Nico is a widely known key opinion leader in the field of antibody engineering.  Nico obtained his B.Sc. at Antwerp University and his Masters in Biotechnology at Ghent University. He obtained his Ph.D. in Biotechnology with Dr. Walter Fiers (UGent, Belgium) in protein expression technology.   After his postdoctoral training, Dr. Mertens headed the Molecular Immuno-Biotechnology Unit at the Flanders Institute of Biotechnology (VIB), where he conceived and developed the Tribody ™ antibody-fragment design and evaluated it in oncology models. Nico obtained his MBA from EHSAL Management School (Brussels) in 2002 and then continued forming and heading VIB’s Protein Service Facility, which delivered services in protein engineering, expression, purification and characterization for internal and external clients. Dr. Mertens was an active member of several university and professional committees and responsible for teaching courses and training students in Molecular Biotechnology at Ghent University. Nico is the author of 25 international peer reviewed articles and 4 patent applications on technologies applied in protein production and antibody engineering

 Molecular Immuno Biotechnology Business and Management