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- Ralf van den Berg will lead the development and execution of Inbiomotion’s strategy while managing daily operations.
- In his new role, Ralf van den Berg will drive Inbiomotion in his aim to position MAFTEST® for routine characterization of breast cancer tumors.
Inbiomotion SL, an IRB Barcelona spin-off company developing a unique single-gene- based biomarker for the personalized adjuvant treatment of early-stage (stage I-III) breast cancer patients, today announces the appointment of Dr. Ralf van den Berg as Chief Operating Officer.
Dr. van den Berg is an experienced business leader with over 20 years of experience in tissue diagnostics. He held various leadership positions with Sakura Finetek amongst other Head of Marketing & Business Development EMEAI and Business Unit Director of Biosciences & Innovation EMEAI. In these positions, he was responsible for the development and execution of Sakura Finetek’s disruptive Automation and Advanced Staining strategies and led the market in-road of these innovative solutions.
This appointment follows the company’s July announcement of study data showing that the selection of breast cancer patients for adjuvant bisphosphonate therapy based on Inbiomotion’s MAFTEST® reduces the risk of death in comparison with current clinical guidance.
“I’m thrilled to join Inbiomotion’s team in this exciting journey to take MAFTEST® to market. Its potential to improve patient selection for adjuvant treatment could be game-changing for breast cancer patients” said Dr. van den Berg.
Recently the MAFTEST® obtained the CE-mark as an in vitro diagnostic medical device for prognostic purposes. Since clodronate and other bisphosphonates are not approved by the regulatory agencies for use in adjuvant treatment of early-stage breast cancer patients, Inbiomotion’s MAFTEST® is not authorized to be used as a companion diagnostic as described in the above-mentioned study.
“Ralf’s business experience and skills will be invaluable to foster Inbiomotion’s growth and key to guide MAFTEST® path into the market, a unique tool for precision medicine in early breast cancer.” said Dr. Joël Jean-Mairet, Executive Chairman of the Board of Inbiomotion.
About Inbiomotion:
Inbiomotion SL, a company founded by Dr. Roger Gomis, is developing a unique single gene- based biomarker for the personalized adjuvant treatment of early-stage breast cancer patients. The biomarker has been technically and analytically validated. The results of the first trial using well annotated archived specimens of the AZURE registrational clinical trial, now confirmed in the NSABP-B34 trial, indicate its potential use as a companion diagnostic. The company holds over 200 patents and patent applications covering its proprietary FISH MAFTEST® and the use of bisphosphonates in the adjuvant treatment of early-stage breast cancer patients.
About MAF:
MAF (mesenchymal aponeurotic fibrosarcoma gene, an AP-1 family transcription factor) is expressed in primary cancer tumors. This is associated with increased metastasis, especially bone metastasis. MAF transcriptionally controls genes such PTHrP, which regulate metastasis-related cellular processes, including survival, initiation, metabolic rewiring, and particularly, adhesion to bone marrow–derived cells and osteoclast differentiation. These observations point to MAF having a key hierarchical role in metastasis.
About IRB Barcelona
The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) pursues a society free of disease. To this end, it conducts multidisciplinary research of excellence to cure cancer and other diseases linked to ageing. It establishes technology transfer agreements with the pharmaceutical industry and major hospitals to bring research results closer to society, and organises a range of science outreach activities to engage the public in an open dialogue. IRB Barcelona is an international centre that hosts 400 researchers and more than 30 nationalities. Recognised as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence since 2011, IRB Barcelona is a CERCA centre and member of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST).
