Success Stories

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.

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.

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.

Find out more

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.