GHENT, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Confo Therapeutics, a leader in the discovery of medicines targeting G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), today announced that its Scientific Founder and Scientific Advisory Board Chairman, Professor Jan Steyaert, PhD, has been selected as the recipient of the Jacob and Louise Gabbay Award. Each year the award, administered by Boston-based Brandeis University, is given to scientists in academia, medicine or industry whose research represents outstanding scientific content and significant practical applications in the biomedical sciences. Professor Steyaert is the 24th scientist to receive the award and the first Belgian recipient. The award recognizes his contributions to the development of Camelid single-domain antibodies. The translational nature of his work in biomedical sciences enabled the foundation of Confo and its ConfoBody® technology as well as the discovery of the company’s proprietary pipeline.
“Jan Steyaert is being recognized for the introduction of single domain antibody technology as exquisite tools to lock inherently unstable, dynamic proteins into single functional conformations. His work is not only important for mechanisms in structural biology but also structure-based drug discovery within the context of the pharmaceutical industry,” said Dagmar Ringe, PhD, Chair of the Award Committee and the Harold and Bernice Davis Professor Emerita of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease at Brandeis University.
“We congratulate Jan on the award and the well-deserved recognition for his pioneering work,” said Cedric Ververken, CEO of Confo Therapeutics. “We continue to benefit from his discoveries and his invaluable scientific input as we further optimize our technology and expand our pipeline.”
“It is an honor to receive this prestigious award, which illustrates the global impact that basic research discoveries can have on the biotech industry,” added Professor Steyaert.
Co-founded by Professor Steyaert, Confo Therapeutics utilizes the Confo technology which consists of single domain antibodies that transform unstable GPCRs into stable functional conformations, thereby facilitating drug discovery research for the creation of disruptive therapeutics. Earlier this year the company announced the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical study for its lead candidate, CFTX-1554, a novel inhibitor of the angiotensin II type 2 receptor for the treatment of neuropathic pain.
About Confo Therapeutics
Confo Therapeutics’ unparalleled technology stabilizes functional conformations of GPCRs (G protein-coupled receptors), thereby enabling the discovery of chemical or biological ligands that are conformationally selective. This platform combined with the pharmacologic and biologic insight it provides, allows Confo to build a multi-indication pipeline of drug candidates with the vision of transforming therapeutic outcomes for patients with severe illnesses lacking disease-modifying treatments. Confo Therapeutics was spun out of VIB-VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) in 2015. Supported by international life-science focused investors and led by an experienced team of entrepreneurial professionals and scientists from successful biopharmaceutical companies, Confo Therapeutics benefits from the rich scientific and innovative ecosystem in Belgium.
For more information, visit www.confotherapeutics.com
