We’re excited to welcome Hemastatx to our portfolio. Hemastatx, a spin-off from KU Leuven, has emerged from stealth with funding from BaseLaunch, Gemma Frisius Fund and Butterfly Fund. with its first program, HMX-001, the company aims to redefine treatment for severe and underserved bleeding disorders.
HMX-001 is a first-in-class antibody that targets ADAMTS13, an enzyme that regulates the activity of von Willebrand factor (VWF), a key protein in the bleeding cascade. In patients with rare VWF mutations or conditions causing high blood-flow shear stress (e.g., heart pumps or aortic stenosis), ADAMTS13 excessively cleaves VWF high molecular weight multimers, leading to an increased risk of severe bleeding. By blocking ADAMTS13, HMX-001 restores VWF’s clotting ability and addresses the root cause of bleeding across multiple patient populations.
Hemastatx is built upon a decade of groundbreaking research led by Prof. Dr. Karen Vanhoorelbeke and Dr. Shannen Deconinck at the Laboratory for Thrombosis Research, KU Leuven Campus Kulak, and is founded in collaboration with Dr. Nick Geukens from PharmAbs, the Antibody Center at KU Leuven and Dr. Kevin Hollevoet, who serves as CEO. It has received funding from a syndicate of early-stage investors, led by BaseLaunch and joined by Gemma Frisius Fund and Butterfly Fund.
”We are very pleased with the backing from this experienced syndicate. Their funding allows us to accelerate the preclinical program for HMX-001 and build a strong foundation for growth
Dr. Kevin HollevoetCEO and co-founder
Congratulations to the entire Hemastatx team on this exciting milestone!
