Success Stories
Made in Buch
Excellent basic and clinical research in biomedicine and world-class biotechnology are hallmarks of Campus Berlin-Buch. The objective is to translate scientific findings as rapidly as possible in order to develop new treatments and diagnostic methods.
"Made in Buch" stands for high quality and innovation in the life sciences.
Cambrium GmbH
Materials of the future: A vegan collagen
Das Start-up Cambrium erzeugt biotechnologisch neue Materialien. Erstes Produkt: ein veganes Kollagen.
Cambrium wurde vor drei Jahren von Mitchell Duffy und Charly Cotton gegründet, Hauptinvestor ist Merantix. Was ist das Besondere an Ihrem Start-up und welche Mission verfolgt es?
Cambrium bringt Computerwissenschaften und Biologie zusammen. Wir wollen erdöl- oder tierbasierte Materialien durch nachhaltigere, biologisch abbaubare Optionen ersetzen. Mittels rekombinanter Proteine bilden wir Materialien nach, die mindestens so effizient wie ihre Vorbilder sind. Die Computerwissenschaft hilft uns, den „Lebensbaum der Biologie“ zu durchforsten und somit die vielversprechendsten Protein-Kombinationen für unsere weiterführende Arbeit im Labor zu ermitteln.
Unser erstes Produkt bietet eine Alternative zu herkömmlichem Kollagen, das hauptsächlich aus Rindern gewonnen wird. Für die biotechnologische Herstellung nutzen wir Hefe-Stämme, die wir so designen, dass sie exakt die gewünschten Proteine produzieren. Die Hefen wachsen auf Glycerol, einem natürlich vorkommenden Zuckeralkohol, oder vergleichbaren Futtermitteln. Unsere Technologie verbraucht weniger Energie, Land und Wasser.
Ihr erstes Produkt ist das vegane Kollagen NovaColl™. Wie gut ist es, und wie ist die Resonanz?
NovaCollTM ist ein mikro-molekulares und zu 100 Prozent hautidentisches Kollagen. Durch seine Struktur und die geringe Molekülgröße kann es, verglichen mit herkömmlichen Kollagenen, besser von den unterschiedlichen Hautschichten absorbiert werden.
Wir haben dafür innerhalb von zwei Jahren Millionen von Proteinsequenzen auf hautaktive Eigenschaften und Indikatoren für die Wirksamkeit untersucht, den Herstellungsprozess entwickelt und skaliert. Die Wirksamkeit und Sicherheit von NovaColl TM wurde wissenschaftlich validiert. Im Frühjahr haben wir NovaCollTM erfolgreich auf Branchenmessen in Barcelona und New York vorgestellt.
CARTemis Therapeutics GmbH
Starting up with highly promising immunotherapies
Three is the magic number: Working with their labs at the Max Delbrück Center, Dr. Uta Höpken and Dr. Armin Rehm have developed three cell products for potential CAR T-cell therapies to treat cancer. Two of them will shortly enter their first human trials, while the third is at an advanced stage in the lab. To get their three candidate therapies to the point of regulatory approval, Höpken and Rehm have now founded CARTemis Therapeutics GmbH, a spin-off from the Max Delbrück Center. They are joined by Dr. Anthea Wirges and Dr. Mario Bunse, both research associates working with Höpken and Rehm. The two labs have played a crucial role in moving the CAR T-cell candidates through preclinical development. Wirges is the start-up’s CEO.
CAR T-cell therapies are often the last resort for patients with forms of leukemia, myeloma, or lymphoma that do not respond to conventional treatments. The new technique involves taking immune cells (T cells) from the patient and equipping them with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) in the laboratory. The CAR acts like a tiny antenna, scanning the body’s cells for specific features of cancer cells. Once the CAR T cells are introduced back into the patient’s body, they can detect and destroy cancer cells carrying the antigen that fits their new receptors.
