Leuven (Belgium) – June 13, 2018 – miDIAGNOSTICS NV, a global developer of novel and compact diagnostic solutions for the point-of-need, is pleased to announce Nicolas Vergauwe as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Rudi Pauwels as its new Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Nicolas has quickly built up a solid reputation as entrepreneur and innovative thinker in the diagnostics industry. Prior joining miDIAGNOSTICS, Nicolas held the position of Vice President Innovations at Biocartis NV (Euronext Brussels: BCART), an innovative molecular diagnostics company based in Mechelen, Belgium. In this role, Nicolas was responsible for introducing novel technologies and tests in the product portfolio of Biocartis’ commercial Idyllaâ platform. Nicolas joined Biocartis in 2012 as a scientist after having obtained his PhD in Bioscience Engineering at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, in collaboration with the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.
Rudi is a scientist-entrepreneur with a successful track record of more than 30 years in the pharmaceutical and diagnostic industry. He is (co-)founder of Tibotec, Virco, Galapagos Genomics and Biocartis. He served as CEO, chairman and board member in various (public) biotech companies and research institutes. Rudi also held a position in the Scientific Advisory Board of imec since 2014.
“Our original plan with miDIAGNOSTICS was to set up an IP platform company, developing a broad platform that would then induce the development of a whole range of products via dedicated product companies. Dr. Hilja Ibert was attracted as CEO with a primary focus on the business development of the company. She did an excellent job, for which I would like to sincerely thank her”, commented Luc Van den hove, CEO of imec and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of miDIAGNOSTICS. “In the course of these first years, we experienced a huge interest in the products we were envisioning and decided to develop the product ourselves and this to accelerate the market introduction of innovative diagnostics solutions. That is why we have attracted Nicolas and Rudi. As Vice President at Biocartis, Nicolas proved that with his enthusiasm and drive, he can successfully bring novel technologies to the market; and with his vast industry experience, Rudi is in a perfect position to guide Nicolas and the team to achieving our goals.”
Nicolas Vergauwe further added: “I’m very excited to become part of this talented and motivated team of researchers and product developers. Over the past years, the siliconbased chip technology, the core technology of miDIAGNOSTICS, has evolved spectacularly. It’s a pleasure to take on the responsibility to transform this technology into robust and reliable products that will impact patients’ lives. The promise of a multi-omic platform that offers a very wide range of diagnostic tests around the globe and at the point-of-need has tremendous clinical and commercial value.”
Rudi finally commented: “The breakthroughs in medicine and science are opening the path to a better understanding and treatment of diseases. To fully harness the promises of a more personalized, high-precision medicine, diagnostic solutions need to become routine tools for the measurement of biomarkers in any setting where patients and healthcare workers interact. It is with great pleasure that I can assist Nicolas and the miDIAGNOSTICS team to make this crucial revolution a reality. After years of breakthroughs in semiconductor technologies and nanofluidics, miDIAGNOSTICS is in a unique position to connect the heritage of imec with the medical and scientific know-how to develop a disruptive platform for personalized medicine. I look forward to support the continued efforts of imec and Johns Hopkins University to create the necessary diagnostic tools to realize the molecular medicine of the future.”
About miDIAGNOSTICS
miDIAGNOSTICS, originated as an innovative collaboration with imec and The Johns Hopkins University, was founded in 2015 and is backed by investors Marc Coucke, Michel Akkermans and the Flemish investment firm PMV.
More information: Bo Nys, Press and Business Support Officer, +32 494 59 69 41.
Published on:
13 June 2018
