Apostolos Stathopoulos, MD, PhD

Executive Profile

• Neurosurgeon, physician-scientist, and biotechnology executive with deep experience in neuro-oncology, cancer immunotherapy, gene therapy, GMP manufacturing, translational medicine, and clinical-stage biotechnology development.
• Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ERC Belgium SA / ERC Netherlands BV, advancing cell-based immunotherapy for recurrent glioblastoma, including SITOIGANAP / ERC-1671, from proof-of-concept through clinical development.
• Career scope includes clinical neurosurgery, tumor immunology, regulatory strategy, international collaborations, fundraising, manufacturing operations, and multidisciplinary company leadership.
• Current neurosurgery clinical consultations at Louise Medical Center, Avenue Louise, Brussels, Belgium (2025–Present).

Selected Impact

• Built and led biotechnology operations with more than 50 employees and independent consultants.
• Raised approximately USD 85 million over the last 11 years to support research, development, manufacturing, and clinical programs.
• Obtained term sheets for more than EUR 250 million in equity financing and EUR 1.5 billion in senior and unitranche debt financing, subject to definitive documentation and applicable funding conditions.
• Advanced a cell-based immunotherapy program from preclinical proof-of-concept into clinical-stage development.
• Supported successful Phase II clinical development in recurrent glioblastoma and Phase III registration planning.
• FDA Fast Track Designation granted for SITOIGANAP in recurrent glioblastoma (July 2022).
• SITOIGANAP sales/availability under Right-to-Try and early-access pathways in the USA, Israel, Germany, and Australia since 2018; full commercialization applications in progress for additional countries.

Core Competencies

• Neuro-oncology and glioblastoma treatment
• Cancer immunotherapy and therapeutic vaccines
• Cell-based immunotherapy development
• Translational medicine and clinical trial strategy
• Gene therapy, viral vectors, and tumor immunology
• GMP manufacturing and quality systems
• Regulatory development and market access strategy
• Biotech company creation, financing, and operations

Clinical, Executive & Entrepreneurial Experience

Academic Appointments & Teaching

Education & Advanced Training

Honors, Awards & Regulatory Milestones

• Phase III registration clinical trial application under preparation for SITOIGANAP.
• Successful Phase II clinical development in recurrent glioblastoma.
• FDA Fast Track Designation granted for SITOIGANAP in patients with recurrent glioblastoma (July 2022).
• Collaboration with Oncology Physicians Network for glioblastoma patient treatment with SITOIGANAP.
• Highest Distinction — Wageningen University PhD (2012).
• Distinction — University of Liege Neurosurgery Graduation (2006).
• Distinction — Universite Libre de Bruxelles (2000).

Research & Development Focus

• Central nervous system oncology and immunotherapy applications.
• Glioblastoma treatment and tumor immune rejection by immunomodulation.
• Therapeutic cancer vaccines and cell-based immunotherapy.
• Gene therapy and adeno-associated viral vector research.
• Immunology, infectious disease vaccination, and regenerative medicine.

Current Research Activities

Grant Support & Funding

Patents, Applications & Regulatory Designations

• Stathopoulos A. Tumor Vaccine Comprising Allogeneic or Xenogeneic Tumor Cells. PCT/EP2007/050807. (WIPO · European Patent Register)
• Stathopoulos A. Vaccine, Therapeutic Composition and Methods for Treating or Inhibiting Glioblastoma. PCT/US11/57654.
• Stathopoulos A., Schijns V., Frielich. COVID-19 patent application under submission.
• FDA Fast Track Designation granted for SITOIGANAP in recurrent glioblastoma, July 2022.

Selected Invited Lectures & Presentations

• OPN Healthcare — Updates and treatments for glioblastoma, October 2022.
• Immunotherapy Against Glioblastoma — SITOIGANAP latest results, Evidence-Based Thermal Medicine, October 2022.
• Immunotherapy Against Glioblastoma, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, November 2021.
• CNS tumors presentation to medical students, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, October 2021.
• Award from the 6th Annual Forum of the Athens Chamber of Commerce for contribution to immunotherapy in glioblastoma, October 2021.
• ERC-1671 vaccine use in glioblastoma patients, Adult Brain Tumor Consortium, Baltimore, December 2012.
• First report of ERC-1671 vaccine use in recurrent glioblastoma patients, Society for Neuro-Oncology, Washington, November 2012.
• Therapeutic vaccination against malignant gliomas based on allorecognition and syngeneic tumor antigens, Grand Rounds, Department of Neurosurgery, USC, Los Angeles, March 2007.

