The biotech firm DISCO Pharmaceuticals, which is based in Schlieren in the canton of Zurich and in Cologne, Germany, has secured seed funding of 20 million euros. The investor consortium comprised globally leading venture capital firms such as Sofinnova Partners (Paris), Panakès Partners (Milan), M Ventures (Amsterdam) and AbbVie Ventures (North Chicago), further details of which can be found in a press release.
DISCO Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2022 as a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH). Its Swiss headquarters are located at the Bio-Technopark Schlieren-Zürich. The company works to decode the organization of proteins on the surface of cancer cells, dubbed the “surfaceome” by co-founder Prof. Bernd Wollscheid and developed in his laboratory at ETH. The aim here is to identify new target molecules for tumor therapies, due to the fact that the need to develop new biologics such as antibody-drug conjugates and bio-specific antibodies is on the rise. However, there are currently fewer than 30 target molecules, and protein molecules of this kind form the basis for all antibody-based therapies.
DISCO’s platform for mapping the organization of cell surfaces identifies proteins and protein communities across the entire surface of cancer cells. According to the press release, DISCO has completed the first-ever mapping of the surfaceome of a cancer indication, small cell lung cancer (SCLC), that has historically been difficult to effectively treat. It is now developing its own antibody-based therapy. DISCO is also carrying out research into microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer, for which there are presently not a great deal of treatment options available.
“Today, we are launching DISCO Pharmaceuticals and its breakthrough technology after a decade of research by our exceptional team”, comments Prof. Roman Thomas, CEO of DISCO Pharmaceuticals, in the press release. The resultant technology is “truly disruptive” and looks set to “transform oncology treatment options”, he adds. ce/mm
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