Animab announces Jan Spaas as new Chairman of the Board

Jan’s entrepreneurship and experience will be very valuable additions to take the next steps in the company’s growth.

Animab, a front-runner in the field of highly innovative first-in-class oral antibody solutions for unmet needs in production animals, is excited to announce Jan Spaas joined the company’s board as Chairman.

Animab established a new class of oral monoclonal antibodies based on a scalable platform, that offers instant protection by specifically targeting harmful pathogens in the intestines of production animals (such as enterotoxigenic E.coli = ETEC). The patented and cost-competitive technology prevents intestinal bacterial colonizationand immediately raised the interest of the serial entrepreneur and former Global Head of Research from Boehringer Ingelheim until 2024.

Jan Spaas has a proven track record in veterinary biotech by bringing different novel therapies to market and establishing partnerships with the largest veterinary pharmaceutical companies in the world. For 10 years, he was the general manager of Global Stem cell Technology (GST) that was acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim in 2020 and for which he then held several R&D positions (US, Germany, Belgium) until being the Global Head of Research for Animal Health. He is also the founder of Via Nova Equine Hospital which was eventually acquired by Altano in 2022 and a visiting professor at the University of Ghent, as well as the inventor of over 40 patents.

As Animab is making great progress towards the commercialization of its products, Jan’s entrepreneurship and experience in creating value through innovation and partnerships will be very valuable additions to take the next steps in the company’s growth. He will succeed Patrik Keereman who served as Chairman since inception, and whose support in guiding and growing the new venture until now is unanimously recognized by the Board.

Alain Wille, CEO of Animab: “We are excited to welcome Jan as Chairman of the Board. He is a force of enthusiasm and has a passion for veterinary biotech. He also brings R&D and strategic experience to the table. Our frontrunner product has demonstrated to prevent diarrhea in vivo and in combination with the progress of the other programs, this validates the value of our state-of-the-art platform. We are determined to deliver on our pipeline and to take the right strategic decisions with the experience, support and personal way of working from Jan and the entire board.”
Jan Spaas, Chairman of the Board of Animab: “It is a real honor to join the Animab board as chairman. It is clear to me that this company will significantly contribute to a more sustainable livestock production and significantly reduce antibiotic usage in animals. The entire team is diverse, dynamic, driven and determined to deliver cutting edge products based on a solid and affordable platform. I am committed to make sure the company has the oxygen to be successful and to advance the highly innovative pipeline with a strong commitment towards the team, shareholders and investors.”

Share

Latest stories

Website preview
MRM Health Raises €55 Million Series B to Advance Best-in-Class Microbiome-based Biotherapeutic Product Pipeline
Ghent, Belgium – September 04, 2025 – MRM Health NV, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering microbiome-based therapeutics for inflammatory diseases and immune-oncology, today announced the successful closing of a €55 million (US$64 million) Series B financing round.
press.vib.be
Website preview
Spica Therapeutics Secures €1 Million VLAIO Grant to Advance Groundbreaking Macrophage-Targeted Cancer Therapy
Antwerp, Belgium - 27 August, 2025 - Spica Therapeutics, a pioneering biotech company focused on harnessing macrophage biology to develop transformative therapies across multiple disease areas, announced today that it has been awarded a €1.0 million grant from Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO).
press.vib.be
Website preview
Scientists map dendritic cell reactions to vaccines 
Ghent, 26 August 2025 – Belgian scientists have uncovered new details about how the immune system responds to vaccines. Dendritic cells, which are key immune messengers that help kick-start the body’s defenses, show specific responses to lipid nanoparticles. These findings, published in Cell Reports, could lead to safer and more effective vaccines.  
press.vib.be

About VIB Press

VIB is an independent research institute that translates insights in biology into impactful innovations for society. Collaborating with the five Flemish universities, it conducts research in plant biology, cancer, neuroscience, microbiology, inflammatory diseases, artificial intelligence and more. VIB connects science with entrepreneurship and stimulates the growth of the Flemish biotech ecosystem. The institute contributes to solutions for societal challenges such as new methods for diagnostics and treatments, as well as innovations for agriculture. 

Learn more at www.vib.be.

Contact

Suzanne Tassierstraat 1 9052 Zwijnaarde

+32 9 244 66 11

press@vib.be

vib.be