ABOUT

SPINOVIT is a spin-off of UCLouvain supported by the Walloon Region (First Spin-Off grant). The product and service were developed in the laboratory of Prof. Jean-Luc Balligand, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research. 

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The Project Beta3_LVH funded by the European Union (Horizon 2020), a clinical trial aiming the prevention of heart failure, sustained the developement of this spin-off through the collection of samples in 9 european countries, allowing us to validate the concept developed in SPINOVIT. 

OUR TEAM

Nancy Van Overstraeten

CEO

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Nancy Van Overstraeten is a bio-engineer in chemistry specialized in biology and industrial microbiology holding a PhD in Biomedical Sciences. Her training focused on the improvement of health through technology is alined with the core business of the spin-off to be created.

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In her previous positions, she sets up diagnostic tools based on microelectronic biosensors for medical purpose. Thus, she has the necessary skills to develop a detection system from its design to its technical validation. She also has an experience in management since she worked in the pharmaceutical industry where she managed several teams.

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The combination of her skills in development and management, and her personal fields of interest matches this mission.

Jean Luc Balligand

Scientific Advisory Board

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Prof. J-L Balligand heads researches in biochemistry and cellular biology of the nitric oxide (NO) synthases and their regulation in cardiovascular tissues.

His team highlighted the functional role of NO synthases (NOS) in the heart and pursues his researches on the implication of NOS in the heart remodeling and the ventricular function. This implies the analysis of paracrine cellular signaling in the cardiomyocytes, the fibroblasts and the endothelial cells using models of in vitro cell culture, in vivo transgenic mice and human samples. His team is also involved in clinical trials testing medicine aiming the identification of the endothelial dysfunction and the discovery of new predictive biomarkers of the cardiovascular diseases.

Irina Lobysheva

Senior scientist

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Using the electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, Irina Lobysheva, as member of Prof. Balligand’s team, identified and quantified the formation of a paramagnetic 5-alpha-coordinated complex in the red blood cells and linked it to the nitric oxide (NO) produced by the vascular endothelium. She validated the correlation between the abundance of this erythrocytar complex (Hb-NO) and the NO-dependant endothelial function in rodents and human healthy volunteers. She also characterized the biochemical parameters involved in the production and stability of this complex, and identified a correlation between its abundance and the vascular and erythrocytar oxidative stress. By showing that the Hb-NO complex reflects the bioavailability of the vascular NO, she discovered an indicator of the cellular oxidative stress. As she setup the technology supporting the core business of our spin-off and holding the associated patent, Irina Lobysheva is a key member in our business.

Testimonials

"Finally, something to prevent the cardiovascular diseases"

Daniel Dubois

"Life is just a blood sampling away"

Phillippe Renaud

"I feel safe again"

Monique Laurent