The award is from the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the BioChancePLUS program which helps small and medium-sized biotech companies to develop and implement biotechnological processes and products.
GenPat77 is developing two types of biological therapeutics, fusion proteins and monoclonal antibodies, targeting CEACAM1. The most advanced, CEACAM1-Fc fusion protein is currently in advanced preclinical studies. These molecules have already shown significant efficacy in models of inflammatory bowel disease.
“We believe that therapies targeting CEACAM1 have potential to address several disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, other autoimmune diseases and cancer,” noted Dr Nalan Utku, CEO of GenPat77. “This BioChancePlus grant will provide the resources needed to advance this very promising program through to IND filing.”