The new CFO brings extensive experience in finance and business development at life science, pharma and technology companies.
Contact
Dr. Christoph Antz
Managing Director
VERAXA Biotech GmbH
Meyerhofstrasse 1
69117 Heidelberg
Germany
Carl-Friedrich-Gauß-Ring 5
69124 Heidelber
Germany
+49 6221 4263365
info@veraxa.com
March 21, 2022 – Torsten Buergermeister has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of VERAXA Biotech, based in Heidelberg, Germany. Buergermeister joins VERAXA from Molecular Health, an international Precision Medicine company where he had global responsibilities as Senior Vice President of Finance.
”Torsten brings excellent financial managing skills with a very good knowledge of biotech and related capital markets,“ said Dr. Christoph Antz, CEO of VERAXA. ”We are excited to have him join our management team.“
About VERAXA Biotech
VERAXA’S mission is to tackle two of the biggest challenges in antibody drug development: Antibody discovery and ADC development. The company’s droplet-based microfluidic screening technology and its innovative antibody and protein conjugation technology allows for a rapid generation of antibodies against most complex target molecules and for a target product profile sharpening of existing monoclonal antibody candidates in oncology or precision medicine. VERAXA Biotech GmbH is a fusion of Velabs Therapeutics GmbH and Araxa Biosciences GmbH, both spin-off companies from European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Europe’s most renowned institute for life science research and instrument development. VERAXA is a preferred license and cooperation partner of global biotech and pharmaceutical industries.
21.03.2022
Lars Hufnagel will be responsible for advancing VERAXA’s antibody screening and ADC technologies by further developing its droplet-based microfluidic screening technology.
Contact
Dr. Christoph Antz
Managing Director
VERAXA Biotech GmbH
Meyerhofstrasse 1
69117 Heidelberg
Germany
Carl-Friedrich-Gauß-Ring 5
69124 Heidelber
Germany
+49 6221 4263365
info@veraxa.com
March 14, 2022 – Dr. Lars Hufnagel has been appointed Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of VERAXA Biotech, based in Heidelberg, Germany. Hufnagel joins VERAXA from Bruker Corporation, where he served as CTO for the company’s fluorescence microscopy business, and General Manager and Vice President of the Luxendo business unit.
”With his broad experience in the life sciences and extensive knowledge of software and hardware solutions for high-performance fluorescence microscopes, we are confident that Lars Hufnagel will help us in our goal to scale antibody screening and take our unique platform to an even greater level of precision,“ said Dr. Christoph Antz, CEO of VERAXA. ”We are excited to have him join our management team.“
VERAXA’s technology enables rapid screening of functional antibodies, tumor-specific antibodies, and anti-bacterial and anti-viral antibodies. Combining principles of physics and biology, the process encapsulates millions of single B-cells and target cells in microfluidics droplets so they can be rapidly analyzed and sorted using the company’s proprietary Hitmaster platform. The platform enables the scanning of millions of B-cells with unprecedented speed to identify functional antibodies.
”VERAXA has rapidly developed its proprietary technology in antibody discovery and conjugation and is poised to become a leader in the field. I am looking forward to working with a highly talented team to help achieve our mission of transforming the field of antibody therapeutics and engineering,“ said Dr. Hufnagel.
Hufnagel is the founder of three technology startups and holds patents in microscopy and light-sheet imaging. From 2007-2020 he was Group Leader of the Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Georg-August-University, Göttingen.
About VERAXA Biotech
VERAXA’S mission is to tackle two of the biggest challenges in antibody drug development: Antibody discovery and ADC development. The company’s droplet-based microfluidic screening technology and its innovative antibody and protein conjugation technology allows for a rapid generation of antibodies against most complex target molecules and for a target product profile sharpening of existing monoclonal antibody candidates in oncology or precision medicine. VERAXA Biotech GmbH is a fusion of Velabs Therapeutics GmbH and Araxa Biosciences GmbH, both spin-off companies from European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Europe’s most renowned institute for life science research and instrument development. VERAXA is a preferred license and cooperation partner of global biotech and pharmaceutical industries.
14.03.2022
Contact
Dr. Christoph Antz
Managing Director
VERAXA Biotech GmbH
Meyerhofstrasse 1
69117 Heidelberg
Germany
Carl-Friedrich-Gauß-Ring 5
69124 Heidelber
Germany
+49 6221 4263365
info@veraxa.com
Heidelberg and Hamburg, Germany (August 10, 2021) – VERAXA Biotech GmbH, Heidelberg, and Indivumed GmbH, Hamburg, announced today their agreement to jointly discover modulatory and functional antibodies against several targets that are relevant for colorectal cancer. The targets have been identified by Indivumed’s discovery solution platform nRavel®, only two months after its launch. The antibody development and commercialization will be performed by Indivumed’s subsidiary, Ix Therapeutics.
