Biogazelle

Biogazelle was established in 2007 as a spin-off from Ghent University in Belgium by co-founders Jan Hellemans and Jo Vandesompele. Both founders possess deep expertise in medical sciences and bio-engineering, with their academic research forming the technological bedrock of the company. Their journey began by commercializing the geNorm and qbase technologies they developed at the university into a software product for qPCR data analysis. The business model evolved from initially selling data analysis software to performing RNA measurements as a service for academic and corporate research entities, and later to developing products under contract.

The company operates as a contract research organization (CRO) serving the pharmaceutical and biotech industries by providing expert genomic and transcriptomic services to support research, clinical trials, and the development of diagnostics. Biogazelle specializes in high-value applications that accelerate the development of small molecules, RNA-targeted drugs, and adoptive cell therapies. Its core service offering revolves around nucleic acid quantification, including gene expression, mutation analysis, and copy number analysis, to aid clients in their therapeutic and diagnostic development. A key focus area is the analysis of clinically relevant samples, such as liquid biopsies and FFPE tissues, utilizing technologies like digital PCR (dPCR), quantitative PCR (qPCR), and RNA sequencing. The firm also developed a platform for antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) screening to support ASO drug development pipelines.

A significant milestone for Biogazelle was its acquisition by CellCarta, a global provider of precision medicine laboratory services, in December 2021. This acquisition positioned Biogazelle as CellCarta's Center of Excellence for developing complex genomic biomarker assays, integrating its genomics expertise into a global platform to enhance support for client's therapeutic development strategies, particularly in immuno-oncology and cell and gene therapy. Before the acquisition, Biogazelle had achieved notable success, including being recognized as one of Belgium's fastest-growing technology companies in 2014 and playing a role in COVID-19 testing by establishing a platform to detect the virus's genetic material.

Keywords: RNA analysis, genomic services, transcriptomics, contract research organization, qPCR, digital PCR, biomarker discovery, gene expression analysis, liquid biopsy, cancer research, molecular diagnostics, nucleic acid quantification, cell therapy, gene therapy, precision medicine, assay development, RNA sequencing, pharmaceutical services, biotech support, drug development