About us

The Board

Prof. Dr. André Rosenthal

President, CEo & Executive Director of lavima

Prof Rosenthal – molecular biologist by training – was member of the leadership group (2015–2017) of Roche Sequencing, a business unit headquartered in California. He was the sole founder and CEO of Signature Diagnostic, a cancer diagnostic company in Germany, which he sold to Roche in 2015. Andre has extensive experience in clinical and experimental cancer research, human genetics and genomics. From 1994 to 2001 he was the head of the German Human Genome Sequencing Project contributing the sequence of chromosome 21. He is a co-founder of Lavima.

Prof. Dr. Johan Smitz

CSO & Executive director of lavima

Prof Smitz – a medical doctor by training – is the head of the Follicle Biology (FOBI) group at the Free University of Brussels (VUB) and member of clinical diagnostics department at University Hospital of VUB (UZ Brussels). Johan has 30 years expertise in Oocyte biology and is worldwide recognized for his expertise. He is a co-founder of Lavima.

Ir Elien Van Hecke

CCO & Executive Director of lavima

Ms Van Hecke is a bioengineer by training and holds a master’s in business economics. She has many years of experience in different marketing and sales roles both in Biotech (Innogenetics) and large diagnostic companies (Fujirebio/Roche Dx). She is a co-founder of Lavima.

Dr. Joan-Carles Arce

CMO Advisor of lavima

Dr. Joan-Carles Arce is the former SVP Global Head of Reproductive Medicine and Maternal Health at Ferring as well es the former CSO of Ferring USA. He has 28 years of drug development experience at Novo Nordisk and Ferring. Joan-Carles can look back on an extensively documented track record of product approvals in the US, Asia and Europe. He is a co-founder of Lavima.


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