VERAXA Biotech GmbH is a pioneer in microfluidic technology for the screening of antibodies with modulatory function on complex signal proteins like GPCRs or ion channels. The high-throughput screening platform allows for the testing of millions of fully natural IgGs from humans and mice for therapeutic effects, rather than just for binding. Results are obtained in only a fraction of the time required by other technologies. The company offers customized screening services for users worldwide. Besides carrying out service projects, VERAXA is currently also establishing its own proprietary pipeline of therapeutic antibody candidates for further joint development with pharma partners.
Indivumed has set up a leading multi-omics database with extensive medical experience, bioinformatics expertise, and AI-integrated advanced analytics for a most effective medical diagnostics and predictive therapeutic use. Just recently, the company launched its AI-based platform nRavel®, which together with Indivumed’s IndivuType multi-omics database will derive more precise insights into and much better predictors for certain pathologies and diseases with high medical needs.
“The high quality of data and the artificial intelligence tools that Indivumed utilizes means that we can be more confident in the validity of the targets,” said Dr. Christoph Antz, CEO of Veraxa. “With our technology, we can move rapidly into the development of functional antibodies that have the potential to serve as new therapeutics.”
“Having thousands of patient cases complete with comprehensive multi-omics and clinical data coupled with the advanced AI capabilities of nRavel® gives us the ability to derive novel insights in just a short period of time,” said Prof. Dr. Hartmut Juhl, Founder and CEO of Indivumed. “As we continue to uncover additional targets, having a partner like Veraxa who can develop functional antibodies in an accelerated manner is critical to our ability to discover new possibilities for cancer treatment in the shortest-possible time and fight this disease.”
About VERAXA Biotech
VERAXA Biotech GmbH is a fusion of Velabs Therapeutics GmbH and Araxa Biosciences GmbH, both spin-off companies from Europe’s most renowned institute for life science research and instrument development, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), which is at the forefront of microfluidics-based screening technology and applications worldwide. The company’s droplet-based microfluidic screening technology and its innovative antibody and protein conjugation technology allows for a rapid generation of antibodies against most complex target molecules and for a target product profile sharpening of existing mAb candidates in oncology or precision medicine. VERAXA is a preferred license and cooperation partner of global biotech and pharma industries.
About Indivumed
Driven by our mission to unveil the complex mechanisms of cancer and to advance precision oncology, Indivumed combines the world’s most comprehensive multi-omics data with extensive medical experience, bioinformatics expertise, and AI-integrated advanced analytics. Our global clinical network enables us to collect and analyze thousands of patient samples using a standardized approach to ensure biospecimen quality across three business units – IndivuServ, IndivuTest, and IndivuType. The unparalleled depth and quality of our data – coupled with our robust product and service offerings – gives us the ability to obtain novel insights and accelerate cancer research. For more information, visit indivumed.com.
About Ix Therapeutics
Ix Therapeutics is a subsidiary of Indivumed that was founded in 2021 to develop therapeutic antibodies based on novel and proprietary targets of Indivumed. XlifeSciences cofounded Ix Therapeutics, entering the joint venture as Indivumed’s financial partner.
10.08.2021
Velabs Therapeutics receives exclusive licence from alytas therapeutics for the development of therapeutic antibodies as senolytics
Contact
Dr. Christoph Antz
Managing Director
VERAXA Biotech GmbH
Meyerhofstrasse 1
69117 Heidelberg
Germany
Carl-Friedrich-Gauß-Ring 5
69124 Heidelber
Germany
+49 6221 4263365
info@veraxa.com
VERAXA Biotech GmbH (former Velabs Therapeutics GmbH), a leading company in innovative ADC engineering and functional antibody screening, announced today that it has entered into a partnership agreement with Quadira Biosciences AG, Zug, Switzerland, to jointly develop a suite of novel ADCs for the treatment of oncological conditions. The collaboration will leverage both the advantages of VERAXA’s advanced and proprietary position-true click-chemistry-based drug conjugation technology in combination with Quadira’s superior 3D cellular assay and assessment systems. The agreement provides that VERAXA will be entitled to upfront payments and royalties from the worldwide sale of products resulting from the collaboration. Further details of the agreement were not disclosed.
Quadira Biosciences AG is a Joint Venture between abc biopply AG, a Swiss biotech company specializing in the standardization of biological components and complex 3D cell culture systems and Xlife Sciences AG, a Swiss based biotech company. Quadira will, under the partnership, have exclusive access to abc biopply’s proprietary 3D CoSeedis™ technology platform, a new standard in the industrial application of 3D cell culture systems for preclinical drug validation.
