About us

QVQ Holding BV

QVQ’s main activities are directed to the tailor made development of VHH on inquiry. The services that are offered include design and implementation of an immunization protocol in llama; measuring immune response in the sera of the immunized animals; cloning of VHH repertoire in a phage-display plasmid; design and implement a selection strategy; delivery of a number of different VHH (sequence and >0.5 mg protein) suitable for follow up assays. Upscaling of production to larger quantities of VHH for specific goals, including crystallization studies, in vivo experiments, and VHH produced under GMP conditions for clinical imaging in human.

QVQ Mission

QVQ contributes to the accurate and sensitive detection of diseases in the early stages by providing top quality validated Imaging and Research Agents based on their C-direct labelled single domain antibodies from camelids (professionally called functionalized VHH).

To become a supplier of top-end market products, QVQ closely works together with top academic and industrial groups and actively stimulates research in these areas.

Main Product

QVQ’s main product is based on a small, high affinity single domain antibody fragment (VHH) from camelids. These VHH are tailor made to be mono-, bi- and even multispecific and to contain different tags for detection and affinity purification. The product is moreover directionally coupled to Maleimide dyes and probes to achieve excellent imaging from optical to electron microscopy. QVQ strives to provide the same VHH with different modalities and probes to enable all imaging applications in a correlative way.

Custom-Services and Products

QVQ has a track record of providing services for developing tailor made VHH. Immunization, phage display selection and design of the final VHH are designed and implemented in close concert with customer’s wishes and desire in order to provide the product suited for the intended application. Moreover, QVQ can also format own and customer’s VHH and equip it with desired probes for specific imaging applications. QVQ is also the partner for large-scale VHH production up to production under GMP conditions for preclinical and clinical testing.

Two great bi-heads

Two great bi-heads!

Quick history of QVQ

Founding history

QVQ was founded in 2010 by Theo Verrips, Pim Epping, Mohamed El Khattabi, Edward Dolk, and Eefjan Breukink with the aim to develop existing VHH from the Utrecht University and newly obtained proprietary VHH into high quality imaging agents for the early detection of diseases. QVQ has broadened its own portfolio of imaging agents and further developed methodologies for directional functionalization of the VHH for imaging. In collaboration with partners in Dutch medical centres, industrial partners and institutes QVQ is the only company that can develop VHH from the immunization of llamas, library construction, selection, screening and production up to GMP scale for translation to the clinic.

Edward Dolk, Chief Executive Officer

Edward is active for over 17 years in applied science using llama antibody technology. The antibody technology work resulted in two first author papers on llama antibody fragments and co-inventor on 10+ patents on llama antibody fragments and a chapter in a book on the selection of llama antibodies under application conditions. Edward is a strong communicator and networker and has built up an impressive network in the scientific and business communities. Edward has developed the knowledge, the capacity and the ambition to market the VHH commercially and put QVQ and its products on the map as a high quality antibody supplier.

Theo Verrips, Manager Strategic Affairs

Theo served Unilever for 33 years in various functions, his final position was Head Exploratory Research a.i. He transferred part of the llama antibody technology he has developed at Unilever to his group at Utrecht University in 2002 after his retirement of Unilever. In 2006 he was invited by the GATES Foundation to participate in projects to combat infectious diseases like AIDS using llama antibodies. He contributed to over 75 patents. He has contributed to the start-up of companies, like BAC, Ablynx NV, Argen-X BV and Lactrys. He is presently active in many areas, including membership of the European FSHD Society, and member of the Supervisory Board of FEI Eindhoven. It is Theo’s ambition to ensure that QVQ will have a strong basis in 2019 to build on a prosperous future.