Guy Hermans
Obulytix
Guy recently joined Obulytix as CSO. He brings in over 20 years of experience in antibody and new scaffold protein discovery and early development, as well as discovery technology development. Previously, Guy held the positions as CEO of Sapreme Technologies, a targeted intracellular delivery company, and as CSO at Isogenica Ltd., where he was responsible for internal technology and product development, as well as drove the scientific interactions with its technology licensees. Prior to this, Guy was Research Fellow at Ablynx (now Sanofi) where he conceived of and led many of its internal development programs. He was also responsible for several technology development programs, addressing challenging target classes or enabling novel applications. During his academic training, Guy performed research in the pathogenesis and immunotherapy of Multiple Sclerosis, ranging from cell-based immunotherapy clinical trials to target discovery and validation work at Stanford University Medical School.
Affiliations: (1). Obulytix BV (2). Laboratory of Applied Biotechnology, Department of Biotechnology, Ghent University, Ghent (Belgium)
Phage lysins offer a promising alternative to traditional antibiotics, yet their efficacy against Gram-negative pathogens in human serum remains a major limitation. Leveraging the VersaTile DNA shuffling platform, a proprietary lysin domain library, and high-throghput functional screening, we explored an expansive design space to engineer lysins with enhanced properties. This approach yielded novel constructs exhibiting potent in vitro activity against Acinetobacter baumannii and exceptional serum resistance. Broad-spectrum efficacy was confirmed across clinical isolates, and safety profiling demonstrated no cytotoxicity in blood cells, cell lines, or animal models. Lead candidates underwent further optimization for potency, stability, and manufacturability, with top performers advancing towards in vivo efficacy studies and preclinical development. These engineered lysins represent a significant step towards the development of systemically active, next-generation antimicrobials for use in multidrug-resistant infections.