About us
Flindr is building a pipeline of first-in-class small molecule inhibitors for the precision treatment of cancer. We are doing this using our ImmunoGram Drug Discovery Engine, which enables us to discover novel targets in both cancer cells and immune cells.
Flindr was founded in 2020 by the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Oncode Institute, which are both internationally renowned centers of excellence in cancer research. The Company’s strong scientific foundations are based on the seminal work of its founders Prof. Daniel Peeper, Prof. Christian Blank and Maarten Ligtenberg, who are experts in functional genomics and immunotherapy.
In 2024, Flindr entered into a collaboration with Vlaams Institute voor Biotechnologie (VIB) and the lab of Prof. Rudi Beyaert, a highly-regarded immunologist at the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research. Prof. Beyaert is a world expert on the pathway biology of our lead program, RNF31. VIB also became a shareholder in Flindr. The NCI, the Oncode Institute and the VIB bring well-established expertise in target discovery and validation, deep cancer biology insight and translation of research in new treatment paradigms to Flindr.
Origin of the Company name
The name Flindr
The name
Flindr
Flindr is based on the Dutch word for butterfly – an organism that goes through a series of incredible changes before emerging as the amazing creature. Similarly, our Immunogram-enabled drug targets must undergo metamorphosis to be transformed into the next-generation of innovative cancer medicines. We find beauty in this vital process – in the iterative cycle of target identification and validation, assay development, medicinal chemistry, safety and efficacy assessment – to eventually reach the final outcome of a new first-in-class therapeutic.
Leadership
Maarten Ligtenberg
Founder / Chief Executive OfficerMaarten Ligtenberg is the co-founder and CEO of Flindr and has more than 10 years of experience in the oncology field, in particular immuno-oncology and cancer target identification. Flindr (formerly Immagene) was spun out of the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) and Oncode Institute in 2020, by founders Prof Daniel Peeper, Prof Christian Blank and Dr Maarten Ligtenberg and joined forces with Professor Rudi Beyaert of VIB in 2023. Flindr utilizes the “ImmunoGram Drug Discovery Engine” to build a pipeline of first-in-class, small molecule inhibitors for treatment of cancer. Flindr’s lead program is a first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of RNF31 (also known as HOIP), a protein-stabilizing E3 ubiquitin ligase which is aberrantly activated in solid and hematological malignancies.
Maarten completed his doctoral degree at the Karolinska Institutet in the Kiessling lab and was as postdoctoral fellow in the Peeper lab at the NKI.
Jac Wijkmans
Chief Scientific OfficerJac joined Flindr in 2020 to lead drug discovery and strategy. Jac brings over 25 years of pharma experience in leading R&D operations and managing complex multidisciplinary innovation projects and processes. He held multiple senior management positions spanning the full spectrum of the industry from academic spin-offs (Oxford Asymmetry, Griffin Discoveries) and mid-size biotech (British Biotech, OSI Pharmaceuticals) to Big Pharma (Merck & Co, Schering-Plough, Organon). Jac is a medicinal chemist by training and under his leadership, multiple small-molecule drug candidates were identified, optimized and selected for pre-clinical and clinical studies. Jac has a PhD in Bioorganic Chemistry from Leiden University.
Christian Blank
FounderChristian Blank obtained his MD from the Medical School of the Technical University Munich, Germany, where he also completed his Doctoral thesis (summa cum laude) at the Department for Medical Microbiology in 1997. As a Junior House Officer (1997–1998) Dr Blank held four positions at the Departments of Cardiology and of Radiology at the University Clinic Munich Rechts der Isar, Munich, the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Departments at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Scotland, and the University of Birmingham, England, UK.
He went on to attain the position of Physician at the Department of Haematology and Oncology, University of Regensburg, Germany (1998–2001). During 2001–2003, Dr Blank held a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the lab of Professor Thomas Gajewski, University of Chicago, IL, USA. Subsequently he was appointed as Physician and Research Group Leader at the Department of Haematology and Oncology, University of Regensburg, Germany (2003–2007). Dr Blank has obtained two Specialist Degrees in Internal Medicine (2007) and in Haematology/Oncology (2009).
Since 2007, he has been appointed Staff Member at the Department of Medical Oncology, and a Group Leader at the Division of Molecular Oncology and Immunology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute – Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital (NKI-AVL), Amsterdam. In 2010, Dr Blank became University Lecturer (Privatdozent) at the University of Regensburg. In addition to his academic background, Dr Blank obtained his Master of Business Administration (MBA), from the University of Warwick, England, UK (2006). Dr Blank is committed to teaching, lecturing on medical courses at the NKI-AVL and the Medical School of the University of Regensburg, where he was appointed Professor in 2015. He is a member of several prestigious societies, including ESMO and ASCO. Dr Blank has been an invited speaker at more than 200 national and international congresses and is the author of more than 200 publications. His research interests broadly include neoadjuvant immunotherapies, targeted and biological response modifiers, and prognostic markers for cancer immunotherapies.
Daniel Peeper
FounderDaniel Peeper heads the Department of Molecular Oncology & Immunology at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI). He holds a professorship in Functional Oncogenomics at the VU University Amsterdam (since 2008) and is a member of Oncode (since 2017). At the NKI, he chaired the Research Faculty Council (2012-2024) and the Translational Research Board (2014-2019).
Peeper studied Medical Biology at the VU University Amsterdam (1988) and received his PhD in the laboratory of Alex van der Eb (Leiden, 1994) for his work on adenovirus oncoproteins and cell cycle proteins. He did his postdoctoral work in the lab of Mark Ewen (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 1994-1995) and subsequently in the lab of René Bernards (NKI, till 2000).
