Galapagos NV has been awarded a €2.3 million grant for research in fibrosis from the Flemish agency for Innovation by Science and Technology (IWT). The major aim of this IWT grant is to deliver a comprehensive fibrosis research platform, building on existing tools and considerable expertise within Galapagos and a number of academic laboratories.
The goal of this 2-year project is to create a new research platform by integrating knowledge from a range of fibrotic diseases, including lung, kidney, liver, and skin fibrosis. This new platform will support Galapagos’ efforts to develop novel drug candidates in fibrosis.
Galapagos has a fully proprietary portfolio of fibrosis drug targets and molecules.
By integrating data obtained from pre-clinical and clinical research in several fibrotic diseases with similar root causes, Galapagos aims to create a unique fibrosis research environment, allowing for better selection of targets and molecules for the design of novel treatments in this area.
Academic partners for the project include Prof Dr Wuyts (Pneumology, KU Leuven), Prof Dr Naesens and Prof Dr Kuypers (Nephrology, KU Leuven), Prof Dr Van Vlierberghe (Hepatology, U Ghent), Prof Dr F. De Keyser and Dr Smith (Scleroderma, U Gent) and Prof van Grunsven (Hepatology, VU Brussels).
“Galapagos is very pleased with this financial support from the IWT for our research in fibrosis, an area with very high unmet patient need and one in which Galapagos already has performed ground-breaking work,” said Dr Piet Wigerinck, chief scientific officer of Galapagos.
Fibrosis is characterized by the development of excess connective tissue, leading to diminished organ function and potentially death. Fibrosis can affect various organs and tissues including kidney, lung, liver, heart, bone marrow, and skin.
The agency for Innovation by Science and Technology (abbreviated as IWT) is the government agency to support technological innovation projects in Flanders. Each year IWT distributes about €300 million in subsidies for innovation projects to companies, organizations, research and educational institutions in Flanders. In addition to financial support, IWT also assists companies by, for instance helping them find the right information or the right partners at home or abroad, providing assistance with the preparation of projects for European programmes and with technology transfer throughout Europe.
Galapagos is specialized in novel modes-of-action, with a large pipeline comprising of six phase II studies (three led by GSK), one phase I study, six pre-clinical, and 20 discovery small-molecule and antibody programmes in cystic fibrosis, inflammation, antibiotics, metabolic disease, and other indications.