Marcel Thalen, CEO.

Marcel has more than three decades experience in process development, GMP manufacturing, and drug development of vaccines and other (live) biologicals. Marcel is an expert in the physiology of bacterial pathogens and commensals, exploiting this knowledge to increase the productivity and consistency of manufacturing and thereby the quality of the resulting products. Marcel started his career at the RIVM/Netherlands Vaccine Institute where he had increasing responsibilities, advancing to Department Head of Process Development. Subsequently, Marcel became Scientific Officer for the CDMO SynCo Bio Partners (now Wacker) where he managed process development and GMP manufacturing projects involving live biologicals including lyophilization development. More recently, Marcel has held VP positions in drug development for Qu Biologicals and GT Biologics (now 4D Pharma). Marcel received his PhD in Biotechnology from Wageningen University, where he published his thesis on “Whooping Cough vaccines: production of virulent biomass”.

Liesbeth Vercruyssen, COO.

Making the switch from academia to industry in 2016, Liesbeth brings nine years of experience as Project Leader in the CDMO business. Starting at Q-Biologicals with 25 employees, she guided biologicals projects from the developmental phase to the clinical stages. Liesbeth was responsible for GMP upstream and downstream manufacturing, coordinating with Quality assurance and Quality control and was the first point of contact for clients. She contributed to the successful expansion of a start-up company to a company with over 100 employees as Q-Biologicals was acquired by Amatsigroup and subsequently by Eurofins. Liesbeth received her PhD in Biotechnology in 2012 from Ghent University, Belgium, for her work on molecular mechanisms that govern plant growth at the Flanders Institute of Biotechnology (VIB), where she continued her research as a Post-Doc.

Process and Product Development (PPD)

At BioLyo, our PPD (Product and Process Development) team is dedicated to advancing the development of high-quality bioprocesses for live bacterial therapeutics and vaccines. With diverse expertise in biotechnology, fermentation, lyophilization, and process optimization, our team focuses on designing and refining processes that ensure both product quality and scalability.

We bring years of experience in optimizing fermentation processes, formulation screening and developing robust lyophilization techniques for the stabilization of biological products while implementing Quality by Design (QbD) principles. Our team is skilled in managing the entire product development cycle, from the design of experiments to the successful transfer of processes from lab-scale to larger, commercial-scale production.

By combining scientific knowledge with practical application, our PPD team is committed to delivering a final product that meets the required design inputs and the highest standards of quality, ensuring the successful development of therapeutics and vaccines.

Quality Control (QC)

Our Quality Control (QC) team ensures the highest standards of product quality and compliance throughout the development process. With a strong foundation in Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and ISO standards, our team brings a wealth of experience in QC disciplines, including stability studies, release testing for Investigational Medicinal Products (IMPs), and the development of complex cell-based assays.

Led by a experienced QC Manager, the team has successfully established a GMP-certified QC laboratory capable of conducting stability studies and rigorous testing. With a pragmatic approach to QC, the team applies both scientific expertise and practical experience to ensure that all products meet the stringent regulatory requirements and perform reliably.

Our QC technicians are skilled in a wide range of laboratory techniques, including PCR, HPLC, microbiology, and moisture determination, and are actively involved in the analysis and development of both conventional and cell-based assays. With a hands-on approach and a focus on continuous improvement, the QC team plays a critical role in ensuring the success and quality of our therapeutic products.

Quality Assurance (QA)

Our QA team is dedicated to ensuring compliance to quality and regulatory standards across all processes.

With a broad range of expertise in GMP and quality risk management, the team is committed to maintaining a quality management system that supports the successful development of investigational medicinal products, including live biologicals and vaccines.

The team has successfully built a Quality Management System from scratch, ensuring GMP compliance and achieving GMP certification for our QC laboratory.

With backgrounds in industrial pharmacy, biochemistry and microbiology – and years of industry experience – the team spans QP services for QC activities, QC and manufacturing oversight, vendor qualification activities, and pharmaceutical development, with a strong focus on continuous improvement and process optimization.

Through their collective expertise, the QA team plays a vital role in ensuring the quality and safety of our investigational medicinal products.

Project Leaders

Ilse Vanhoutte

With a multidisciplinary background in engineering and life sciences, Ilse brings experience in research, development and a strong understanding of GMP principles to BioLyo Technologies. At BioLyo Technologies, Ilse oversees and leads Technology Transfer projects, ensuring their progress from development to manufacturing in a timely manner. Before joining BioLyo Technologies, she gained experience at Ardena, a CDMO focusing on early phase development for oral drugs, nanomedicines and injectables. As a Scientist Analytical Development, she first gained experience in method development, installation and validation and was committed to Quality Control. Thereafter, she played a key role in the start-up of a Sterile Production Facility at Ardena by coordinating and implementing Environmental Monitoring procedures, where she was involved in the initial qualification of the facility ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. She worked very closely with the Production, QC and QA departments, where she initiated and managed investigations and implemented corrective actions. Ilse received her PhD in Bioscience Engineering in 2021 from Ghent University, for her work on microbial detoxification of mycotoxins while teaching practical biochemistry and microbiology courses and managing research projects in collaboration with the industry.

Mattias De Coster

Mattias gained hands-on fermentation experience in a R&D and scale up setting. Mattias started his career in 2012 at Inbiose as fermentation engineer, tasked with the optimization of fed batch fermentations for the production of human milk oligosaccharides. Gradually gaining experience, Mattias became responsible for scale up from lab to pilot scale, guiding the process both practically and on paper, documenting the process and finalizing tech transfer documentation. Mattias performed his Master’s thesis at Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant in Ghent, Belgium on scaled up production and Downstream Processing of specialty carbohydrates and has a MSc in biochemical engineering from the KU Leuven.

Business Support

At BioLyo, our Business Support team keeps daily operations running smoothly. They provide administrative, HR and financial support.