VERAXA Biotech is a leading pioneer of microfluidic technology for the ultra-fast screening of functional antibodies. The company has developed superior microfluidic hardware and processes to screen for modulatory mAbs on complex target proteins such as GPCRs. In contrast to all other technologies available, VERAXA combines binding and functional assessment in 1 single step and unravels precious therapeutic hits out of entire immune repertoires that consists of millions of B cells in less than 48 hours. Just recently, VERAXA acquired Araxa Biosciences GmbH, a biotech company with innovative and proprietary protein engineering and click-chemistry based drug coupling technologies to expand its preclinical antibody capacities from early screening to later stage antibody engineering and to sharpen its profile in personalized medicine and precision oncology. With the novel ADC technology, VERAXA can perform precise site-specific antibody labeling with almost any drug at any position and highest reproducibility. The company has several ADC in production and testing with superior cytotox profiles as compared to benchmark molecules.
“This partnership with Quadira is an ideal and fully complementary constellation adding significant value to our top ADC candidate suite by in depths assessment through Quadira’s unmet gold standard 3D assay platform,” said Christoph Antz, CEO of VERAXA. “The combination of VERAXA’s first class novel ADC candidates with POC assessment data from our 3D cell culture systems will strongly speed up the whole ADC drug development process. We will generate a suite of best-in-class ADC drug candidates with a significantly de-risked development trajectory and high preclinical maturity,” adds Arne Faiss, CEO of both abc biopply and Quadira.
About VERAXA Biotech GmbH
VERAXA Biotech is a fusion of Velabs Therapeutics GmbH and Araxa Biosciences GmbH, both spin-off companies of Europe’s most renowned institute for life science research and instrument development, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), which is at the forefront of microfluidics-based screening technology and applications worldwide. The Company’s droplet-based microfluidic screening technology and its innovative antibody and protein conjugation technology allows for a rapid generation of antibodies against most complex target molecules and for a target product profile sharpening of existing mAb candidates in oncology or precision medicine. VERAXA is a preferred license & cooperation partner of global biotech and pharma industries.
About Quadira Biosciences AG
Quadira Biosciences AG is a joint venture between abc biopply and Xlife Sciences AG. Quadira Biosciences has access to the proprietary 3D CoSeedis™ technology platform of abc biopply. This unique 3D cell technology enables the replication and modelling of human tissue for reliable testing and characterization of antibodies without animal testing. Preclinical development candidates for antibody or ADC development can thus be used even more efficiently.
About Xlife Sciences AG
Xlife Sciences AG is a Swiss company focused on the value development of promising technologies in the life science sector. The company bridges the gap between research and development and the healthcare markets. Together with industrial partners or university institutions, the company leads projects through the proof of concept phase after an invention disclosure or spin-off. Xlife Sciences AG thus provides its investors with a very early and direct entry into the further development of innovative and future-oriented technologies.
17.06.2021
Functional Antibody Screening meets Antibody Engineering
Contact
Dr. Christoph Antz
Managing Director
Veraxa Biotech GmbH
Meyerhofstrasse 1
69117 Heidelberg
Germany
Carl-Friedrich-Gauß-Ring 5
69124 Heidelber
Germany
+49 6221 4263365
info@veraxa.com
The merger of two companies is in itself nothing unusual in the business world. But when two successful spin-offs – VELABS Therapeutics and ARAXA Biosciences – from Europe’s most renowned institute for life science research and instrumentation, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) merge into one corporate entity, it is not only special for us.
The new company is called VERAXA Biotech and combines the complementary strengths in droplet-based microfluidic screening technology of VELABS with antibody modulation and development of ARAXA.
By merging ARAXA’s unique and proprietary ADC technology with VELABS’ superior antibody screening engine expertise, VERAXA becomes a new center of excellence for all pharmaceutical and biotech partners seeking to benefit from more efficient antibody development. The superior complementary skills under one roof will be a key advantage for pharma partners, enabling them to develop more and better antibody lead candidates against complex and pharmacologically important signaling receptors such as GPCRs in a shorter time. Existing target product profiles will be further enhanced and sharpened by our proprietary and proven orthogonal click chemistry modification and conjugation technology.
We look forward to continued collaboration together and an exciting future in the development of new antibody-based drugs and therapies.
