Pioneering RNA-based science to target the root cause of rare genetic neurological diseases

VO659: The first clinical candidate directly targeting the CAG repeat expansion – the mutation that causes all polyglutamine diseases

About Us

Unlocking New Possibilities with Precision Genetic Targeting

At Vico Therapeutics, we’re pioneering targeted treatments for devastating neurological disorders. Our innovative antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) platform applies precision chemistry to target the source of these diseases, while carefully preserving essential protein function.

This precision approach brings new hope to patients with Huntington’s disease and spinocerebellar ataxias, conditions that have long awaited effective therapies.

Our Science

VO659: One Target, Multiple Neurodegenerative Diseases

VO659 is an ASO that directly targets the CAG repeat expansion and reduces mutant protein in an allele preferential manner.

Targets the Root Cause of Polyglutamine Diseases

Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases are a group of devastating neurological disorders that are caused by a mutation producing a CAG repeat expansion. This mutation causes the formation of toxic protein believed to result in disease. VO659 is designed to bind directly to the CAG repeats, sterically block translation and reduce the mutant protein.

A Pipeline-In-A-Drug

The CAG repeat expansion causes nine polyQ diseases, including Huntington’s disease and various forms of spinocerebellar ataxia. By focusing on this common mutation, VO659 has the potential to address multiple polyQ disorders with a single therapy.

Precision Through
Allele-Preferential Targeting

VO659 employs an innovative allele-preferential approach. This precision targeting allows us to reduce the mutant protein while preserving essential normal gene function - a crucial advancement in treating these complex disorders.

Pipeline

We are dedicated to advancing innovative therapies with a focused pipeline of potential first-in-class investigational medicines. These are meticulously designed to address critical needs within Huntington’s disease, SCA1, SCA3, Rett syndrome and familial Alzheimer’s disease, aiming to transform patient outcomes.

Pipeline Chart
Pipeline V0659 Huntingtons Disease
Pipeline V0659 Sca3
Pipeline V0659 Sca1
Pipeline Rett Sydrome
Pipeline Familial Alzheimers Disease

Team

Leadership

Leadership Micah Mackison

Micah Mackison

Chief Executive Officer

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Leadership Nicole Datson

Nicole Datson, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer

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Leadership Scott Schobel

Scott Schobel, MD

Chief Medical Officer

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Team

Board of Directors

Bod Luc Dochez

Luc Dochez, PhD

(Chair and Founder)
Droia Ventures

Bod Martijn Kleijwegt

Martijn Kleijwegt

EQT Life Sciences

Bod Felice Verduyn

Felice Verduyn-Van Weegen

EQT Life Sciences

Bod Remi Droller

Remi Droller

Kurma Partners

Bod Jeroen Vangindertael

Jeroen Vangindertael, PhD

Ackerman’s van Haaren

Bod Amy Schulman

Amy Schulman

Polaris Partners

Bod Klaus Breiner

Klaus Breiner, PhD

Pureos Bioventures

Bod Josh Mandel Brehm

Josh Mandel-Brehm

(Co-Founder)
CAMP4 Therapeutics

Bod Anders Hinsby

Anders Hinsby, PhD

(Independent)
Muna Therapeutics

Bod Micah Mackison

Micah Mackison

CEO, Vico Therapeutics

Bod Catello Somma

Catello Somma

(Board Observer)
Seroba Life Sciences

Recent News

Vico Therapeutics Announces Positive Interim Phase 1/2a Clinical Data of VO659 in Treatment of Huntington’s Disease
Vico Therapeutics Announces $60 million (€54 million) Series B Financing to Advance VO659 Clinical-Stage Program for Rare Neurological Diseases and Expand Pipeline
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Leadership
Leadership Micah Mackison

Leadership

Micah Mackison

Chief Executive Officer
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Mr. Micah Mackison was appointed CEO of Vico Therapeutics in August 2022. Prior to this role, Micah served as Chief Business Officer and Executive Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Locanabio, an RNA-targeted gene therapy company. At Locanabio, he was instrumental in setting strategy, raising capital and helping build an organization focused on genetic neurological diseases. Prior to Locanabio, Micah held several leadership positions in corporate development and strategy. He served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy at Assembly Biosciences where he led business development efforts. Previously, Micah served as Head of Corporate Strategy and Senior Director, New Ventures at H. Lundbeck A/S, where he was focused on neuroscience. Prior to Lundbeck’s acquisition, he was Director, Corporate Development and M&A at Ovation Pharmaceuticals, a neuroscience-focused company that launched the first product for Huntington’s disease.

