Belgium-based MRM Health NV appoints Saint Lucian Dr. Nigel Horscroft as Chief Scientific Officer

MRM Health NV, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative therapeutics based on the human microbiome, announced today that Dr. Werner Cautreels, former CEO of Solvay Pharmaceuticals and Selecta Biosciences, has been appointed as Chairman of the Board and Dr. Nigel Horscroft, ex-Curevac and Pfizer, as Chief Scientific Officer. In addition, Dr. Ludo Haazen is joining the R&D organization to support clinical development and medical affairs.

“Werner, Nigel and Ludo bring a wealth of additional experience and validation to MRM Health. They each have broad knowledge and experience in their field and will play a key strategic role to advance the company pipeline and get into the clinic. We are delighted to have them on board.” said Sam Possemiers, CEO and co-founder of MRM Health.

Dr. Werner Cautreels brings over 40 years of broad industry experience across both biotech and large pharmaceutical companies. Until his retirement in December 2018 he acted as President and CEO of
Selecta Biosciences. Previously, he was global head of R&D of Solvay Pharmaceuticals and became in 2005 CEO of Solvay Pharmaceuticals until it was acquired by Abbott Laboratories in 2010. Prior to joining Solvay he was employed by Sanofi, Sterling Winthrop and Nycomed-Amersham in a variety of R&D senior management positions in Europe and in the United States. Dr. Cautreels has acted as Director in various companies, among which Galapagos, Seres and Innogenetics.

“I am very excited to join the Board and the team of MRM Health, and to contribute with my experience to the advancement of its product candidates into the clinic. MRM Health’s unique approach and technology has the potential to make a real difference in the field” said Dr. Werner Cautreels.

Dr. Nigel Horscroft has 20 years of drug discovery experience across a variety of therapeutic areas. He joined MRM Health from CureVac AG, Tubingen, Germany, where, as Area Head and Vice President – Molecular Therapy, he contributed to cutting edge therapies in liver disease, infectious disease, rare disease, oncology and ophthalmology. Prior to this, he served as Head of Research at PiKe Pharma in Switzerland. He has also worked at Pfizer in the UK and Valeant Pharmaceuticals in the US. Dr. Horscroft holds a DPhil in Biochemistry from Oxford University and was a post-doctoral researcher at the University of California.

Dr. Ludo Haazen is a seasoned expert in international medicinal drug development with over 30 years of experience in leading international clinical research, pharmacovigilance activities and medical affairs. He has worked for large pharmaceutical companies such as Roche, Janssen Pharmaceutica and UCB, and more recently for leading biotech companies like TiGenix, Ablynx and Actobio, in various senior positions. He holds a Medical Degree from the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) and a post-graduate certificate in Statistics and Epidemiology. Ludo is also lecturer in Pharmaceutical Medicine at the Free University of Brussels (ULB) and review editor for the scientific journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.

*Born in London in 1965, Nigel Horscroft moved to Saint Lucia in 1972 and resided at Sunny Acres. He attended the Methodist Infant and Primary Schools and later the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School. He furthered his studies at the Saint Lucia A-Level College (now Sir Arthur Lewis Community College). A national cyclist, Horscroft worked for the Government Information Service (GIS) from 1984-87 and then left the island to study in the United Kingdom and United States of America.

He had the following advice for Saint Lucians interested in this field: “If you’re at secondary school or A-level make sure you study the science subjects and just look for opportunities to study what you want to do. To use my example, I started out in the GIS even though I was doing sciences but I wanted to have a job. And working at the GIS I realized this isn’t what I wanted to do. So pursue your dream, even if it means you have to take a job that’s not related to what you want to do, to earn some money or to buy some time while you look for a scholarship. That’s fine, but always have the goal of pursuing what you’re interested in doing.”