09.06.2021
Velabs Therapeutics receives exclusive licence from alytas therapeutics for the development of therapeutic antibodies as senolytics
Contact
Dr. Christoph Antz
Managing Director
Velabs Therapeutics GmbH
Meyerhofstrasse 1
69117 Heidelberg
+49 6221 3878194
antz@velabs-therapeutics.com
Velabs Therapeutics GmbH (Velabs), a biotech company focused on the rapid screening of functional therapeutic antibodies announced that it has entered into an exclusive licence agreement with alytas therapeutics GmbH (alytas), for the development and commercialization of alytas’ antibodies in the field of senescence, related degenerative processes and pathologies.
Velabs Therapeutics, a young start-up company of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), is a pioneer of microfluidic technology for the screening of antibodies with modulatory function on complex signalling proteins such as GPCRs, ion channels or other regulatory proteins. The current active investor is Xlife Sciences AG (m:access: XLS, www.xlifesciences.ch), a Swiss company focusing on the development of promising life science technologies. Velabs offers its screening know-how and capacities for pharmaceutical collaborations worldwide. In addition to existing partnerships, Velabs is currently building its own pipeline of therapeutic antibody candidates for further development. Recently, the company has started to develop antibody-based senolytics, a class of drugs designed to prevent cell and tissue degeneration that can occur during the aging process by eliminating so-called “senescent cells.”
alytas specializes in the research of fat metabolism in connection with obesity. Its program is based on several proprietary protein epitopes with high relevance for the immunological regulation of excess adipocytes and has already been conceptually confirmed in vitro and in vivo. In a previous strategic partnership, alytas and Velabs co-developed different sets of preclinical antibodies for a novel immune-based obesity treatment. The current licence will allow Velabs to exclusively develop these antibodies against senescence related degenerative processes. Both indications, obesity and senescence, together with their associated co-morbidities, are conditions with unmet medical need and enormous market potential.
Christoph Antz, Managing Director of Velabs, states:
“We are pleased to have entered this licence agreement with alytas, which will allow us to develop a completely new treatment against ageing related decline of body functions. We are confident that this new approach has the potential to open new ways towards less associated deteriorations, higher degrees of vitality and better health conditions during human ageing process, thus increasing quality of life at older age and reducing the burden of age-related diseases and complaints. Velabs’ know-how in the generation and preclinical validation of functional antibodies will be instrumental in developing a first mover antibody-based therapy for the preventive delay of senescence associated body decline.”
About Velabs Therapeutics
Therapeutics Velabs Therapeutics is a spin-out from Europe’s most prestigious life science research and instrumentation institute, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), standing at the forefront of microfluidics-based screening technology and applications world-wide. The company’s droplet-based microfluidic screening technology aims at the fast generation of antibodies against target molecules presented on cellular membrane surfaces or as soluble protein. VELABS has pioneered the use of droplet microfluidics for the fast screening of correctly paired human antibodies that do not just bind to a drug target, but rather modulate its function.
For more information, please visit please visit
About alytas therapeutics
alytas therapeutics GmbH is a spin-off of the University of Jena with the aim to develop a therapeutic antibody for the treatment of morbid obesity. The Company, which is financed and managed by the Swiss-based Xlife Sciences Ltd., has know-how and patents on several antigenic epitopes with proven relevance to novel therapeutic immune-based regulation of excessive amounts of adipocytes in patients with obesity. The founders of alytas have been working for many years in the field of obesity and their current treatment hypothesis is based on in vitro and in vivo data from humans and animals. The company is set up as a Lean Project Management Engine with various core partnerships.
For more information, please visit
About Xlife Sciences AG
Xlife Sciences AG is a Swiss company with focus on investing in promising technologies in the life science industry. Xlife Sciences AG is building the bridge from research and development to healthcare markets by supporting researchers and entrepreneurs in positioning, structuring, developing and implementing their concepts. Together with industrial partners or universities, Xlife Sciences AG leads projects through the proof-of-concept phase after an invention disclosure or start-up. Subsequently, the firm focuses on out-licensing or selling the company, often with a combination of a strategic partnership. Xlife Sciences AG offers its investors direct access to the further development of innovative and future-oriented technologies at a very early stage.
For more information, please visit
07.01.2020
Velabs Therapeutics announces strategic partnership with alytas therapeutics to develop a novel immune-based therapy for obesity
Contact
Dr. Christoph Antz
Managing Director
Velabs Therapeutics GmbH
Meyerhofstrasse 1
69117 Heidelberg
+49 6221 3878194
antz@velabs-therapeutics.com
Velabs Therapeutics GmbH (Velabs), a biotech company focused on the rapid screening of functional therapeutic antibodies, today announces that it has entered into a partnership agreement with alytas therapeutics GmbH (alytas), to jointly develop modulatory and functional antibodies for a novel immune-based therapy against obesity. The collaboration will leverage Velabs’ proprietary microfluidic-based technology for rapid functional antibody screening. Velabs will be entitled to royalties from the worldwide sales of products that result from the collaboration.
