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About Trince

Trince (which stands for TRansfer INto CElls) is a Ghent University spin-off.

After several years of academic research, Trince was officially founded in December 2021.

Mission & Vision

Our main goal is to be active in all areas where physical transfection can contribute to more efficient cell engineering, from R&D to clinical applications. We offer an effective alternative transfection method to viral vectors and electroporation.

We see our technology being used within GMP and manufacturing settings, research, development, as well as tissue and stem cell engineering.

Most importantly, we position our gentle photoporation technology for use in GMP-compliant clinical settings for applications such as cell and gene therapy.

Philip Mathuis
CEO, Co-Founder

Philip is an experienced entrepreneur and CEO who has founded and headed several companies in various industries. He has a passion for transforming early-stage technologies into breakthrough products. He co-founded Ovizio Imaging Systems and holds several director positions. He’s President of the Board of Aenitis (Paris) and has a background in engineering and an MBA from ESCP Business School.

Kevin Braeckmans, PhD
CSO, Co-Founder

Kevin is a professor and head of the bio-photonics research group at the University of Ghent. His main lines of research involve the development of biophotonics methods for drug delivery and biomedical diagnostics. In 2015, Kevin was awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant for his research on photoporation.

Jan Van Hauwermeiren
VP Business Development

Jan has a solid foundation in biomedical sciences and a wealth of expertise in business development, Jan brings over a decade of experience in successfully introducing cutting-edge technologies to the diagnostic and cell & gene therapy sectors.

Hayri Muhammed Bulut
Lab Technician

Hayri, a seasoned lab technician, joined the Trince team in 2022. Rapidly integrating into our dynamic culture, his technical proficiency and adaptability make him a valuable asset in Trince. Explore his role in Trince’s story, seamlessly transitioning from the lab to contribute to our collective success

Louis Van Der Meeren, PhD
Senior Scientist

Louis has a background in advanced microscopy techniques (such as atomic force microscopy and deformability cytometry) and cancer cell death. He received his PhD in bioengineering in 2023 where he investigated mechanical properties of dying cancer cells with the aim of developing new cancer biomarkers and therapies.

Aranit Harizaj, PhD
Lead Nanoproduction Development

Aranit completed his doctoral and postdoctoral studies. His primary expertise lies at the intersection of material sciences and cell and gene therapy. At Trince, he leads the production of different nanoparticles for photoporation technology. He is also interested in the technology’s commercialization and actively participates in related business activities.

Molood Shariati, PhD
Biotechnology Lead Scientist

Molood has a background in cell biology, pharmaceuticals and nanomaterials. She received her PhD in pharmaceutical sciences from Ghent University in 2020.

Pieter Vandenbroucke
Lab Technician

Pieter is a lab technician with a background in biology. He has a degree in pharmaceutical and biological lab technologies and gained experience during research on genetically modified crops and in a contract testing laboratory. You will mostly find him in the lab running experiments and helping the Trince team to reach our ambitious goals.

Simon Sioen, PhD
Scientist

Simon has a background in biology and radiation physics. He holds a master’s degree in biomedical sciences and earned his PhD in radiobiology in 2023. His doctoral research focused on investigating the DNA damage response of human blood-derived cells to various radiation qualities and doses. Currently, Simon is expanding his research expertise in cell transfection techniques, as a scientist in the Trince team.

Hanna Baert
Office Manager

After the successful completion of her social science studies in 2022, Hanna joined the Trince team permanently as office manager. She makes sure that daily operations are running smoothly and everyone feels happy at the office!

Patricio Luzuriaga
Business Development Manager

Patricio is an experienced entrepreneur with a background in biotechnology and PhD studies in plant immunity and host-pathogen interactions. He excels in international technical sales, covering sectors such as nuclear medicine and biotech equipment.

Patricio’s blend of scientific expertise and commercial experience positions him well in Trince as our Business Development Manager.

Venkata Varun Puppala
Embedded Software Developer

Varun is an embedded software developer with a master’s in electronic Embedded Systems from ESIGELEC, France. He is involved with firmware development for the Lumipore platform.

Robin De Moor
Lead Systems Development

Robin has a background in Real-Time 3D and game development. After completing his degree in digital arts & entertainment he worked as a graphics engineer at Unity Technologies. Looking to broaden his horizons into the scientific field, Robin joined Trince as software architect.