Earlier in his career, Micah held financial roles at Eli Lilly and Pfizer. He earned a B.S. in Finance from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

Leadership
Leadership Nicole Datson

Leadership

Nicole Datson, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
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Dr. Nicole Datson serves as Chief Scientific Officer of VICO, where she is responsible for discovery and non-clinical drug development. With more than twenty years of experience in preclinical research in both academia and industry, Nicole brings a strong background in molecular neuroscience to her position. Prior to joining VICO, she served as Senior Director Drug Discovery and Early Preclinical Development at BioMarin Nederland B.V.. Previously, Nicole served as head of preclinical development at Prosensa Therapeutics B.V., developing antisense oligonucleotide-based therapies.

An internationally recognized expert, Nicole was a member of the international Huntington’s Disease Collaborative Research Group that cloned the gene for Huntington’s disease.
She obtained her PhD in molecular genetics from Leiden University, The Netherlands and held research staff positions as assistant professor at the Department of Medical Pharmacology and Human Genetics at Leiden University and Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC). During her academic career, Nicole obtained several prestigious research grants and headed a research group in the field of molecular neuroscience where she focused on the identification of genes and pathways controlled by stress hormones in the brain as potential drug targets for treatment of stress-related brain disorders. She is the author of over 70 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals in the field of molecular genetics, molecular biology and molecular neuroscience and RNA modulation.

Leadership
Leadership Scott Schobel

Leadership

Scott Schobel, MD

Chief Medical Officer
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As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Scott Schobel is responsible for clinical development programs at VICO including the lead asset VO659, an allele-preferential ASO targeting CAG repeat expansion diseases.  He brings extensive experience in neurological drug development, particularly in Huntington’s disease.

Previously, Scott held several leadership positions at Roche. As Group Medical Director and most recently Clinical Science Leader, he pioneered the development of clinical endpoints in Huntington’s disease research. He co-chaired a task force that generated a new research-based disease staging framework for Huntington’s disease based on underlying biology. He also clinically led the first ever huntingtin-lowering therapy Phase 3 program with tominersen. Prior to Roche, Scott was an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center where he studiedying hippocampal dysfunction across neurological and psychiatric diseases using a cross-species neuroimaging approach. He also served as medical director of Columbia University Medical Center’s Center of Prevention and Evaluation (COPE), a clinical service dedicated to the treatment and longitudinal study of teenagers and young adults at high risk for psychotic disorders.

Scott earned a BA in Japanese from the University of Minnesota, an MD from the University of North Carolina, and an M.S. from Columbia University.

Board of Directors

Bod Luc Dochez

Board of Directors

Luc Dochez, PhD

(Chair and Founder) Droia Ventures

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Luc Dochez is a co-founder of Vico Therapeutics and CEO since October 2019. He is also a co-founder of Pharvaris. Luc has been a Venture Partner at DROIA Oncology Ventures since December 2018. He was Chief Executive Officer of Tusk Therapeutics from May 2015 until its acquisition by Roche in September 2018. He previously served as Chief Business Officer and Senior Vice President of Business Development at Prosensa Holdings until its acquisition by BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. Earlier in his career, he served as Vice President of Business Development at TiGenix, Director, Business Development at Methexis Genomics and a consultant at Arthur D. Little.

Luc holds a Pharm.D. degree and a postgraduate degree in business economics from the University of Leuven (Belgium) and an MBA from Vlerick Management School (Belgium). Luc also serves on the Board of Directors of Erytech SA and is an advisor to EverImmune SA and QBIC II.

Board of Directors

Bod Martijn Kleijwegt

Board of Directors

Martijn Kleijwegt
EQT Life Sciences
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Martijn Kleijwegt founded LSP in 1998 and currently serves as Managing Partner and co-owner of the firm where he is responsible for investing in unlisted securities and the general management of the firm. Prior to establishing LSP, Martijn ran another investment firm where he was responsible for investments in the healthcare sector.

