Antibodies, which are made of proteins and keep pathogens at bay, are an important part of the immune system. Medical applications include vaccines, cancer therapy and diagnostics. The research group of Prof. Günter Mayer of the LIMES Institute at the University of Bonn has succeeded in replacing such antibodies with synthetic "clickmers" for specific applications. The technology is based on pioneering work by Prof. Dr. Michael Famulok, who also conducts research at the LIMES Institute.
"In recent years, our team has been able to demonstrate the applicability of the clickmer technology and its economic usability," says Prof. Mayer, who is also the representative of transfer at the University of Bonn. "Now it is a matter of working with APIS Assay Technologies to quickly bring our developments to commercial market readiness within in-vitro diagnostics so that users can benefit."
With the company from Manchester (England), an experienced developer of tests for molecular diagnostics is now taking over the development toward market launch. "Apis Assay Technologies harness the power of systems biology, big data, and novel synthetic clickmer technology to create diagnostic tests. These innovative tests can deliver significant improvements in disease prediction and prevention," says Dr. Ian Kavanagh, Chief Operating Officer (COO) APIS Assay Technologies.
The startup was developed over the past three years at the Life Science Inkubator until it was ready for investment. The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with 1.7 million euros. "The technology and the team convinced LSI in the evaluation process, so that we have jointly developed the project to commercialization readiness over the past three years," says LSI Managing Director Dr. Jörg Fregien.
MEDICA-tradefair.com; Source: University of Bonn
