Cedric is CEO and director of Confo Therapeutics. He previously served as Vice President of Business Development at Ablynx and played a key role in landmark deals. Prior to moving to business development, Cedric worked through various R&D functions at Ablynx, first as a scientist in the pharmacology group and later as project manager, leading cross-functional project teams from discovery up to Phase II clinical studies. Cedric has a PhD in bioscience engineering from KU Leuven (Belgium).
About Confo Therapeutics
Confo Therapeutics is a private Belgium-based biopharmaceutical company specialized in GPCR drug discovery and development. The company has a unique technology which allows it to discover novel modulators on GPCR targets where other companies/technologies have failed, and is leveraging this platform to build a valuable pipeline of therapeutic candidates in different disease areas. CFTX-1554 is Confo Therapeutics’ first product candidate in pre-clinical development and is designed to address peripheral neuropathic pain while avoiding centrally mediated side effects, such as addiction and sedation. The compound is a novel inhibitor of angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R), a clinically validated target for the treatment of neuropathic pain. Whereas clinical-stage compounds targeting AT2R have failed to progress due to side-effects and/or toxicity concerns, CFTX-1554 more efficiently interacts with the AT2R binding site, resulting in improved drug-like properties. Confo has initiated Phase I-enabling studies and aims to advance CFTX-1554 to clinical development upon successful completion of these studies. Confo was spun out of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and VIB in 2015. Supported by international life-science focused investors and led by an experienced team of entrepreneurial professionals and scientists from successful biopharmaceutical companies, Confo Therapeutics benefits from the rich scientific and innovative ecosystem in Belgium.