As one of Europe’s most experienced healthcare investors, Martijn brings over 30 years of hands-on finance and investment experience to the LSP team. He has also been appointed a Director of numerous companies, all of which he helped to grow and flourish. Among others, Martijn currently serves as a Director of Kiadis Pharma, Orphazyme AS, OxThera AB, Pharvaris BV and Eloxx Pharmaceuticals.

Board of Directors

Bod Felice Verduyn

Board of Directors

Felice Verduyn-Van Weegen

EQT Life Sciences

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Felice Verduyn-Van Weegen is an Investment Manager at LSP and has been with the company since early 2015. Felice serves on the Boards of AM-pharma, Alize 3 pharma, Pharvaris (observer) and OxThera (observer). Prior to joining LSP, Felice was a consultant at McKinsey & Company with a primary focus on healthcare. Before McKinsey, she was a neuroscientist and statistical geneticist, working with the prestigious complex traits genetics group at the Broad Institute and Harvard Medical School.

Felice previously worked at the department of Biological Psychology at the VU University in Amsterdam and has authored numerousscientific articles in prestigious journals.

Felice was awarded a Bachelor’s degree in biological psychology and a Master’s degree in neuroscience from the VU University, Amsterdam. In addition, she was awarded an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Board of Directors

Bod Remi Droller

Board of Directors

Remi Droller
Kurma Partners
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Rémi Droller serves as managing partner of Kurma Partners SA and member of the board of directors of Dyncaure SAS, ImCheck Therapeutics SAS, Orphazyme A/S, OxThera AB, AM Pharma BV, Flamingo Therapeutics BV and Pharvaris BV. Remi started at CDC Innovation from 2000 to 2003, later joining AGF Private Equity (now Idinvest Partners) where he developed the investment activity in the life sciences and made investments such as Novagali Pharma (listed on Euronext and acquired by Santen) Prosensa Therapeutics (listed on Nasdaq and acquired by Biomarin) Vivacta (acquired by Novartis), IntegraGen (listed on Alternext) Onxeo (listed on Euronext).

Rémi holds a master’s degree in molecular biology from Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris and a Master’s degree in finance and management of innovation from AgroParisTech.

Board of Directors

Bod Jeroen Vangindertael

Board of Directors

Jeroen Vangindertael, PhD

Ackerman’s van Haaren
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Dr. Vangindertael is an investment manager at Ackermans & van Haaren since 2020. Before that he was active at BNP Paribas Fortis Corporate banking in Life Sciences financing through debt and within their Private Equity department where he did both direct investments and fund-of-fund management of their Life Sciences VC portfolio. Jeroen holds a Master and a PhD degree in Biochemistry and Biotechnology from the KULeuven.

Board of Directors

Bod Amy Schulman

Board of Directors

Amy Schulman
Polaris Partners
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Amy Shulman is a healthcare investor and Managing Partner at Polaris Partners and LSPIF.
She currently serves as executive chair of SQZ Biotech, as well as Lyndra Therapeutics, where she was co-founder and the company’s initial CEO. Amy also represents Polaris as a director of Cyclerion (NASDAQ: CYCN), Dewpoint Therapeutics, Kallyope, Volastra, Thirty Madison and ByHeart. Amy joined Polaris in 2014, at which time she assumed the role of CEO of Arsia Therapeutics, a Polaris-backed company later acquired by Eagle Pharmaceuticals. She also co-founded the LS Polaris Innovation Fund which was formed in 2017.

Prior to joining Polaris, Amy was the general counsel of Pfizer, president of Pfizer Nutrition and was instrumental in its sale to Nestle for $11.85 billion in 2012. Soon after its sale, Amy also became the president of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare.
She has received numerous awards including Xconomy’s 2017 Newcomer Award, Scientific American’s 2015 Worldview 100 List, Fierce Biotech’s 2014 Top 15 Women in Biotech, and Fortune Magazine’s 2013 50 Most Powerful Women in Business. She is a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and serves on the Board of Directors of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ALNY) and Mount Sinai Hospital.  

