Biography

Professor Dr Huub Schellekens is Director of the Central Laboratory Animal Institute of the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, and Professor of Medical Biotechnology in the Department of Innovation Studies and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Prior to his present position, he was Deputy Director of the Dutch Primate Center, Director of Medscand Ingeny and Medical Microbiologist at the Reinier de Graaf Hospital in Delft, The Netherlands.
Professor Schellekens' research interests include the preclinical development of biopharmaceutical agents and applications of genetic modification in medicine. He studied medicine at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands (1967–1973), where he also received his training in Medical Microbiology (1973–1980), completing his PhD in 1980. Between 1992 and 1997, Professor Schellekens coordinated an EU concerted action on the antigenicity of r-DNA-derived pharmaceuticals. He was Chairman of The Netherlands Commission on Genetic Modification and is Deputy Chairman of the Commission on Biotechnology and Animals. Professor Schellekens is also a member of the Dutch Medical Evaluation Board and a National Expert for the European Medical Evaluation Agency. He has authored over 200 scientific publications, eight non-specialist books and numerous articles in the popular press. He also contributes regularly to radio and television broadcasts.