Debby Kruijsen began her career in antibody discovery in 2011 when she obtained a PhD in immunology at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, studying the role of antibodies in affecting antigen presentation and subsequent Respiratory Syncytial Virus specific T cell activation. Her interest in immune modulating activities and potential of antibodies led her to work at ModiQuest Research as a Scientist supervising hybridoma antibody discovery projects in 2012—the same year ModiQuest Research moved its laboratories and offices from Nijmegen to Oss and Debby and her colleagues became part of the Pivot Park community. A year later, she was promoted to Head Contract Research where she was responsible for all contract research projects and business development.
ModiQuest Research was acquired by ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd in April 2018, which allows further growth and development to operate globally and offer antibody services from target analysis to pre-clinical studies. Debby shares, “It is great to see the growth of the company during the last years to a full-service, therapeutic antibody discovery company serving clients with complex therapeutic antibody needs in a diverse range of disease areas.” Most recently, Debby was appointed as the General Manager of ModiQuest Research following the resignation of Jos Raats, founder and former Managing Director of ModiQuest Research. Jos left to pursue his duties as CEO of Absano BV, a company developing antibodies for therapeutic and diagnostic applications in the field of cancer, autoimmunity, and infection, along with TACPA B.V., a clinical stage company focusing on a phase I anti-inflammatory antibody candidate directed at multiple diseases.
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