Velabs Therapeutics is a pioneer in microfluidic technology for the screening of antibodies with modulatory function on complex signaling proteins. Its proprietary high-throughput screening platform makes it possible to test millions of correctly paired, fully natural human and mouse IgGs for therapeutic effects. Results are achieved in only a fraction of the time required by other technologies. The Company offers customized screening services for users worldwide. In addition to the execution of service projects, Velabs is currently building its own pipeline of therapeutic antibody candidates for further joint development with pharmaceutical partners.
Alytas specializes in the research of fat metabolism in connection with obesity, and has identified and validated target genes for the development of a novel immune-based obesity treatment. Its program is based on a number of proprietary protein epitopes with high relevance for the immunological regulation of excess adipocytes, and has already been conceptually confirmed in vitro and in vivo.
Christoph Antz, Managing Director of Velabs, said:
“We are pleased to have reached this partnership agreement with alytas, which will allow for the development of a completely new treatment option for obesity. The collaboration will benefit from our expertise in rapid screening and the generation of functional antibodies on complex signaling proteins. This knowledge will be instrumental in developing a first mover immunotherapy for obesity and can help to significantly reduce the global increase in associated co-morbidities such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
About Velabs Therapeutics
Therapeutics Velabs Therapeutics is a spin-out from Europe’s most prestigious life science research and instrumentation institute, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), standing at the forefront of microfluidics-based screening technology and applications world-wide. The company’s droplet-based microfluidic screening technology aims at the fast generation of antibodies against target molecules presented on cellular membrane surfaces or as soluble protein. VELABS has pioneered the use of droplet microfluidics for the fast screening of correctly paired human antibodies that do not just bind to a drug target, but rather modulate its function.
For more information, please visit please visit
About alytas therapeutics
alytas therapeutics GmbH is a spin-off of the University of Jena with the aim to develop a therapeutic antibody for the treatment of morbid obesity. The Company, which is financed and managed by the Swiss-based Xlife Sciences Ltd., has know-how and patents on several antigenic epitopes with proven relevance to novel therapeutic immune-based regulation of excessive amounts of adipocytes in patients with obesity. The founders of alytas have been working for many years in the field of obesity and their current treatment hypothesis is based on in vitro and in vivo data from humans and animals. The company is set up as a Lean Project Management Engine with various core partnerships.
For more information, please visit
03.09.2019
Velabs Therapeutics enters into a screening cooperation with Chiome Bioscience in the field of GPCR-specific functional antibody screening after successful feasibility study
Contact
Dr. Christoph Antz
Managing Director
Velabs Therapeutics GmbH
Meyerhofstrasse 1
69117 Heidelberg
+49 6221 3878194
antz@velabs-therapeutics.com
Velabs Therapeutics, specializing in the fast generation of functional therapeutic antibodies, today announced that its cooperation with Chiome Bioscience, Inc., Tokyo, will be deepened, to jointly discover modulatory and functional antibodies for one of Chiome’s GPCR target genes. The collaboration will capitalize on Velabs’ microfluidics-based technology in the field of functional antibody screening. Under the terms of the agreement and after successful completion of an initial feasibility phase, Velabs will receive milestone payments upon the achievement of specific development and regulatory events. In addition, Velabs will also be eligible to receive tiered royalties and milestones on the worldwide sales of products that arise from the collaboration.
Chiome Bioscience is a leading expert in the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies for clinical applications with unmet medical need. The company has the exclusive license of the ADLib® antibody generation technology from RIKEN and has several preclinical and clinical development programs for its therapeutic antibodies.
Velabs Therapeutics, a recent startup company of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and financed by Swiss based Xlife Sciences Ltd., is a pioneer in microfluidic technology for screening of antibodies with modulatory function on complex signal proteins like GPCRs or ion channels. The high-throughput screening platform allows for testing millions of correctly paired fully natural IgGs from humans and mice for therapeutic effects, rather than just for binding. Results are obtained in only a fraction of the time required by other technologies. The company offers customized screening services for users worldwide. Besides carrying out service projects, Velabs is currently also establishing its own proprietary pipeline of therapeutic antibody candidates for further joint development with pharma partners.
“We are delighted about the successful termination of the initial feasibility phase and the current start of a joint development on functional GPCR antibodies.”, says Christoph Antz, Managing Director of Velabs. “Chiome’s decision to continue this project after a successful feasibility study represents an important validation of our technology for the screening and generation of functional antibodies on complex signal proteins like GPCRs.” adds Christoph Merten, scientific founder and CSO of Velabs.
