It is InteRNA's mission to translate new microRNA (miRNA) molecules and the miRNA discovery technologies into clinically and commercially successful products.

InteRNA Technologies B.V. was incorporated in 2006 and has established a close relationship with the research group of prof Edwin Cuppen of the Hubrecht Institute (Utrecht, the Netherlands), one of the world's leading scientific groups in the field of microRNA (miRNA) research. The Cuppen and Plasterk groups at the Hubrecht Institute have identified and patented a large number of new miRNA sequences, as well as the methods to identify these sequences and exploit their potential. These IP rights have been transferred to InteRNA Technologies to enable clinical and commercial development and furthermore provide a solid basis for the ongoing expansion of its patent portfolio.

InteRNA actively explores and exploits opportunities to apply its miRNA discovery and validation technologies and translate its miRNA research into successful therapeutic applications in the field of oncology and other major disease areas. Through the collaborative input of the Hubrecht Institute, InteRNA has access to the required expertise, facilities and resources for fast-track development of miRNA technologies.

To extract the full value from the large collection of patented miRNAs, InteRNA's efforts are directed towards biological validation of the miRNAs as a first step, followed by their functional validation. This first step is ongoing and entails profiling of human (diseased) tissue. It generally takes place in collaboration with research groups that have a serious interest in the role of miRNAs in their field of expertise and have access to clinical tissue samples. The results obtained in this first step form the basis for the selection of miRNAs that may be involved in a particular pathological condition and these are studied in functional assays.

Management team

Roel Schaapveld, COO

Roel joined InteRNA Technologies in February 2008 as COO to manage the company's day-to-day operations and to develop the company's strategy and opportunities for further development. Prior to InteRNA he was senior manager in the corporate finance biotech team at Dutch merchant bank Kempen & Co. Roel brings along more than 8 years experience in product and business development. He held several positions at KREATECH Biotechnology, among which VP Corporate and Business Development. Roel holds a M.Sc. in Molecular Biology and received his Ph.D. from the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands. During his academic career he worked at the Roche Institute for Molecular Biology (Nutley, NJ), the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, MA) and at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam. Roel received his MBA from Nyenrode Business School, The Netherlands..

Sanne Weijzen, IP manager

Sanne Weijzen, Ph.D. has a strong scientific background in cancer immunology and molecular biology. After obtaining her M.Sc. in biomedical sciences at Leiden University (The Netherlands) in 1998, she started on her Ph.D. research in cancer immunology at the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center in Chicago (USA). Following the completion of her thesis, she held a post-doc position at Utrecht University (The Netherlands) from 2002 to early 2006, when she joined Aglaia Biomedical Ventures as Scientific Business Analyst. At InteRNA Technologies, Sanne manages InteRNA's IP portfolio and research collaborations, together with the CSO.

Edwin Cuppen, CSO

Edwin Cuppen, Ph.D., is staff scientist at the Hubrecht Institute (Utrecht, The Netherlands) where he heads a the group of 15 researchers that focuses on functional genomics in vertebrate model organisms. In addition, he is professor of Genome Biology at Utrecht University. Edwin's research combines both experimental and bioinformatics approaches. His group was one of the first worldwide to generate knockouts in the rat. He obtained his Ph.D. in cell biology in 1998 at the University of Nijmegen (The Netherlands), and after a post-doc position at the Netherlands Cancer Institute joined the Hubrecht Institute in 2001 where he was appointed group leader in 2005. Within InteRNA Technologies, Edwin manages the day to day scientific operations and supervises the various research projects.

Eugene Berezikov, Head of Bioinformatics

After obtaining his Ph.D. degree at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Novosibirsk (Russia) in 2000, Eugene Berezikov continued his scientific career as post-doc at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht (The Netherlands). Here, he worked on homologous gene targeting in C.elegans and on the discovery of small RNAs. In 2007, he was appointed group leader of the small RNA biology research group at the Hubrecht Institute. As Head of Bioinformatics at InteRNA Technologies, he is responsible for all of the company's bioinformatics activities, including data analysis and the development of novel software and other computational tools.

Board of Directors

Mark Krul

Mark Krul, Ph.D., is co-founder of Aglaia Biomedical Ventures, a venturing firm in the field of oncology. He has a background in molecular biology and immunology and can rely on more than 12 years experience in anticancer drug development. He held several positions at NDDO Oncology BV, was research manager of the European Cancer Center and head of the Department of Molecular Virology at the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection (The Netherlands).

Karl Rothweiler, CFO

Before co-founding Aglaia Biomedical Ventures, Karl Rothweiler was involved in the founding, restructuring and funding of multiple technology driven companies. After completing his studies at The Netherlands School of Business Nijenrode, he received his MBA from the University of Georgia (USA).