Episode 39: René Hoet on Antibody Discovery and Following Your Heart

The Chain: Protein Engineering Podcast

Rene Hoet is working for over 20 years in Biotech and Pharma Industry focusing on Antibody Research and development.

Since April 1 2021 Rene works as Chief Scientific Officer at Montis Biosciences, Leuven, Belgium to develop the next generation Immuno-Oncology drugs using a novel approach interfering in the Tumor Endothelial Cell and Perivascular Macrophage Interactions to restore a immunocompetent tumor microenvironment.

From Oct. 2018 till 26 March 2021 Rene worked as Chief Scientific Officer at Imcheck Therapeutics (Marseille, France) reporting to the CEO where he built up a successful mAb research & development group on first in class mAbs (and bispecifics) in immune-oncology targeting butyrophilins and immune modulating gammadelta T cell and macrophage subsets. In Nov. 2019, Rene together with the CEO raised 48 M euro series B investment and moved ICT01 an antibody to BTN3A1, the first activating gammadelta T cell mAb, from preclinical stage into the clinic (start clinical trial March 2020).

From 2010-2018 Rene worked for Bayer AG as Vice President Biologics Research (Cologne, Germany), part of the Biologics Research & Development leadership team at Bayer reporting to the Sr. VP. Biologics Research & Development. His group was responsible for Antibody Discovery and Optimization for all therapeutic areas in Bayer (incl. Cardiovascular Diseases, Oncology, Gynecology,Hematology and Autoimmunity) and during this period a number of antibodies from Bayer´s internal pipeline entered into the clinic. Anetumab (Mesothelin-ADC), FXIa (phase II), C4.4.a-ADC, FGFR2-ADC, PRLR, TIFPa, CD22-TTC, CEACAM6 (all phase I).

In addition Rene was appointed in 2012 to extraordinary Prof. Biopharmaceutics at the University of Maastricht, The Netherlands to guide researchers to use antibodies to Bridge the Gap between academic research and pharma applications.

Between 2008-2010 Rene worked at Genmab as Sr. Director Research and was heading up Product Related Research, Scientific Communication & Translational Research. His team was driving new Antibody Discovery Programs and was also actively supporting Clinical Antibody Programs of Ofatumumab (CD20) (FDA approved 2009) and Daratumumab (CD38) (FDA approved 2015).

From 1997-2008 Rene had various positions at Dyax and became V.P. Research and Operational Manager of Dyax sa. Rene and his team were driving internal Antibody Lead Discovery (in Dyax Liege Belgium and Cambridge US) as well as external collaborations and supporting out-licensing of Dyax antibody phage libraries. From the antibody phage libraries he developed at Dyax now 4 antibodies have been approved Ramucirumab (KDR), Lilly, 2014, Necitumumab (EGFR), Lilly, 2015, Avelumab (PDL-1) EMD Serono/Pfizer, 2017, and lanadelumab (kallikrein), Shire, 2018). In addition over 10 antibodies from this mAb library from various companies are still in clinical trial. Rene obtained his PhD at the Un. Nijmegen, the Netherlands and performed a post-doctoral study at the Un. Cambridge U.K.with Prof. G. Winter (nobel prize winner 2018). He contributed to over 40 scientific papers and is inventor on 20 patent /patent applications.