Elise Pepermans, CEO and Co-founder of ImmuneSpec, completed a PhD in biochemistry and neuroscience at the Pasteur Institute (Paris, FR). After a Post-doc at the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) she joined Pfizer as the Team Lead of a QC Lab Team. She then went on to join the Centre for Proteomics – a collaboration between the University of Antwerp (UA) and VITO. There she set-up an advanced immunopeptidomics platform together with MS experts Prof. Geert Baggerman and Prof. Kurt Boonen, resulting in the foundation of the spin-off company ImmuneSpec. Their technology enables the fast & reliable identification of immunogenic peptides by leveraging mass spectrometry (MS).
ImmuneSpec’s expertise is based on cutting-edge proprietary protocols which enable researchers to precisely target all peptide regions which evoke an immune response. These so-called MAPPS analyses are among the most in-depth ways to conduct immunogenicity testing and will prove to be key in the development of next-generation biotherapeutics. ImmuneSpec works with leading lifesciences and research institutes for pinpointing immunogenic areas in the development of broad-spectrum vaccines, identification of neo-antigens for the generation of leads suitable for immunotherapy, and the testing of biologics for unwanted immunogenicity.
