23/02/2012 - Looking for a win/win in medical innovation

Alain Dupont MD, PhD is full professor and head
of the Department of Pharmacology at the VUB, and of the Department of
Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy at the UZ Brussel, where he also runs a
hypertension clinic. He was Vice-Dean Research and is currently Dean of the
Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy. He is founding president and member of the
Belgian Commission for Reimbursement of Medicines. His research activities,
focused on hypertension and cardiovascular pharmacology, resulted in three
prizes and over 120 publications in peer reviewed journals and books.

Rudy Dekeyser is managing director of VIB, a life sciences research institute, based in Flanders, Belgium. VIB performs basic research with a strong focus on translating scientific results into pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial applications. http://www.vib.be/en/Pages/default.aspx

Jean-Claude Marcourt is Vice-Président, Ministre de l'Economie, des PME, du Commerce extérieur, des Technologies nouvelles et de l'Enseignement supérieur du gouvernement Wallon. http://marcourt.wallonie.be/

Bart Lambrecht obtained the MD/PhD degree at the University of Ghent, Belgium in 1993 and 1999. After obtaining the MD/PhD degree under the mentorship of Prof. Romain Pauwels, he moved to The Netherlands where he trained in Pulmonary Medicine. He became Professor of Pulmonary Medicine in 2005, holding a special chair in Immunopathology of the Lung at the pulmonary research program of Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. After ten years in The Netherlands, he moved back to Belgium and was appointed Professor of Pulmonar Medicine at Ghent University, and is currently heading a group of 24 scientists dealing with the immunopathology of asthma and immunotherapy of cancer. He is the author of over 100 papers dealing with the use of mouse models to study the pathogenesis of asthma and cancer related immunosuppression. http://group-id.org/index.php/academic-staff

Jean Stéphenne was appointed Chairman and President, Biologicals at GlaxoSmithKline in 1998. He is a member of the Corporate Executive Team. Jean has overseen Biologicals since 1991, serving as Vice President and General Manager, then Senior Vice President and General Manager, until he was appointed to his current role in 1998. Prior to this, he was Vice President of Human Vaccines Research and Development and Production from 1988 to 1991. Jean joined the company in 1974 as Head of Bacterial and Viral Vaccines production, becoming Vaccine Production Director in 1980. He served in a variety of capacities as Vaccine Plant Director and R&D Director from 1981 to 1991. Jean received an Engineer in Chemistry and Bio-Industries degree from the University of Gembloux, Belgium, in 1972 and also has a degree in Management from the University of Louvain, Belgium. He has served as President of the Union of French Speaking Companies between 1998 and 2000, is a member of the European Association of Vaccine Producers, and a member of the Management Committee of the Belgian Companies Federation. He is also a member of the Board of several Belgian companies. He was named Baron by King Albert II of the Belgians in 2000 in recognition of his leading contribution to R&D and industry in Belgium. Jean served a three year term from June 2008 on the GAVI Alliance Board and its Executive Committee after he was elected by the Vaccine Industry CEOs to be their representative. http://www.gsk.com/about/bio-stephenne.htm

Guy Mannaerts is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the University Hospitals Leuven and Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology and Honorary Vice-Rector KULeuven http://www.kuleuven.be/wieiswie/en/person/u0007949

Daniel Pipeleers is director of the Diabetes Research Center (DRC) at Brussels Free University-VUB. DRC develops knowledge, methods and strategies for early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diabetes. It is composed of six units, two core facilities and two biobanks. DRC is founder of the JDRF Center for Beta Cell Therapy in Diabetes of which Daniel Pipeleers is director. http://www.betacelltherapy.org/index.php?s=y&piid=30&n=29&id=31&sid=31