With less than a month until the World Vaccine Congress in Barcelona, our start-up zone is continuing to grow! This week we are pleased to present another set of organisations that have already secured their spaces in the zone. To see previous introductions head over to our technology section.
Why be a start-up at the World Vaccine Congress?
Start-ups whose applications are successful are entitled to several unique benefits, including exhibition wall space, 2 complimentary passes, and marketing materials. For the first time at this event, there is the opportunity to participate in a 5-minute pitch during lunch breaks, an exciting way of introducing yourselves to colleagues and potential partners.
Our wonderful start-up manager, Isabella Aung, will receive your application and guide you through the process. She is looking forward to hearing more from interested companies, so do get in touch with her here via email (isabella.aung@terrapinn.com) or head straight to the application page here.
“I am super excited to connect with and welcome even more start-ups to our start-up zone at our Congress this October! It’s going to be our biggest and most exciting start-up zone yet!”
Introducing…
Belyntic
- Resident viruses like EBV or CMV threaten millions of immunocompromised people and are associated with the development of the most threatening diseases of our time, such as cancer or Alzheimer’s.
- Belyntic wants to leverage the power of the human immune system, particularly the T-cell repertoire, to eradicate such unmet viral diseases.
- The team uses a platform technology based on self-adjuvant peptides, and hopes to enable the development of prophylactic and therapeutic nanovaccines.
NEOMatrix
- A biotech founded in 2020 by scientists who were leading cancer vaccine programmes in MSD and Takis Biotech. The team is recognised for the conception and implementation of many innovative technologies to improve in vivo gene transfer, regulation of gene expression, and immunogenicity.
- NEOMatrix’s objective is the production of patient-specific DNA-based Neoantigen Cancer Vaccines (NCV) built on sequencing the genetic map of the tumour and identification of neoantigens, specific mutations that are present only on cancer cells.
- The approach was demonstrated to be efficient at preventing tumour growth and strongly improving immune responses against cancer in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
- The targeted procedure for production and delivery of NEOMatrix is based on a fast process that includes:
- sampling specific tumour DNA
- sequencing this DNA
- identification of mutation
- synthesis of the right DNA sequence for the specific tumour
- delivery through DNA Electroporation (EP)
- NEOMatrix is based on synthetic DNA, the ideal platform for bringing individualised neoantigen vaccines to the market, being usable in multiple deliveries for treating different metastases in the same patient, and being easier to produce and handle at reasonable costs with high numbers of neoepitopes.
Oxford SimCell
- A biotechnology spinout from the University of Oxford and the exclusive licensee of SimCell technology.
- SimCell technology puts a new spin on a very traditional kind of vaccine – inactivated whole bacterial cells – which are used to protect against bacterial pathogens.
- The vaccines can be used as alternative countermeasures against critical bacteria that don’t respond to antibiotic drugs, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
- The goal is to improve individual patient outcomes and help to tackle the overarching global challenge of AMR.
- SimCells are genome-free bacteria, produced by expression of a nuclease in host bacteria that cuts the bacterial genome. The process renders the bacteria unable to replicate whilst preserving important immunogenic cell surface features. The SimCells cannot grow but are otherwise identical to their live counterparts, and are ideal for use as inactivated whole-cell vaccines; SimCell vaccines exhibit a full complement of cell surface antigens in their native conformation and context, generating a comprehensive immune response.
Apex Research Group
- A clinician-led clinical research site organisation committed to preserving the health and well-being of the general population by being a liaison between Pharma, Clinical Research Organisations (CROs), and prospective clinical trial participants.
- Dedicated to researching diagnostics, medical devices, and therapeutics used in preventative care and treatment. With the singular goal of addressing unmet medical needs, ARG connects participants to clinical investigation and conducts studies on behalf of sponsors with promising investigational products in their pipelines. This includes vaccines, pharmaceutical medicines, and medical devices.
- Connected to several Urgent Care clinics throughout Sacramento with a network that enables practical recruitment approaches to reach a wide range of potential study participants.
- Committed to ensuring that all studies are conducted with the highest integrity to produce high quality data. With a focus on participant safety, the team employs a patient-centric approach to conducting clinical research and is guided by the ethical principles that support compassionate patient care.
bespark*bio
- An innovative and independent process development organisation committed to developing sustainable manufacturing processes for viral vector-based medicines for clients.
- Combines internal development with pharma service to stay at the forefront of science and technology with an innovation-driven portfolio.
- Promotes a significant reduction of time to clinics, concurrently reducing risks of failure by generating sophisticated process understanding and simplifying customers’ journey from scientific breakthroughs to clinical development.
- Operates in a cutting-edge process development facility, complemented by innovative digitalisation and data modelling approaches.
- Builds on a highly experienced team of educated scientists, a renowned scientific advisory board, and a strong international network.
- Champions service orientated and flexible collaborations based on mutual respect and reliability. The team understands partners’ needs.
If you would like to join your colleagues in this exciting and continuously growing start-up zone, fill out an application here or contact Isabella here: isabella.aung@terrapinn.com
Stay tuned for more start-up news, and make sure you subscribe to our weekly newsletters!