“We opted for Velabs’ microfluidic screening technology in order to optimize time and productivity of discovering therapeutic antibodies against GPCRs. We look forward to obtaining promising hits, which can ultimately give rise to preclinical candidates through this collaboration”, says Yukoh Nakazaki, Head of Antibody Research Laboratories of Chiome Bioscience.
About Velabs Therapeutics
Therapeutics Velabs Therapeutics is a spin-out from Europe’s most prestigious life science research and instrumentation institute, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), standing at the forefront of microfluidics-based screening technology and applications world-wide. The company’s droplet-based microfluidic screening technology aims at the fast generation of antibodies against target molecules presented on cellular membrane surfaces or as soluble protein. VELABS has pioneered the use of droplet microfluidics for the fast screening of correctly paired human antibodies that do not just bind to a drug target, but rather modulate its function.
For more information, please visit please visit
About Chiome Bioscience
Chiome Bioscience is a clinical stage biotechnology company. Chiome’s focus is on discovery and development of antibody-based therapeutics in the disease areas with unmet medical needs. Currently it is advancing two programs in oncology. Chiome has proprietary antibody generating technology named ADLib® System and has several antibody discovery and preclinical programs. Chiome was founded in 2005, is listed in Tokyo stock exchange Mothers (code: 4583), and located in Tokyo, Japan.
For more information, please visit
27.08.2019
Velabs Therapeutics Announces €3 Million Series B Financing to Advance its Functional Antibody Screening Programme
Contact
Dr. Christoph Antz
Managing Director
Velabs Therapeutics GmbH
Meyerhofstrasse 1
69117 Heidelberg
+49 6221 3878194
antz@velabs-therapeutics.com
Velabs Therapeutics GmbH, a leader in rapid screening of functional therapeutic antibodies, today announced the closing of a €3 million Series B financing round to advance its functional antibody screening programme and to strengthen its own pipeline of preclinical functional antibodies against diseases with poor treatment options. Further details of the financing round were not disclosed.
Velabs Therapeutics, a young spin-off company of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), is a pioneer of microfluidic technology for the screening of antibodies with modulatory function on complex signalling proteins such as GPCRs, ion channels or other regulatory signalling proteins. Its proprietary high-throughput screening platform makes it possible to test millions of correctly paired, fully natural human and mouse antibodies for their therapeutic effects, not just for binding. Results are achieved in only a fraction of the time required by other technologies. The company offers customized screening services for users worldwide. In addition to existing pharma co-development partnerships, Velabs is currently building its own pipeline of therapeutic antibody candidates for further joint development with interested partners.
“This investment will enable us to advance the development of our own pipeline of preclinical functional antibodies and secure the expansion of our platform technology into new pharma-based co-development deals,” said Christoph Antz, Managing Director of Velabs. “Further preclinical validation of our own antibody drug candidates against GPCRs and Ion Channels will enhance our position as a leader in the field of rapid functional antibody screening and development,” adds Christoph Merten, scientific founder and CSO of Velabs.
“We are glad to see Velabs Therapeutics growing into a leading company for fast antibody screening. This financing round will position Velabs as a prime partner for companies seeking rapid generation of functional antibody drug candidates on complex signal proteins,” says Jürgen Bauer, Deputy Managing Director of EMBL Enterprise Management Technology Transfer GmbH (EMBLEM).
About Velabs Therapeutics
Therapeutics Velabs Therapeutics is a spin-out from Europe’s most prestigious life science research and instrumentation institute, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), standing at the forefront of microfluidics-based screening technology and applications world-wide. The company’s droplet-based microfluidic screening technology aims at the fast generation of antibodies against target molecules presented on cellular membrane surfaces or as soluble protein. VELABS has pioneered the use of droplet microfluidics for the fast screening of correctly paired human antibodies that do not just bind to a drug target, but rather modulate its function.
For more information, please visit please visit
27.06.2019
Velabs Therapeutics to cooperate with Chiome Bioscience in the field of GPCR-specific functional antibody screening
Contact
Dr. Christoph Antz
Managing Director
Velabs Therapeutics GmbH
Meyerhofstrasse 1
69117 Heidelberg
+49 6221 3878194
antz@velabs-therapeutics.com
Velabs Therapeutics, specializing in the fast generation of functional therapeutic antibodies, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Chiome Bioscience, Inc., Tokyo, to jointly discover modulatory and functional antibodies for one of Chiome’s GPCR target genes. The collaboration will capitalize on Velabs’ microfluidics-based technology in the field of functional antibody screening. Under the terms of the agreement, Velabs will receive an upfront payment after a successful first feasibility study and milestone payments upon the achievement of specific development and regulatory events. In addition, Velabs will also be eligible to receive tiered royalties and milestones on the worldwide sales of products that arise from the collaboration.
