder of the biotech Medsenic. He has successfully conducted two phase 2 clinical trials in systemic lupus erythematosus and graft-versus-host disease, opening a promising avenue for the use of multiple active arsenic formulations for the treatment of chronic autoimmune diseases.
In addition to his scientific skills and international reputation, François has mastered the rules of biotech company development and private and public fundraising over the past 15 years, in collaboration with his long-time partner in commercial operations, Ms. Véronique Pomi.
Véronique
Pomi
Deputy CEO
With 30 years of experience in operational leadership, human resources management, resource utilization and organizational development in highly decentralized organizations, Véronique has had an impressive career in management.
A graduate of the IFG Lorraine Business School, she has been a consultant, manager and director of numerous companies in the consulting and human resources sectors. In 2010, Véronique decided to found Medsenic with Professor François Rieger, in order to bring her expertise in business development and fundraising. Her experience in streamlining operations, developing and implementing organizational solutions, and applying global human resources expertise to influence the achievement of strategic objectives, has made her a skilled resource manager, a creator of efficient solutions and a creative leader.
Carole
Nicco, PHD
CSO
COO
Dr. Carole Nicco, CSO, obtained a Ph.D. in human physiology and physiopathology from Denis Diderot University of Paris in 2000. After working for two years at the startup Protexel, she obtained a full-time position as a research engineer at Paris Descartes University / Paris Cité University. From 2005 to 2023 she was one of the PI's and the lab manager of the research team “Pathogeny and innovative treatments for chronic fibro-inflammatory diseases '' at Cochin Institute, a biomedical research center affiliated with INSERM (Unit 1016), CNRS (UMR 8104) and the Paris Cité University. She was head of the preclinical facility of the Cochin Institute for 10 years.
Carole brings research experience in cancer biology, inflammation, immunity, new target identification, and drug discovery. She has led numerous therapeutic projects from initial inception to preclinical development in cancer, gynecologic and autoimmune diseases for academic projects but also in collaboration with Vertex, Boiron, IPRAD, Gynov and Medsenic. She has more than 110 articles published in international referenced journals in the fields of systemic autoimmune disorders, inflammation, and cancer.
Carole was vice-president of the non-profit International Society of Antioxidants in Nutrition and Health for 2 years and becomes president of Redox Medicine Society in 2023. Since 2016, she has been a member of the scientific committees and advisory board of four international congresses: Paris Redox, Targeting Mitochondria, Targeting Microbiota, Skin challenges.
Lieven
Huysse, MD
CMO
Lieven Huysse obtained his medical degree from the University in Gent, graduating in 1995. After an internship of 2.5 years, part of a training plan in orthopaedic surgery, he switched to the healthcare industry. Lieven gained sound experience both in the medical device (17 years-endovascular catheters, trauma products, hip, knee, spine) and in the pharma industry (8 years, psychiatry, cardiovascular, allergy/immunology, diabetes). In 2003 he finished an executive MBA at the Swiss Business school. Lieven has held different positions in senior leadership in both national and mainly international positions, including eleven years working abroad (Switzerland, Spain and the Netherlands). His expertise includes managing multi-center international clinical studies, including pre-market approval studies for submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, working with reimbursement authorities and Key Opinion Leader management.
He previously served as CMO for Anaconda Biomed S.L., senior director of medical affairs at Intrinsic Therapeutics, Inc., director of clinical and regulatory affairs at Wright Medical EMEA (now Microport®), medical director for Menarini Group, global brand medical manager for Switzerland-based UCB Farchim, manager clinical Affairs EMEA at Stryker Corp. and Medical Advisor EMEA at Janssen. Lieven is a Belgian national with mother tongue Dutch and is also fluent in English, French and German.
Alexia
Rieger
Chief Investor Relation Officer - CIRO
Alexia Rieger graduated from the Ecole Hotelière of Lausanne and pursued her studies in the field of the finance by getting a Master degree in Financial Markets and Investments at Skema Business School. She cumulated professional experiences in different financial fields such as in portfolio management for Architas (AXA subsidiary) and in an M&A boutique focused on helping startups to raise funds (VC: Seed to Serie B), based in Geneva. Afterwards, Alexia joined Medsenic SAS as Business and Financial Officer. She worked on the strategy and the finances of BioSenic to develop the entity in the future, in addition to working, since the beginning, on the reverse merger between BioSenic and Medsenic. Today, Alexia continue to work on Medsenic’s financials, while taking a new position as Chief Investor Relations Officer in the new entity BioSenic.