Nikiwe Mashaba
Photonic Engineer

Nikiwe successfully received her Master’s degree in Physics from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. She gained experience at Hensoldt Optronics. Now she joined Trince as a Photonics Engineer and is involved in the Optical metrology of the Lumipore machine.

Stijn Rogiest
Software Developer (Consultant)

Stijn is a self-taught software developer. After the successful completion of his electronics degree, he started working for Trince to write and test our software.

 

Eva Biela
Scientist

Eva has a background in pharmaceutical sciences and holds a PhD in biophysics. She is a multidisciplinary scientist with expertise in confocal microscopy, spectroscopy, immunoassays, as well as in vitro and in vivo experiments. Her research experience includes projects on DNA damage during replication, the detection of toxins in food, and cancer treatments involving proton therapy and immunotherapy.

Nikiwe Mashaba
Photonic Engineer

Nikiwe successfully received her Master’s degree in Physics from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. She gained experience at Hensoldt Optronics. Now she joined Trince as a Photonics Engineer and is involved in the Optical metrology of the Lumipore machine.

Stijn Rogiest
Software Developer (Consultant)

Stijn is a self-taught software developer. After the successful completion of his electronics degree, he started working for Trince to write and test our software.

 

Philip Mathuis
CEO, Co-Founder

Philip is an experienced entrepreneur and CEO, having founded and/or headed several companies since 1998 including Versatel, a2z solutions, and Ovizio Imaging Systems. He has a background in engineering and an MBA from ESCP Business School.

Cédric Van Nevel
Partner Qbic II/III

Cédric Van Nevel has a strong interest in new and upcoming technologies and the impact they can generate on our society and daily life. He started his career as a strategic consultant at Boston Consulting Group before building further experience in the energy sector through a number of management positions at Fluxys (ranging from M&A to construction). Prior to joining Qbic, Cédric was responsible for the venturing activities of Bekaert, actively scouting for relevant technologies, setting up collaborations and holding a number of advisory board positions in international funds. He holds an MSc in Electronics from the University of Ghent.

Jan Van den Berghe
Co-founder/Managing Director Novalis Biotech

Jan is the founder of Novalis Biotech Incubation, and a serial entrepreneur in the food and biotech industry. Following his education in bio-engineering, he worked as senior consultant for the Boston Consulting Group and as an independent strategy consultant. Jan co-founded and served as director of Genohm, which was acquired by Agilent Technologies in 2018. Jan also served as director and chairman of Oystershell laboratories, a world-class developer of innovative consumer healthcare products. The company was acquired by Gilde Buy-Out Partners in 2017. Jan is co-owner and director of Lipa Holding, a family business in food and recycling, and is operating partner in Victus Participations, an independent agri and food growth investment fund. Jan obtained an MBA from INSEAD, and a Master in General Management from Vlerick Management School.

Patrick Keereman
Independent Investor

Patrick is an independent investor in several startups in medtech and other technologies. He is also  chairman of Xeos Medical  and Animab and board member at Clouds of Care.  He was the Chief executive officer at the Nuscience group and is still chairman of Pegasus. 

Daisy Flamez, PhD
MBI - TTO Representative

Daisy Flamez is an experienced business developer with strong ties to Ghent University. Her business development work has included the IOF consortium BIOMARKED and the Cancer Research Institute of Ghent (CRIG). She is also a partner in NXTGNT, the University of Ghent Center of Excellence in pharmacoepigenomics. In addition to her business background, she has a doctorate in biotechnology and molecular biology.

Stefaan De Smedt, PhD
Co-Founder, Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board

Stefaan has been a professor at Ghent University since 1999 and is a world-renowned expert on advanced drug delivery. Currently he is the pro-dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the director of the Ghent Research Group on Nanomedicines.

Prof. Marie-Pierre Rols
University of Toulouse and member of the Scientific Advisory Board

Marie-Pierre Rols is currently Research Director at the IPBS-CNRS laboratory in Toulouse, France, and head of the “Cellular Biophysics” group. Her main research interests are in the field of membrane destabilization by pulsed electric fields leading to electropermeabilization of cells and tissues. She is involved in various aspects such as the elucidation of the mechanisms of cell electroporation and DNA electrotransfer.

