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06/2023 Team

OCCIDENT Team explores Amsterdam

Our annual summer offsite took us to Amsterdam this year. This vibrant city with a unique mix of culture, beauty and inspiration is as diverse as our team. With our offsites, we strengthen our team spirit and experience unforgettable moments together away from our jobs.

During our time in Amsterdam, we immersed ourselves in the unique character of the city. We explored the picturesque canals by boat, went on a “typically Dutch” bike tour, and of course sampled local and exotic delicacies – culinary is never neglected at our team offsites.

Amsterdam provided us with the perfect backdrop to advance collaboration and team cohesion, and will continue to inspire us long after we return to our two office locations in Munich and Zug.

Thank you all for these great experiences!

05/2023 Portfolio

Positive Interim Analysis

Good news and great hope for all patients suffering from chronic neuropathic pain comes from our portfolio company Algiax Pharmaceuticals. The company announced a positive interim analysis of a Phase 2a study with its lead candidate AP-325 in chronic neuropathic pain. AP-325 is a small molecule aimed at reducing neuropathic pain by activating GABAA signaling.

We keep our fingers crossed for the further development of the study.

More information in the press release under the following link

More about Algiax Pharmaceuticals

05/2023 Portfolio

First Patient In

Congratulations to our portfolio company Thermosome. The Munich-based drug development company specializing in targeted tumor therapies announced that the first patient has been dosed in the ongoing Phase 1 trial of its lead program THE001 in April 2023.

We keep our fingers crossed for the further development of the study.

More information in the press release under the following link

More about Thermosome

04/2023 About

Third OCCIDENT Pitch Event in Munich

We co-hosted our pitch event together with TGFS Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen and Univations/bmp Ventures with the intention to build bridges to tackle tomorrow’s challenges together. Successfully building a startup and realizing truly great innovations requires many bright minds profitably working together.

Besides our selection of startups, our partners TGFS and Univations/bmp also nominated their most promising startups and thus enabled us building bridges – bridges between various geographic regions and startup ecosystems, bridges between different technologies and innovations, and most importantly, very specifically, bridges between highly motivated startup founders on stage and experienced deep tech investors in the audience.

The following networking session with catering after 16 great pitches allowed for an informal exchange and encouraged inspiring conversations. Thanks to all participants for making the pitch event such a success!

04/2023 Portfolio

Tubulis to collaborate with Bristol Myers Squibb

Tubulis and the US pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) have announced a strategic license agreement to develop the next generation of ultra-stable antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for the treatment of solid tumors. Under the terms of the agreement, Tubulis will receive an upfront payment of $22.75 million, plus milestone-based payments and royalties that have a combined potential value of over $1 billion!

This partnership combines Tubulis’ unique approach for the development of ADCs with BMS’ extensive expertise in oncology and clinical development. As part of the collaboration, Tubulis and BMS will develop a set of different ADCs based on Tubulis’ proprietary P5 conjugation technology and Tubutecan payloads that promise unmatched ADC stability and a highly desirable safety and efficacy profile.

Following the antibody target selection by BMS, Tubulis will provide its linker payloads to generate a uniquely matched ADC for each antibody. BMS will assume sole responsibility for development, manufacturing, and commercialization of the resulting ADC candidates.

Big congratulations to the whole Tubulis team for achieving this amazing success!

More information in the press release under the following link

More about Tubulis

04/2023 Portfolio

Strategic Partnership of Bio-Techne and Lunaphore

Bio-Techne and our portfolio company Lunaphore have partnered to develop a fully automated spatial multiomics workflow for the detection of protein and RNA biomarkers on the same slide. The partnership aims to bring the power of next-generation spatial multiomics to the research community with a fully automated and scalable solution.

The project leverages Lunaphore’s portfolio of sequential multiplexed immunofluorescence solutions and aims to provide tissue morphology, scalability and reproducibility for translational and clinical research applications.

Lunaphore’s COMET instrument, which fits into the standard histology workflow, enables detection of hyperplex proteins at single-cell and subcellular resolution using non-conjugated primary antibodies. Bio-Techne’s RNAscope HiPlex technology will be integrated into the workflow to enable visualization of RNA biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity.

Read more in the press release at the following link.

04/2023 Portfolio

Resistell collaborates with CRISP

Our portfolio company Resistell has announced a new collaboration with the Center for Research and Innovation in Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences (CRISP) at the University Hosptial of Lausanne (CHUV). The partnership will focus on combating multidrug-resistant bacterial lung infections, a major global health concern.

Resistell’s Phenotech instruments, which use nanomotion to measure living cells, will be tested to assess its feasibility as a diagnostic tool. This innovative approach has the potential to revolutionize the industry and provide a fast, reliable, and disruptive alternative to existing phagograms. This partnership highlights the power of bringing together academia and industry to address critical challenges in healthcare.

We look forward to seeing the impact this collaboration will have in the fight against multidrug-resistant bacterial lung infections.

More about Resistell

03/2023 Portfolio

InSphero announces financing round with ZEISS Ventures

Great news from our portfolio company InSphero, the global market leader in 3D spheroids and cell-based assays for pharmaceutical drug discovery and safety testing. The company has announced the successful completion of an eight-figure financing round led by ZEISS Ventures and with participation from existing and new investors.

The funds are used to advance the development and availability of cryopreserved assay-ready plates for 3D spheroid assays, enabling laboratories to store these plates for rapid access, thereby streamlining research and drug development processes. For ZEISS Ventures it is as a strategic investment closely linked to ZEISS Research Microscopy Solutions.

More information in the press release under the following link.

More about InSphero

03/2023 Portfolio

advio starts clinical study

Great news from our portfolio company adivo. The Munich based biotech startup announced its first development project entering first-in-patient clinical studies.

The canine monoclonal antibody is species-specific and was developed using adivo’s proprietary CAESAR technology platform. The compound targets a well-established and validated immune checkpoint inhibitor, which is of high importance for the progression of various cancer types.

As part of the clinical trial, dogs with solid tumours, including inoperable and metastatic cases, are being treated in a compassionate use setting. Primary goal is to assess safety but also early signs of efficacy.

We wish all dogs participating in the trial a speedy recovery!

More about adivo

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