Galapagos was awarded the grant through the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology (IWT).
As part of this program, Galapagos will collaborate with three leading R&D institutes: the University of Antwerp, the University of Ghent and the Flanders Inter-University Institute for Biotechnology (VIB).
The two-year program will focus on developing new biological models that will speed up the drug discovery process. Galapagos will work with the three institutes to develop in vitro cellular models, in vivo animal models, and ex vivo human models to evaluate the effectiveness of small molecules to treat rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis.
The technology developed under the project aims to increase the success rate up to clinical phase II proof-of-concept and reduce the time to get candidate drugs into the clinic.
“Successful development of these models would further reduce dependency on animal testing and lead to breakthrough medicines in a cost-effective and timely manner,” said Onno van de Stolpe, CEO of Galapagos. “When compared to those models traditionally used by the pharmaceutical industry, the state-of-the-art technology developed in this collaboration could provide Galapagos with a cutting edge in drug discovery in bone and joint diseases.”