Pascale Berthet
Senior Business Development Consultant and member of the Scientific Advisory Board

Pascale has more than 20 years of commercial and business development experience within the biotechnology industry. Her scientific background is in molecular and cellular biology. She worked for FujiFilm Regenerative Medicine and for TreeFrog Therapeutics where she initiated the Japan and US based business partnerships with biotech and Pharma companies. Possessing a strong curiosity-based mindset as the foundation for all projects involving new technologies and the people behind them.

Prof. Wilfred Germeraad
Maastricht University and Member of the Scientific Advisory Board

Wilfred Germeraad is Associate professor of Immunology at the Department of Internal Medicine at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. He is also co-founder and CSO of CiMaas BV, a biotech company developing cellular immunotherapy for cancer that was created as spin-off from Maastricht University. His research focuses on developing NK cell therapy for acute myeloid leukemia and bringing that to clinical applications in the GMP manufacturing facility of CiMaas. Further research into combination treatments of combination therapies with antibodies or CAR-NK cells is under development and include applications in solid tumors.

Prof. Heinz Redl
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, Vienna and Member of the Scientific Advisory Board

Prof. Heinz Redl is a leader in trauma research and tissue regeneration, co-directs the SHoW research group at Vienna’s Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Traumatology. With over 600 publications and 15 patents, his work has revolutionized trauma care. He coordinates the Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration, organizes conferences, and holds prestigious awards and fellowships. Dr. Redl’s expertise spans trauma diagnostics, therapeutics, and musculoskeletal tissue regeneration, driving innovations that reshape medical possibilities globally.

Stefaan De Smedt, PhD
Co-Founder, Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board

Stefaan has been a professor at Ghent University since 1999 and is a world-renowned expert on advanced drug delivery. Currently he is the pro-dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the director of the Ghent Research Group on Nanomedicines.

Partners / Investors

Novalis Biotech is an early-stage venture capital investor in the life sciences. With an interest in innovative concepts in healthcare, Novalis aims to support their development at the earliest stages.

Novalis’ investment focus is “enabling technologies” in the life sciences, i.e. those that enable fast and comprehensive leaps in performance and capability. Focus areas include innovative research and manufacturing tools, bioinformatics, genomics, diagnostics and digital health.

Early-stage start-ups are given the most attention, from (pre-)seed stage to series A, and Novalis supports their evolution by providing funding, sharing professional and academic connections, and helping to shape a business strategy to create value for all stakeholders.

Qbic is an inter-university venture capital fund focusing on the transformation of technological breakthroughs into sustainable businesses. The fund focuses on early-stage venture capital funding, supporting spin-offs and start-ups that valorize research from their knowledge partners. Qbic typically participates in the first external investment round of a company, and continues to support and fund these companies throughout their growth. With a passion for innovating technology and a clear understanding of business dynamics, Qbic has worked with 37 companies, put over €300M of total funding into young companies, and created over 950 jobs.

Novalis Biotech is an early-stage venture capital investor in the life sciences.
With an interest in innovative concepts in healthcare, Novalis aims to support their development at the earliest stages.

Novalis’ investment focus is “enabling technologies” in the life sciences, i.e. those that enable fast and comprehensive leaps in performance and capability. Focus areas include innovative research and manufacturing tools, bioinformatics, genomics, diagnostics and digital health.

Early-stage start-ups are given the most attention, from (pre-)seed stage to series A, and Novalis supports their evolution by providing funding, sharing professional and academic connections, and helping to shape a business strategy to create value for all stakeholders.

Qbic is an inter-university venture capital fund focusing on the transformation of technological breakthroughs into sustainable businesses. The fund focuses on early-stage venture capital funding, supporting spin-offs and start-ups that valorize research from their knowledge partners. Qbic typically participates in the first external investment round of a company, and continues to support and fund these companies throughout their growth. With a passion for innovating technology and a clear understanding of business dynamics, Qbic has worked with 37 companies, put over €300M of total funding into young companies, and created over 950 jobs.

Careers

Working at Trince is like being welcomed into a family business. Everyone has their own part to play, and creativity and ideas are encouraged. If you’re looking for a position in a company that will treat you like an individual and not just another cog in the wheel, Trince is the place for you!

Do you think you have something to offer us? Check out our vacancies below or feel free to send your CV to hr@trincebio.com if you think your skills fit better somewhere else in our team.

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