Chiome Bioscience is a leading expert in the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies for clinical applications with unmet medical need. The company has the exclusive license of the ADLib® antibody generation technology from RIKEN and has several preclinical and clinical development programs for its therapeutic antibodies.
Velabs Therapeutics, a recent startup company of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), is a pioneer in microfluidic technology for screening of antibodies with modulatory function on complex signal proteins like GPCRs or ion channels. The high-throughput screening platform allows for testing millions of correctly paired fully natural IgGs from humans and mice for therapeutic effects, rather than just for binding. Results are obtained in only a fraction of the time required by other technologies. The company offers customized screening services for users worldwide. Besides carrying out service projects, Velabs is currently also establishing its own proprietary pipeline of therapeutic antibody candidates for further joint development with pharma partners.
“This agreement represents an important deal for Velabs.”, says Christoph Antz, Managing Director of Velabs. “It combines for the first time Velabs capacities of screening and generation of functional antibodies on complex signal proteins like GPCRs with Chiome’s target specific know how for a fast and straightforward preclinical validation path” adds Christoph Merten, scientific founder and CSO of Velabs.
“We opted for Velabs’ microfluidic screening technology in order to optimize time and productivity of discovering therapeutic antibodies against GPCRs. We look forward to obtaining promising hits, which can ultimately give rise to preclinical candidates through this collaboration”, says Yukoh Nakazaki, Head of Antibody Research Laboratories of Chiome Bioscience.
About Velabs Therapeutics
Therapeutics Velabs Therapeutics is a spin-out from Europe’s most prestigious life science research and instrumentation institute, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), standing at the forefront of microfluidics-based screening technology and applications world-wide. The company’s droplet-based microfluidic screening technology aims at the fast generation of antibodies against target molecules presented on cellular membrane surfaces or as soluble protein. VELABS has pioneered the use of droplet microfluidics for the fast screening of correctly paired human antibodies that do not just bind to a drug target, but rather modulate its function.
For more information, please visit please visit
About Chiome Bioscience
Chiome Bioscience is a clinical stage biotechnology company. Chiome’s focus is on discovery and development of antibody-based therapeutics in the disease areas with unmet medical needs. Currently it is advancing two programs in oncology. Chiome has proprietary antibody generating technology named ADLib® System and has several antibody discovery and preclinical programs. Chiome was founded in 2005, is listed in Tokyo stock exchange Mothers (code: 4583), and located in Tokyo, Japan.
For more information, please visit
24.04.2019
Velabs Therapeutics to cooperate with BioMed X in the field of immunology
Contact
Dr. Christoph Antz
Managing Director
Velabs Therapeutics GmbH
Meyerhofstrasse 1
69117 Heidelberg
+49 6221 3878194
antz@velabs-therapeutics.com
Velabs Therapeutics, specializing in the fast generation of functional therapeutic antibodies, today announced that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with BioMed X Innovation Center, Heidelberg. The collaboration will capitalize on Velabs’ microfluidics-based technology in the field of T-cell screening.
The BioMed X Innovation Center is a new collaboration model at the interface between academia and industry. BioMed X is using the Velabs platform to support the research team of John Lindner to explore new concepts for rapid identification of auto-antigens in autoimmune diseases. The research team, sponsored by Janssen Research & Development, LLC, will use high-throughput microfluidic screening approaches to couple T-cell receptor specificity with auto-antigens.
Velabs Therapeutics, a recent startup company of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), is a pioneer in microfluidic technology for functional screening of antibodies and single immune cells. The high-throughput screening platform allows for testing millions of correctly paired fully natural IgGs from humans and mice for therapeutic effects, rather than just for binding. Results are obtained in only a fraction of the time required by other technologies. The company offers customized screening services for users worldwide. Besides carrying out service projects, Velabs is currently also establishing its own proprietary pipeline of therapeutic antibody candidates for further joint development with pharma partners.
“We are excited by this new cooperation with one of BioMed X’s top research teams.”, says Christoph Antz, Managing Director of Velabs. “The company’s capacities in fast screening of single cells and functional antibodies will strongly support a superior performance of BioMed X’s research team.”, adds Christoph Merten, scientific founder and CSO of Velabs.
“In order to address the central challenge of screening and characterizing different immune cells at large scale, the research team chose Velabs’ technology as the most suitable and promising microfluidic screening platform available”, says Christian Tidona, founder and Managing Director of BioMed X.