Board of Directors
BioSenic is committed to implementing the highest processes and standards of corporate governance, while ensuring that its business model is relevant, efficient and cost effective to the Company and its investors.
The Board of Directors is made up of the Chairman, four non-executive Directors and two executive Directors.
François
Rieger, PhD
Chairman - Executive
After studying physics at the Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, François Rieger joined the Pasteur Institute in 1966, in the group of Nobel Prize winner Jacques Monod. In 1968, he was appointed Fellow in research at the CNRS, assigned to the Institute of Physical and Chemical Biology in Paris, and chose to do a PhD in neurobiology, which he completed in 1973 at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris, rue d'Ulm. His work allowed him to purify and characterize the structure of acetylcholinesterase, the current main target of Alzheimer's disease treatments. François then devoted himself to the study of the cholinergic synapse and neuromuscular pathologies related to deficient functioning of nerve impulse transmission.
Between 1975 and 1978, he was appointed Assistant Professor in Neuropathology at Harvard University. Upon his return to France, he set up a research team in a joint INSERM/CNRS unit at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital on the role of ion channels in the function and morphogenesis of mammalian nerve and muscle. A stay from 1985 to 1988, at the Rockfeller University of New York, in the laboratory of Professor Gerald Edelman, Nobel Prize winner, as Senior Associate Researcher, allowed him to extend his field of investigation to the field of Cellular Adhesion Proteins and to demonstrate the involvement of Neuronal Cell Adhesion Molecules (N-CAM) and cytotactin/tenascin in synaptic morphogenesis and innervation-reinnervation phenomena. In 1990, he established in his laboratory a new line of research on the primary factors of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune demyelinating disease in humans, which led his laboratory to characterize a gliotoxic protein factor in MS patients and, in 1998, to discover in humans a fossil retrovirus still active through its envelope protein, and involved in the triggering of the autoimmune cascade of the disease.
In 2007, François created in Geneva a bi-national Scientific Interest Group on the broader theme of aging and longevity, with the participation of several French-Swiss scientific leaders, to address both the molecular and societal aspects of this largely unexplored field. François is Director of Research at CNRS and author or co-author of more than 175 international publications in the field of Life Sciences and Neurosciences. He is currently leading an innovative project dedicated to the treatment of autoimmune diseases and is co-founder of the biotech Medsenic. He has successfully conducted two phase 2 clinical trials in systemic lupus erythematosus and graft-versus-host disease, opening a promising avenue for the use of multiple active arsenic formulations for the treatment of chronic autoimmune diseases.
In addition to his scientific skills and international reputation, François has mastered the rules of biotech company development and private and public fundraising over the past 15 years, in collaboration with his long-time partner in commercial operations, Ms. Véronique Pomi.
Véronique
Pomi
Deputy CEO
With 30 years of experience in operational leadership, human resources management, resource utilization and organizational development in highly decentralized organizations, Véronique has had an impressive career in management.
A graduate of the IFG Lorraine Business School, she has been a consultant, manager and director of numerous companies in the consulting and human resources sectors. In 2010, Véronique decided to found Medsenic with Professor François Rieger, in order to bring her expertise in business development and fundraising. Her experience in streamlining operations, developing and implementing organizational solutions, and applying global human resources expertise to influence the achievement of strategic objectives, has made her a skilled resource manager, a creator of efficient solutions and a creative leader.
Jean-François
Rax
Director – Non Executive – permanent representative of Capital Grand Est SAS
An engineer with a degree in Biochemistry and Biotechnology from INSA Lyon, Jean-François joined Capital Grand Est in 2014, an independent regional private equity company approved by the AMF with more than €180M in assets under management and which has been supporting more than 60 SMEs and start-ups in the Grand Est region since 2012. With 12 years of experience in venture & seed capital - 4 years in consulting and technology transfer - Inserm Transfert Initiative, Alcimed, Inra Transfert, Inserm Transfert, Jean-François is now a member of the Board of Directors / Director of Investments of Capital Grand Est.
