Lygature welcomes two new board members

Lygature is strengthening the Board of Directors with Mirjam Mol-Arts and Jan Smit. Together they bring ample experience in the international pharmaceutical industry as well as the board-level connect with the university medical centers in the Netherlands. 

For Lygature, as an expertise center to facilitate complex partnerships, the voice and experience of the various stakeholders active in partnerships in the Board of Directors is an essential element in the  governance of the organization. 

Mirjam Mol-Arts has an extensive career in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently as former Chief Science & Medical Officer at Ferring Pharmaceuticals and with leadership roles within Organon NV, Schering-Plough and Merck/MSD in women’s health and endocrinology. In addition, she has served as CEO of the Pivot Park in Oss, the Netherlands, from 2014 till 2018.

“In my former role as CEO of the Pivot Park, I have seen first-hand the power of public-private partnering,” says Mirjam Mol-Arts. “In for example the European Lead Factory, where Lygature was a driving force, we found highly promising drug candidates that now already are in Phase I. I am looking forward continuing my involvement with Lygature, now as board member to help realize their Strategy 2023-2030.”

Jan Smit is the Dean and Vice Chair Radboud University Medical Center since 1 August 2019. Smit completed his training as an internist-endocrinologist in Utrecht. He stayed for two years at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York for research. In 2007, Smit was appointed Professor of Internal Medicine and Clinical Endocrinology at Leiden University Medical Center. In 2012, he became Professor of General Internal Medicine and Department Head of the Department of Internal Medicine at the Radboudumc.

“As any clinician will tell you there is a gap between what we want to do and what we can do currently. These clear unmet medical needs require the development of new therapies, being it novel drugs, medical devices or AI-powered diagnostics for example. But we also need to innovate how we work together. I am a big fan of how Lygature is able to pull in stakeholders from academia, private sector and societal actors to address these complex health challenges. I am happy to be able to bring my experience and network in my role as member of the Board of Directors.”