Per 31 Aug 2021 Jeroen Kortekaas resigned as CSO of BunyaVax. He has been CSO since September 2017. Jeroen will continue his career as the Research Director Transboundary and Emerging Diseases at Boehringer Ingelheim, Lyon (FR).
Paul Wichgers Schreur has been appointed as CSO. Paul will provisionally fulfill the CSO and COO roles until a successor COO will be appointed.
As a founder and initiator of BunyaVax Jeroen was key to make BunyaVax a success. We would like to thank Jeroen for his endless endeavors for BunyaVax. His invaluable contributions led to the international exposure of BunyaVax, the cooperation with CEPI, the LARISSA consortium partners, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research and many others. Without doubt his enthusiasm, scientific excellence and networking capacity will pay off in his new position.
Jeroen thanks everyone who has collaborated with BunyaVax: “Although I look forward to my new adventure, I will miss all colleagues. It was a great pleasure working with you all”
Paul: “From its establishment onwards BunyaVax operated in the domain of preparedness for pathogens with pandemic potential. With the scientific foundation led by Jeroen I will continue to find novel opportunities to take promising scientific insights in the field of bunyaviruses a step further toward products, which cannot be more relevant in the light of the current challenges we face with COVID-19”
From late 2017 to today BunyaVax has grown from laboratory-stage company to a prize-winning biotech firm that is now preparing for clinical studies of its human Rift Valley fever vaccine candidate as part of a $12.5 million project funded by CEPI.