Find out more about CARTemis Therapeutics GmbH on the Max Delbrück Center's website
CELLphenomics
Maya Niethard, MD and Christian Regenbrecht, PhD collaborate in research on sarcomas
Sarcomas comprise a relatively rare class of cancers, with about 4,000 new cases in Germany each year. Particularly young people are often affected. At Helios Hospital Berlin-Buch, around 600 patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas are treated every year at the certified Sarcoma Center, which is one of the largest in Germany. A distinctive feature of the Center is its research collaboration on sarcomas with the start-up CELLphenomics. Specializing in 3D cell cultures, the biotech company on the Berlin-Buch campus seeks to make even more precisely tailored treatments available to each individual patient. This is made possible with tests on organoids that are derived from small pieces of the tumor tissue.
Read more about the Buch success storyT-knife
Targeted detection of tumor cells
The human immune system is trained to distinguish between “self” and “non-self” and to destroy foreign structures. By means of anchor molecules (receptors) of T cells, it recognizes antigens of bacteria or viruses and thus can target and destroy such invaders. Cancer cells, however, are the body’s own cells, which is why the immune system does not mount an attack but instead tolerates them. A research team led by Professor Thomas Blankenstein has now succeeded in genetically altering human T cells so that their receptors can specifically track and destroy certain tumor cells. More than ten years of research have thus been crowned with success. The start-up T-knife is now developing one of the first T cell receptor gene therapies in Germany on the Berlin-Buch campus using this technology.
Lesen Sie mehr zur Bucher Erfolgsgeschichte
OMEICOS Therapeutics
Effective Therapy for Primary Mitochondrial Diseases
Founded in 2013 as a spin-off of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), OMEICOS managed to take its drug candidate from early preclinical concept to clinical testing in just three years. OMT-28 is a small molecule with anti-inflammatory activity and a positive impact on mitochondria, the 'power plants' of cells. As part of OMEICOS' development activities in cardiovascular disease, OMT-28 has already demonstrated an excellent safety profile in two clinical trials involving a total of 162 subjects. The profound effects on key biomarkers of impaired metabolism and increased inflammation observed in these studies provide a promising scientific basis for translating the therapeutic concept into the field of primary mitochondrial diseases (PMD). A Phase 2a clinical trial in PMD patients, a rare disease, is evaluating the efficacy and safety of OMT-28.
The compound is a synthetic analog of a metabolite of omega-3 fatty acids, the biological relevance of which was discovered in years of systematic comparative research at MDC. The drug candidate OMT-28 could provide millions of patients with a safe and effective treatment option.
OMEICOS Therapeutics GmbHGlycotope GmbH: GlycoExpress ™
Innovative biotechnology in top form
For its GlycoExpressTM (GEX) technology platform the company Glycotope GmbH was awarded the Innovation Prize Berlin-Brandenburg in 2010. The technology platform is used to optimize biotechnologically produced drugs (biotherapeutics).
Through so-called “glycoengineering”, i.e. the optimization of complex glucose chains attached to proteins, cell lines are produced that have excellent biotechnical properties. These are then used to develop and produce much improved drugs, e.g. antibodies for cancer therapy.
GLYCOTOPE is a leading technology and service provider in the fields of glycomics and immunotherapy.
Glycotope GmbH
Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG: IsoSeed ®
Targeted, gentle treatment of prostate cancer
Targeted, gentle treatment of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in men. In Europe alone there are approximately 135,000 new cases annually. Brachytherapy has proved to be a highly effective and very gentle form of treatment for early-stage prostate cancer. Using a needle, millimeter-sized, low-level radioactive implants (seeds) are placed in a targeted area of the prostate. They provide optimal dose distribution in the irradiated tissue with minimal adverse effects on the surrounding organs.
LDR brachytherapy is highly effective, well tolerated, and is characterized by a short treatment time and a relatively fast physical recovery. LDR brachytherapy with medical products from Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG as IsoSeed® (individual seeds) or IsoCord® (seed chains) has been successfully performed in clinical practice for more than ten years.
Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG is the European leader in the field of permanent seed implantation and the world’s only provider of the complete range of brachytherapy products.
www.ezag.de
Events
all events
09.10.2023, 09:00-
09.10.2023, 16:00
Explore Precision Medicine Event im Futurium
11.10.2023, 15:00-
11.10.2023, 19:00
Einweihung des Gründerzentrums BerlinBioCube
12.10.2023, 09:00-
12.10.2023, 18:00
BIOINFORMATIK IM LABOR 4.0