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications

1. Stathopoulos A., Glorieux P., Rokas E.M., Savelkoul H.F.J. Combined Tumor Cell and Lysate-Based Vaccines for Immunotherapy of Primary and Recurrent Glioblastoma (GBM). Cancers. 2025; 17(23):3772. DOI: 10.3390/cancers17233772. Published 26 November 2025.
2. Ou M., Cho H.-Y., Fu J., Thein T.Z., Wang W., Swenson S.D., Minea R.O., Stathopoulos A., Schonthal A.H., Hofman F.M., Tang L., Chen T.C. Inhibition of autophagy and induction of glioblastoma cell death by NEO214, a perillyl alcohol-rolipram conjugate. Autophagy. 2023; 19(12):3169-3188.
3. Wang W., He H., Zeng S., Cho H.-Y., Minea R.O., Swenson S.D., Zheng L., Epstein A.L., Stathopoulos A., Chen L., Schonthal A.H., Chen T.C. Enhanced brain entry of checkpoint-inhibitory therapeutic antibodies facilitated by intraarterial NEO100 in mouse models of brain-localized malignancies. Journal of Neurosurgery. 2023.
4. Wang W., He H., Zheng L., Zeng S., Cho H.-Y., Kouhi A., Khawli L.A., Chen L., Stathopoulos A., Schonthal A.H., Epstein A.L., Chen T.C. Enhancing brain entry and therapeutic activity of chimeric antigen receptor T cells with intra-arterial NEO100 in a mouse model of CNS lymphoma. Journal of Neurosurgery. 2023.
5. Bota D.A., Taylor T.H., Lomeli N., Kong X.-T., Fu B.D., Schonthal A.H., Singer S., Blumenthal D.T., Senecal F.M., Linardou H., Rokas E., Antoniou D.G., Schijns V.E.J.C., Chen T.C., Elliot J., Stathopoulos A. A prospective cohort study of SITOIGANAP to treat glioblastoma in combination with immunomodulatory agents and checkpoint inhibitors. Frontiers in Oncology. 2022.
6. Bota D.A., Taylor T., Kong X.-T., Fu B., Hsu F., Strik A., Schijns V., Stathopoulos A. Double-blinded, placebo-controlled Phase II study of ERC1671 in recurrent glioblastoma. Neuro-Oncology. 2020.
7. Schijns V.E.J.C., Pretto C., Strik A.M., Gloudemans-Rijkers R., Deviller L., Pierre D., Chung J., Dandekar M., Carrillo J.A., Kong X.T., Fu B.D., Hsu F.P.K., Hofman F.M., Chen T.C., Zidovetzki R., Bota D., Stathopoulos A. Therapeutic immunization against glioblastoma. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2018.
8. Bota D.A., Chung J., Dandekar M., Carrillo J.A., Kong X.T., Fu B.D., Hsu F.P., Schonthal A.H., Hofman F.M., Chen T.C., Zidovetzki R., Pretto C., Strik A., Schijns V.E., Stathopoulos A. Phase II study of ERC1671 plus bevacizumab versus bevacizumab plus placebo in recurrent glioblastoma. CNS Oncology. 2018.
9. Schijns V.E., Pretto C., Devillers L., Pierre D., Hofman F., Chen T., Mespouille P., Hantos P., Glorieux P., Bota D., Stathopoulos A. First clinical results of a personalized immunotherapeutic vaccine against recurrent glioblastoma. Vaccine. 2015.
10. Bota D., Alexandru-Abrams D., Pretto C., Hofman F., Chen T., Fu B., Carrillo J., Schijns V., Stathopoulos A. Use of ERC-1671 vaccine in a patient with recurrent glioblastoma after progression during bevacizumab therapy. The Permanente Journal. 2015.
11. Stathopoulos A., Pretto C., Devillers L., Pierre D., Hofman F., Farghadani H., Kruse C., Jadus M., Chen T., Schijns V. Exploring the therapeutic efficacy of glioma vaccines based on allo- and syngeneic antigens and distinct immunological costimulation activators. Journal of Clinical & Cellular Immunology. 2012.
12. Stathopoulos A., Pretto C., Devillers L., Pierre D., Hofman F., Kruse C., Jadus M., Chen T., Schijns V. Development of immune memory to glial brain tumors after tumor regression induced by immunotherapeutic Toll-like receptor 7/8 activation. OncoImmunology. 2012.
13. Stathopoulos A., Samuelson C., Milbouw G., Hermanne J.P., Schijns V.E.J.C., Chen T.C. Therapeutic vaccination against malignant gliomas based on allorecognition and syngeneic tumor antigens: proof of principle in two strains of rat. Vaccine. 2008. (PDF)
14. Stathopoulos A., Melas C., Attali B., Blum D., Levivier M., Brotchi J., Velu T., Tenenbaum L. Overexpression of mouse IsK protein fused to green fluorescent protein induces apoptosis of human astroglioma cells. Neurological Research. 2007.
15. Tenenbaum L., Peschanski M., Melas C., Rodesch F., Lehtonen E., Stathopoulos A., Velu T., Brotchi J., Levivier M. Efficient early and sustained transduction of human fetal mesencephalon using adeno-associated virus type 2 vectors. Cell Transplantation. 2004.
16. Tenenbaum L., Jurysta F., Stathopoulos A., Puschban Z., Melas C., Hermens W., Verhaaghen J., Velu T., Levivier M. Tropism of AAV vectors for neurons of the globus pallidus. NeuroReport. 2000.

Book / Monograph

Stathopoulos A. Therapeutic brain cancer targeting by gene therapy and immunomodulation. A translational study. ISBN 978-94-6173-363-4.

In the Press

Documents

• PDFCurriculum Vitae — Apostolos Stathopoulos, MD, PhDOctober 2026
• PDFImmunotherapy of Malignant Gliomas Using Autologous and Allogeneic Tissue CellsOct 2010
• PDFERC gets Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of glioma
• PDFDana-Farber Cancer Institute Letter2012
• PDFJohns Hopkins Letter2012
• PDFUniversity of Pittsburgh Letter