News

Quilvest supports biomedical research at the University of Luxembourg

  • Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB)
    Université / Administration centrale et Rectorat
    16 décembre 2021
  • Catégorie
    Recherche, Université
  • Thème
    Sciences de la vie & médecine

The family-owned holding Quilvest SA has made a major donation towards the University of Luxembourg, and more specifically to the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), the University’s biomedical research centre.

Over the next 5 years, Quilvest’s six-figure donation will support the research of surgeon and researcher Prof. Frank Hertel. In 2016, this renowned brain surgeon started a research group at the LCSB. As a medical doctor performing surgeries regularly, Prof. Hertel realised that patient outcomes could be significantly improved by further developing interpretation of clinical image data (MRIs, CT scans etc…) for surgeries. The solution towards the precise development of these tools lies, in large parts, in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning. He created the ‘Interventional NeuroScience Laboratory’ at the LCSB with the goal to foster collaborations between computer scientists, mathematicians, and medical doctors. Currently, Prof. Hertel’s research team aims to develop better methods for the interpretation of clinical image data which could then lead to improved diagnosis and prognosis of disease.

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Prof. Hertel’s team made great strides in developing new computational methods. Based on lung scans they could distinguish COVID lesions from those of other origins. At the international MICCAI COVID-19 Challenge this summer, their innovative approach was ranked 3rd among 225 contestants.

Starting in 2022, the generous Quilvest donation will support a ‘Quilvest Research Fellow’ in Prof. Hertel’s group. This researcher will continue to work on the challenge described above, with the goal to develop new algorithms which can eventually lead to a better classification of lung disease as well as a plethora of other diseases. “For all of us at Quilvest it is very important to support biomedical researchers and help them accelerate their work through private funding. The COVID pandemic has taught us how important it is to support local research initiatives, and we are very proud of this new partnership with the University of Luxembourg”, states Adrien de Boisanger, Chairman on the board of Quilvest.

Quilvest joins numerous companies and private funders who support the University’s biomedical research, carried out at the LCSB and at the Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine. Over the last 10 years, the LCSB has become one of Europe’s leading institutes in the field of neurodegenerative disease research and employs more than 200 researchers from all over the world.

About Quilvest

Quilvest is a leading global independent wealth manager and private equity investor dedicated to wealth preservation and generation. With a 120-year, seven generation family shareholder heritage, Quilvest takes a principal approach to investing. The Firm’s sophistication, history, and stability speak directly to the consistency and trustworthiness required to manage the wealth of private investors, families and institutions alike.

© Photo: University of Luxembourg / Bohumil Kostohryz