Výsledky vyhledávání

< Back Milan Prášil Chairman, Board of directors Milan has a thorough knowledge of a business as well as an academic environment. Functioning for eight years as a chancellor of the oldest and one of the largest universities in Central Europe, Charles University in Prague, Milan’s special assignment was a technological transfer and commercialization of academic research results. Milan is well acquainted with the entrepreneurial environment since he founded and managed a consulting company focused mainly on the assessment and improvement of clinical healthcare efficiency and the assessment and professional development of managers. Before he entered the world of entrepreneurship, Milan had spent a great deal of his early professional career developing expertise in the pharma industry. He initially worked for the Czech branches of research-oriented pharma producers (Novo Nordisk, Bayer) in various positions in sales and marketing. He later gained international senior management experience working at a multinational biotech company (Genzyme Therapeutics), where he was responsible for the process of company expansion to the regions of Central and Eastern Europe. Milan Prasil graduated from the 1st medical faculty of Charles University in Prague (1995) and got his MBA from the Rochester Institute of Technology and the U.S. Business School in Prague (1996).

< Back Jiří Růžička Project Manager Jiri Ruzicka is a Project manager at i&i Prague. He is responsible for the analysis of projects, mainly from the scientific and technological aspect. Before joining our company Jiri worked as a Research Associate at the Institute of Experimental Medicine (IEM, part of the Czech Academy of Sciences), as well as within the international research center of IEM, University of Cambridge, and University of Leeds, called Neurorecon. He holds BSc. and MSc. Degrees from the Faculty of Science, Charles University. He has done his Ph.D. at IEM, AS CR, and the 2nd Faculty of Medicine of Charles University. During his postdoc as a member of the Neurorecon team he spent several months at Imperial College London and had close collaboration with the University of Cambridge, including several short research stays. He has 14+ years’ experience in the fields of neuroscience and regenerative medicine with a broad focus on brain/spinal cord injuries, neurodegenerative diseases, and aging. He has been dealing with enzymatic, gene, or cell therapies, biomaterial applications, and genetic models of neurodegenerative disorders.

If you have any questions for us, feel free to email or call us. Contact us We help invention grow! i&i Prague, s.r.o. Pobřežní 394/12 186 00 Prague Czech Republic IN: 06058485 +420 725 152 013 info@iniprague.com First Name Last Name Email Message Thanks for submitting! Send

< Back Jiří Moos CEO, Board of Directors Jiří Moos is our Executive Director, having joined i&i Prague from DiaSorin where he was the Marketing Manager. He is also a member of the TACR GAMA Commercialization Board at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Prague, and an external member of the Supervisory Board at the Institute of Biotechnology AS CR. Between 2008 and 2016, he acted as a Senior Sales Manager for Sigma-Aldrich (since 2015 a part of Merck KgaA), Czech Republic and Slovakia, and as a Coordinator of regional Sigma-Aldrich Applied Business Unit activities, also covering Hungary and Poland. For six years, he worked for Immunotech a.s., a Beckman-Coulter company located in Prague, first as a Product Manager in the Clinical Chemistry team and later as the Life Science Product Specialist team leader. Jiří also has extensive experience as a Scientific Researcher at the Centre of Assisted Reproduction, General Teaching Hospital in Prague, and as a Research Fellow at the Institute of Molecular Genetics, AS CR in Prague. Jiří Moos completed his Master´s degree in Biology and Chemistry at Charles University in Prague. He received a Ph.D. (CSc.) in Biology from the Institute of Molecular Genetics, AS CR in Prague, followed by almost 3 years of postdoctoral fellowship in the field of Biology of Reproduction at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Jiří has also completed the Miller Heiman course of Business and Strategic Selling. If you are interested in cooperation, Jiří will probably be the person you will be meeting quite often. Maybe you are already on his radar because he is the one actively searching for new technologies and early-stage opportunities. He has been in the world of science for almost three decades and has made an extensive network of contacts both in Academia and Industry.