His laboratory uses function-based genomic approaches to identify critical cancer and immune genes. They were the first to discover Oncogene-Induced cellular Senescence (OIS) as a tumor suppressor mechanism in humans, and dissected the underlying mechanism. Other discoveries include AXL as a target for therapy-resistant cancers and the mechanism of cancer drug addiction. More recently, his laboratory focused on immunotherapy resistance, to develop rational cancer treatments combining tumor and immune cell interventions. His team uncovered mechanisms causing immunotherapy resistance, and identified several therapeutic targets, both in cancer cells and in T cells. Many of the team’s findings were published in top-tier journals including Nature, Cancer Cell and Cell. The successful identification of new therapeutic IO targets led him to co-found an NKI/Oncode spin-off company in immuno-oncology (Flindr Tx, previously Immagene).
Peeper has received several awards, including a KWF Queen Wilhelmina Award and Society for Melanoma Research (SMR) Junior researcher and Outstanding researcher Awards. He is a Member of Oncode, EMBO and Academia Europaea, and has been serving on the Board of the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) from 2012-2022, and on several CRUK review panels including the Discovery Research Committee. His lab received many prestigious grants, including ERC.
Board Members
Allard Kaptein
ChairmanBiosketch Allard Kaptein
Allard Kaptein is Managing Director of Genase Therapeutics, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at IMMIOS and Chair of the Supervisory Board of Immagene.
He was co-founder of Acerta Pharma (now part of AstraZeneca). Next to company creation he played a key role in licensing exclusive rights to what later became the now FDA and EMA approved drug Calquence (acalabrutinib). He held leading roles in the program from inception to Regulatory Approval.
Allard joined the pharmaceutical industry in 1994 and worked in different project and line management positions at Glaxo, GlaxoWellcome, Organon, Schering Plough and MSD, on cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease and oncology.
Before joining the pharmaceutical industry, Allard did his PhD studies in Biopharmaceutical Sciences at the Leiden University/Gaubius Institute TNO, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Cédric Van Nevel
Board MemberCédric Van Nevel is partner at Qbic, the Belgian inter-university venture capital fund. He started his career as a strategic consultant at Boston Consulting Group, before building further experience in the energy sector through a number of management positions at Fluxys (ranging from M&A to construction). Prior to joining Qbic, Cédric was responsible for the venturing activities of Bekaert, actively scouting for relevant technologies, setting up collaborations and holding a number of advisory board positions in international funds.
He holds a MSc in Electronics from the University of Ghent.
Chris de Jonghe
Board MemberAs Valorization Director Chris De Jonghe is co-leading Oncode Institute, an independent research institute that unites over 900 top researchers in oncology throughout the Netherlands with the aim to accelerate breakthrough discoveries and speed up their translation into new diagnostics and therapeutics for cancer patients.
Chris has a multi-disciplinary experience in the life sciences sector. She was trained as a biochemist and obtained a PhD in the field of neurodegeneration. In addition, she holds a law degree. She was active for more than 12 years in technology transfer at the VIB (Flanders’ Institute for Biotechnology) in Belgium. Subsequently she managed a 200 M€ evergreen lifesciences VC fund at PMV. She was in that capacity board member in several innovative life sciences companies, investment funds and cluster organizations.
Christina Takke
Board MemberChristina Takke co-founded V-Bio Ventures in 2015 and is currently a Managing Partner of the firm.
Her prime focus and responsibility within V-Bio Ventures is creating new ventures and investing in young innovative biotech companies as well as the general management of the firm.
Before launching V-Bio Ventures, Christina was a partner at Forbion Capital Partners (previously ABN AMRO Capital) were she led and managed a series of successful investments in biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical companies.
As an undergraduate Christina studied Molecular Biology / Biochemistry at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Université de Bordeaux and at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) Montpellier. She holds a PhD in Developmental Biology, which she obtained under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Campos-Ortega at the Institute of Development Biology of the University of Cologne.
After her studies, she gained experience in working with biotech start-up companies at Bio-Gen-Tec-NRW in Cologne, Germany, a regional development organization for the biotechnology industry.
Tine Bekaert
Board MemberTine Bekaert is a senior investment manager at PMV (ParticipatieMaatschappij Vlaanderen), where she focuses on the financing of start-ups active in the life sciences & care sector. Currently, Tine is a member of the Board of Directors of Flamingo Therapeutics, Dualyx, Nobi and reMYND. Tine holds a PhD in Biotechnology from Ghent University (Belgium) and has been involved in different European research infrastructure programs in the life science sector. Prior to PMV, Tine worked as a senior manager at Deloitte, where she managed a team responsible for strategic advice on grants and tax incentives for R&D and innovation.
Fiona MacLaughlin
Board MemberFiona is a Senior Director, Venture Investments, at Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation (Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc., the strategic venture arm of Johnson & Johnson). Prior to joining JJDC, Fiona was a Director at Inkef Capital, where she led both pharma and MedTech investments and held board seats in a number of portfolio companies. As a qualified pharmacist, Fiona is passionate about helping early-stage companies establish a value-building trajectory by engaging and challenging management and creating optimal development plans. Fiona began her career in biotech focusing on the development of non-viral gene therapy and other novel delivery solutions. A fundamental interest in philanthropy led her to the Wellcome Trust and a focus on translational funding, including establishing a fund to support the development of affordable healthcare technologies in India. Fiona’s transition to venture investing began with a move to Advent Life Sciences, where she was involved in helping shape and build a number of early-stage companies, including Arrakis Therapeutics. Fiona is a pharmacist by training and has a Ph.D. in drug delivery from Nottingham University.
Investors
This operation benefits the support from the European Union under the InvestEU Fund.
This operation benefits the support from the European Union under the InvestEU Fund.
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