Amy is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wesleyan University and earned her J.D. from Yale Law School.

Board of Directors

Bod Klaus Breiner

Board of Directors

Klaus Breiner, PhD

Pureos Bioventures
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Klaus Breiner is a founding and managing partner of Pureos and has been a venture capital investor since 2001, involved with life science companies across different regions, stages and types. Prior to Pureos, he was senior investment advisor private equity at Bellevue Asset Management. Klaus has invested in numerous bio-pharmaceutical companies including AM-Pharma, Alpex Pharma, Cadence Pharmaceuticals, Glycart Biotechnology, Hummingbird Bioscience, ImCheck Therapeutics and Vaximm. Prior to venture capital, Klaus was a researcher at ETH Zurich and a business consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton.

Klaus holds an MA in chemistry from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Heidelberg (ZMBH).

Board of Directors

Bod Josh Mandel Brehm

Board of Directors

Josh Mandel-Brehm

(Co-Founder) CAMP4 Therapeutics

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Josh Mandel-Brehm is President and Chief Executive Officer of CAMP4 Therapeutics and holds a dual appointment as entrepreneur partner with Polaris Partners.
Josh previously held key business development and operations leadership roles at leading biotech companies. Most recently he served at Biogen, where he led multiple strategic activities and corresponding transactions, which included expanding Biogen’s non-malignant hematology franchise and overseeing seminal investments to enter the gene therapy and ophthalmology field. Prior to Biogen, Josh held several roles of increasing responsibility at Genzyme as part of the business development group for the company’s rare disease business unit.

Josh earned a BA in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis and holds an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Board of Directors

Bod Anders Hinsby

Board of Directors

Anders Hinsby, PhD

(Independent) Muna Therapeutics
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Anders Hinsby has more than 15 years of experience as a biotech entrepreneur, executive and investor. Currently, he is the CEO of Muna Therapeutics and works as entrepreneur-in-residence with Novo Seeds/Biorigin. Anders co-founded and served as CEO of Orphazyme A/S from 2009 to 2019 and led the company’s journey from University spin-out to a late-stage biopharmaceuticals company with a focus on rare diseases. In 2017, Anders led Orphazyme’s IPO on NASDAQ Copenhagen, raising 90 MUSD. Previously, he was a Principal and later Partner in BankInvest Biomedical Venture, a Danish life-science dedicated venture capital fund. He currently serves on the Boards of Intomics A/S a Danish Biotech.

Anders has a Ph.D. in Medicine from the University of Copenhagen.

Board of Directors

Bod Micah Mackison
Board of Directors

Micah Mackison

CEO, Vico Therapeutics

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Mr. Micah Mackison was appointed CEO of Vico Therapeutics in August 2022. Prior to this role, Micah served as Chief Business Officer and Executive Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Locanabio, an RNA-targeted gene therapy company. At Locanabio, he was instrumental in setting strategy, raising capital and helping build an organization focused on genetic neurological diseases. Prior to Locanabio, Micah held several leadership positions in corporate development and strategy. He served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy at Assembly Biosciences where he led business development efforts. Previously, Micah served as Head of Corporate Strategy and Senior Director, New Ventures at H. Lundbeck A/S, where he was focused on neuroscience. Prior to Lundbeck’s acquisition, he was Director, Corporate Development and M&A at Ovation Pharmaceuticals, a neuroscience-focused company that launched the first product for Huntington’s disease.

Earlier in his career, Micah held financial roles at Eli Lilly and Pfizer. He earned a B.S. in Finance from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

Board of Directors

Bod Catello Somma

Board of Directors

Catello Somma
(Board Observer) Seroba Life Sciences
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Catello Somma is a Partner at Seroba. He has a background in venture capital and clinical development, with a focus on the biotechnology and medical device industries. Prior to joining the firm in 2024, Catello was at TVM Capital (Munich), involved across different strategies for both biotech and medtech. Before starting a career in venture capital, Catello co-founded Clavius Pharmaceuticals, developing therapeutics for oncology and autoimmune diseases.
He started his career in 2009 working for different CROs and biotech companies between Italy and Switzerland.

Board of Directors

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Leadership

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