Jean
Stéphenne
Director – Independent – permanent representative of Innoste SA
Jean Stéphenne has extensive experience in the life sciences industry, having held senior positions in numerous biotech and pharmaceutical companies, most recently as Chairman of the Board of TiGenix. Together with the TiGenix Board of Directors, he oversaw the clinical development and European marketing approval of the company's most advanced allogeneic cell therapy product for the treatment of perianal fistulas in Crohn's disease.
Previously, Jean Stéphenne was also a member of the Corporate Executive Team of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Managing Director of GSK Biologicals (now GSK Vaccines). During his 40-year tenure, he built a company of 50 employees into a global leader in vaccine development, now with nearly 12,000 employees.
Jean Stéphenne currently serves on the Board of Directors of a number of life science companies including CureVac, Vaxxilon, OncoDNA and Bepharbel. He previously served as a director at Besix Group, BNP Paribas Fortis, GBL and IBA. In recognition of his contribution to the Belgian economy and global public health, he has received numerous awards and honors from the Belgian and British governments.
Jean-Luc
Vandebroek
Director – Non Executive – permanent representative of Finsys Management SRL
Jean-Luc Vandebroek has extensive experience in large listed and private companies. Jean-Luc's career was built over 15 years at Delhaize (now Ahold Delhaize), the Belgian-American retail group. During this period, he held various positions of increasing responsibility within the finance department, such as CFO Europe and USA, and Vice President Finance Belgium and Luxembourg. He was then promoted to CFO of Fluxys, the listed European gas infrastructure operator. In this role, he was responsible for the financing of large infrastructure projects in the capital markets. Prior to joining Bone Therapeutics and then BioSenic, Jean-Luc was Director and CFO of Moteo Two Wheels and Bihr Europe, the two-wheeler specialist, a subsidiary of the Alcopa Group, a Belgian family-owned holding company with a turnover of around 1.7 billion euros.
Revital
Rattenbach, PhD
Director - Independent
A seasoned biotech entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience, Revital Rattenbach is the CEO and founder of 4P Pharma, a clinical-stage biotech company specializing in active drug regeneration for the treatment of severe diseases. Under her leadership, 4P Pharma has established a unique, circular drug development platform that has brought two programs to the clinic while building a rich preclinical pipeline. Revital has initiated numerous academic and pharmaceutical collaborations worldwide and has completed a series of fundraising events since 4P Pharma was founded 8 years ago. Previously, Revital was the Managing Director and Founder of PharmaSeed Europe (2013-2014), a research organization focused on early stage development, where she oversaw all activities related to business development, finance and operations. Revital began her entrepreneurial career by co-founding Astem, a Sorbonne University spin-off specializing in endogenous adult stem cell activation. She holds a PhD in biology from the University of Paris VI and an MBA from the Sorbonne University.
Yves
Sagot
Director - Independent
Yves co-founded Relief Therapeutics in 2013 to develop a clinical asset acquired from Merck Serono. In 2016, Relief Therapeutics went public on the Swiss stock exchange (SIX) after a reverse merger with THERAMetrics. Whilst maintaining his activities as Chief Scientific Officer at Relief Therapeutics, Yves created MBS Sagot Consulting in 2018 to provide to the life science market senior expertise covering research and early clinical development. Subsequently, after leaving Relief Therapeutics, he is a private investor in biotechnology via MBS Invest & Consult Sàrl. He is also one of the ambassadors of the Léon Bérard Cancer Center, an internationally recognized research center in Lyon, France. He has authored 25 papers that have been published in international peer-reviewed journals, holds three granted patents and received the Serono CEO Award in 2001 and the Merck Serono Reward and Recognition Award in 2008.
Yves received a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Management of Medtech, Biotech & Pharma Ventures from the Management of Technology EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland., holds a Ph.D in Neurobiology and a Masters in Pharmacology and Fundamental Toxicology from the Université Paul Sabatier (UPS), Toulouse, France.
BioSenic SA
Rue Granbonpré 11 – Bâtiment H (bte 24)
1435 Mont-St-Guibert – Belgium
T.: +32 493 09 73 66
info@biosenic.com
Contact