About Velabs Therapeutics
Therapeutics Velabs Therapeutics is a spin-out from Europe’s most prestigious life science research and instrumentation institute, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), standing at the forefront of microfluidics-based screening technology and applications world-wide. The company’s droplet-based microfluidic screening technology aims at the fast generation of antibodies against target molecules presented on cellular membrane surfaces or as soluble protein. VELABS has pioneered the use of droplet microfluidics for the fast screening of correctly paired human antibodies that do not just bind to a drug target, but rather modulate its function.
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About BioMed X
The BioMed X Innovation Center is an exciting new collaboration model at the interface between academia and industry. At the center, distinguished early career scientists recruited from all over the world jointly work on novel pre-clinical research projects in the fields of biomedicine, molecular biology, cell biology, diagnostics and consumer care. These interdisciplinary project teams conduct groundbreaking biomedical research in an open innovation lab facility at the Technology Park on the campus of the University of Heidelberg, Germany. They are working under the guidance of experienced mentors from academia and industry while expanding their scientific network and receiving entrepreneurship and leadership training. Each team is typically sponsored by a corporate pharma partner of BioMed X. After a fully funded project term, successful projects are either internalized into the development pipeline of the respective pharma partner or transformed into an independent start-up company. BioMed X collaborates with pharma companies such as AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Janssen, Merck and Roche.
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07.01.2019
New EMBL spinoff company Velabs Therapeutics strives to speed up the discovery of new and better therapeutic antibodies
Contact EMBLEM:
Annabelle Grimm
EMBLEM Technology Transfer GmbH
Boxbergring 107
69126 Heidelberg
+49-6221-363-22-24
grimm@embl.de
An established proprietary microfluidics technology from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) allows for fast screening of antibodies from natural sources and even difficult targets. With the startup company Velabs Therapeutics, launched by EMBL and its technology transfer arm EMBLEM Technology Transfer GmbH (EMBLEM) together with private investors, the advantages of the platform are now made accessible to the antibody community around the globe.
“We have been using microfluidics at EMBL for years, and seen its potential in different fields”, says Christoph Merten, group leader at EMBL Heidelberg and developer of the platform. “Especially in the field of antibody-screening the advantages of our platform over existing technologies stood out.”
Velabs is a pioneer in microfluidics-based technologies for functional screening of antibodies. The high-throughput screening platform allows for testing millions of correctly paired fully natural IgGs from humans and mice for therapeutic effects, rather than just for binding. Results are obtained in only a fraction of the time required by other technologies. Velabs’ antibody screens can thus significantly and competitively shorten pre-clinical development.
“We have built a solid patent portfolio around the microfluidic technology at EMBL over the years and the novel platform has been validated in several industry collaborations. Velabs Therapeutics now has a strong basis to expand the technology and make it broadly available in the market”, says Gábor Lamm, Managing Director for EMBLEM.
Velabs offers customized screening services for users worldwide. Besides carrying out service projects, the company also works on establishing a proprietary pipeline of therapeutic antibody candidates and further development of the technology platform.
About Velabs Therapeutics
Velabs Therapeutics is a spin-out from Europe’s most prestigious life science research and instrumentation institute, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), which has been at the forefront of microfluidics-based screening technology development and applications world-wide. The company’s droplet-based microfluidic screening technology aims at the fast generation of antibodies against target molecules presented on cellular membrane surfaces or as soluble protein. VELABS has pioneered the use of droplet microfluidics for the fast screening of correctly paired human antibodies that do not just bind to a drug target, but rather modulate its function.
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About EMBL
EMBL is Europe’s flagship laboratory for the life sciences. We are an intergovernmental organisation established in 1974 and are supported by over 20 member states. EMBL performs fundamental research in molecular biology, studying the story of life. We offer services to the scientific community; train the next generation of scientists and strive to integrate the life sciences across Europe. We are international, innovative and interdisciplinary. We are more than 1600 people, from over 80 countries, operating across six sites in Grenoble (France), Hamburg (Germany), Heidelberg (Germany), Cambridge (UK), Rome (Italy), and Barcelona (Spain). Our scientists work in independent groups and conduct research and offer services in all areas of molecular biology. Our research drives the development of new technology and methods in the life sciences. We work to transfer this knowledge for the benefit of society.
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About EMBLEM
EMBLEM, established in 1999, identifies, protects and commercializes the intellectual property developed in the EMBL world, from EMBL alumni and from non-EMBL third parties. EMBLEM currently manages a portfolio of more than 350 granted patents and patent applications, and has created 18 spin-out companies. EMBLEM facilitates and accelerates the transfer of innovative technology from basic research to industry by working closely with industrial partners spanning the biotech, IT and mechanical/electrical engineering markets and currently has more than 400 licensees of EMBL technologies.
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07.03.2018