Unlocking the Mysteries of Extracellular RNA Communication

As director, de Laat is responsible for daily operations and to finalize the products in development. He studied molecular and cellular life sciences, in combination with science and business management at Utrecht University. Before his role in EXCYTEX, he was a life science consultant, where he advised scientists and life science companies in obtaining funding and set-up new business opportunities. Because of his background , de Laat is qualified to set-up the business development, while understanding the scientific needs of the customers. He serves as EXCYTEX's main contact person and can be approached with questions about business enquiries as well as scientific questions and suggestions.

Dr. Schiffelers has over 20 years of experience with liposomes. Both in his Master studies in Leiden and his PhD in 2001 at Erasmus MC, he worked on liposomal drug targeting. During his post-doctoral fellowship, he was a visiting scientist at Intradigm Corporation (now AparnaBio) where he expanded his expertise on delivery of RNAs. Since 2004 he is employed at Utrecht University where he has a position as associate professor. In 2010 he received an ERC Starting Grant to combine his expertise on liposomes and RNA to investigate extracellular vesicles as a novel delivery tool. Dr. Schiffelers was the first person to not only recognise the need for our research tools, but also have the resources to develop these tools. In EXCYTEX, Dr. Schiffelers is responsible for the scientific validation of our products and to stimulate the „spark of genius" behind new product development.