Sanquinnovate and Thuja announce collaboration

Today (June 15, 2021), Sanquinnovate and Thuja announce that they signed a 5-year collaboration agreement. Sanquinnovate is Sanquin’s technology valorization and business development arm, creating new value-adding therapeutics and diagnostics to tackle challenges in the fields of hematology, immunology and oncology. Thuja is a venture capital fund manager investing in early stage life sciences innovations with high healthcare impact potential.

Under the agreement, Sanquinnovate and Thuja will jointly evaluate projects and business plans regarding novel therapeutics and diagnostics, combining insights and experience. The aim of the collaboration is to progress excellent scientific projects into start-up companies, to develop important novel medicines and diagnostics.

Michel Briejer, Managing Partner at Thuja comments: "We are extremely pleased with the closer collaboration with Sanquinnovate. Sanquin has a long and strong scientific track record in blood based science, specifically in the fields of hematology, immunology and oncology. Sanquin Research employs numerous top-notch scientists and doctors, who made and are still making many important inventions. We are honored to be placed in a position to help and leverage our expertise, and for the best opportunities invest capital to create value for patients."

"Formalization of the collaboration with Thuja is an important step for us," says Pieter de Geus, General Manager of Sanquinnovate. "With the more than 200 scientists working within Sanquin, we are conducting great science that can translate into important innovations for new medical applications. With Thuja's early input and help, we believe we can promote the best projects to become successful."

In the past years, Sanquinnovate and Thuja have already worked together to create Alveron Pharma which was incorporated in 2019. Alveron develops novel drugs to enable doctors to treat life-threatening bleeding events in patients who are using anticoagulant drugs.