HUB is an internationally recognised pioneer in organoid development, that started as a spin off from UMC Utrecht and KNAW over a decade ago. Organoids are cell culture models that functionally resemble organs. They have the potential to speed up drug development, improve understanding of disease treatment in diverse populations, and reduce the industry’s reliance on animal testing.
HUB is based in Utrecht and has about 75 employees. It possesses the foundational patent portfolio on organoids and offers services ranging from drug screening services to clinical trials in a dish. This adds to and enhances Merck’s portfolio of cell culture reagents, tools and benchtop instruments for academia, biotech, and pharma customers. HUB’s technology enables drug developers to identify and validate potential clinical candidates in a patient-relevant in vitro system, closing the gap between the lab and clinical trials.
The team advising Stichting Ontwikkelfonds voor Organoïden on this transaction was led by Ruud Smits and further consisted of Naomi Asscheman, Fleur Terlouw (Corporate M&A), Wijnand Bossenbroek, Mechteld Flohil, Leanne Meurs (Corporate Notarial), Nina Kielman, Marije Bader (Tax), Jeroen Boelens, Lauren Delleman (IP), and Annette van Beers (Employment).