Peakadilly nv biopharmaceutical fi...( The Flanders Interuniversity Institute ...)

The Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) and Ghent University have started up a new biopharmaceutical company named Peakadilly nv. Peakadilly will develop and market a new generation of molecular diagnostics - so-called protein bio-markers - using innovative proteomics technology developed by the research group under the direction of Jol Vandekerckhove. The markers can be used in the development of medicines, making the process much more efficient, effective and economical. The bio-markers will also enable doctors to detect diseases sooner and, because many medicines work effectively only with a limited group of patients, doctors will also be able to verify whether a particular medicine will work for certain patients. Peakadilly will be led by Koen Kas, who has been closely involved in the development of the technology platform.

Health care tailored to the patient

Today, it takes an average of 800 million euro and about 12 years to develop a new drug. Among other things, the time-consuming and expensive clinical studies test the safety and effectiveness of a potential medicine. Frequently, the studies indicate that the drug is not really effective at all, or only for a small number of patients. At present, nothing exists for measuring whether a candidate drug is truly effective during development. Bio-markers can bridge this gap and thus substantially lower the development costs and time.

Bio-markers will also make it possible to target therapies specifically to the patients for whom they are successful. Most drugs in the field of oncology, for example, help only a limited number of patients. Bio-markers will enable the appropriate therapy to be selected for the patient - a step toward patient-specific medicine. The bio-markers will also enable earlier detection of life-threatening diseases like cancer.

The impact of bio-markers for the patient - and, indirectly, for the social s
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Contact: Koen Kas
koen.kas@peakadilly.com
32-9-241-1164
VIB, Flanders Interuniversity Institute of Biotechnology
18-Oct-2004

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