Ursula von der Leyen is the chair of the European Parliament and an unelected leader of the European Union. Her husband, Heiko von der Leyen, is a doctor and scientific director of the U.S. biotech company Orgenesis, which specialises in cell and gene therapies and is a frontrunner in developing RNA COVID vaccines.
Orgenesis launched its own cell-based vaccine platform in May 2020, targeting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, as well as other viral diseases.
Orgenesis is also involved in the foundation established by the University of Padua on 8 June 2022 to manage research into RNA gene therapy and pharmaceuticals. This project is being financed under Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan through the EUR 320 million paid to the Italian Ministry of Universities.
Heiko von der Leyen represents Orgenesis, which is one of the project founders and will receive EUR 200,000 in contributions each year.
EU transparency commissioner however did not see a conflict of interest for Ursula von der Leyen’s husband. Green lawmakers had raised concerns about Heiko von der Leyen’s role in a biotech company that received EU funds.
Despite Orgenesis not being linked directly with Pfizer in an open collaboration and Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine utilising messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, while Orgenesis focuses on cell-based vaccine platforms, it is worth to note that Ursula von der Leyen ordered two billion Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine doses from Pfizer with text messages and now claims she can’t find the messages.