Elphogene, s.r.o. received a TA CR grant for “Sample prep system and technology for cancer testing by liquid biopsy”! Elphogene, s.r.o., an i&i Prague supported start-up, just received grant from the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (referred to as the “TA CR“) for the project “Sample prep system and technology for cancer testing by liquid biopsy”. Congratulations! Prague, September 10, 2020 – Elphogene, s.r.o. in cooperation with Thomayer Hospital and the Institute of Analytical Chemistry of the CAS, v. v. i. (IAC) received a grant from the TA CR within the Program for the Support of Industrial Research and Experimental Development TREND. The aim of the 4-year project is the development of new methods and technological procedures for the diagnosis of cancer, based on liquid biopsy – a non-invasive testing for the presence of a tumor in a patient’s body. “Receiving financial support for our project will allow us to continue adapting and further developing our oncoMonitor™ technology test, which we currently provide to cancer patients to monitor treatment and early detection of disease recurrence.“ says Marek Minarik, principal investigator of the project, Co-Founder and CEO of Elphogene. The newly developed methodology will be universally applicable in the sample preparation process and compatible with the current most commonly used methods for liquid biopsy. The ultimate result will be an increase in the analytical sensitivity of the test, which will enable the extension of clinical utility. The project, which represents a unique involvement of the three different types of entities – a commercial start-up, a research academic institution, and a top medical facility, thus has a social dimension as well. “The development of a new version of the test, carried out as part of the supported project, aims at a possibility of using a liquid biopsy in earlier stages of cancer, or even for the diagnosis in asymptomatic individuals. This, in turn, can contribute not only to reducing mortality and improving patient health care but also soften the economic impact due to reducing the overall cost of the health care in relation to this highly serious disease.” says Tomas Buchler, Head of the Department of Oncology of the First Medical Faculty of Charles University and Thomayer Hospital. The project will also be the first where Thomayer Hospital participates in a research and development leading to the commercialization of a service or product with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Without the direct involvement of this Comprehensive Oncology Center, it would not be possible to perform clinical validations that are key to the planned outcomes.

CasInvent Pharma receives the Neuron Award for excellent Technology Transfer The laureates of the prestigious Neuron Awards in 2021 have been announced. Since 2009, the Neuron Endowment Fund has been rewarding the first-class Czech researchers for their contributions to science. For the first time this year, the Neuron Award has also been given for the collaboration of academic researchers and industrial partners. The award recognized Vítězslav Bryja, Kamil Paruch and Radoslav Trautmann for the close collaboration between the Masaryk University in Brno (MU) and the incubator and investor i&i Prague, and for their work on the establishment of the spin-off company CasInvent Pharma . Masaryk University, the second largest university in the Czech Republic, is one of the foremost research-oriented Czech universities. i&i Prague is a biotech incubator and hub in the Central European Region, scouting and supporting projects with excellent innovative potential in the fields of MedTech, Diagnostics and Drug Discovery. These two well-known organizations have joined forces working on the establishment of CasInvent Pharma, one of the first spin-offs of its kind, to enable further development of small-molecule compounds with anticancer properties. The core of the technology licensed to CasInvent from MU is a proprietary class of highly potent and selective inhibitors of casein kinases 1. These compounds are being developed for the treatment of selected types of leukemias, lymphomas and solid tumors. The entire team of CasInvent Pharma, including the laureates Vítězslav Bryja, Kamil Paruch, Radoslav Trautmann and further composed of Pavlína Janovská (MU) and David Stíbal (i&i Prague) is currently progressing their lead compound through the advanced stages of preclinical development.

LAM-X, a.s. won the 2020 EIT Health #MedTech Bootcamp final #Pitch Event i&i Prague supported start-up, LAM-X, a.s. , become a winner of the 2020 EIT Health #MedTech Bootcamp final #Pitch Event! After 5 intense, dense and focused full-time weeks in front of zoom, where the teams refined their business model, widened their network and worked on regulations and pitch skills, the 10 teams presented their projects to a curious, knowledgable jury: Jörg Trinkwalter, Olaf Weiner, Samuel Schuler and Stefan Fasbender – and LAM-X a.s. was evaluated as the most advanced! Congratulations!

< Back David Stíbal Board of Directors, Vice Director David Stíbal is the Vice Director at i&i Prague. He holds BSc and MSc degrees from UCT Prague, Czech Republic, and a Ph.D. from the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. After his doctorate studies, David worked as a PostDoc at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to joining our company, David worked in Lach-Ner s.r.o. as a research scientist, developing modular catalytic systems. His international scientific experience has allowed him to develop a detail-oriented approach to projects from various fields, spanning organic and inorganic chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, bioinorganic chemistry, and biochemistry. At i&i Prague, David has been focusing on biotechnology evaluations, intellectual property rights, and start-up formation. He will therefore be happy to help assess the scientific background of your project, offer advice during the start-up set-up and early management, and assist in the long-term project development all the way to the successful commercialization.

Czech liquid biopsy startup Elphogene comes under full control of one of the founders February 6, 2023 Czech biotechnology start-up Elphogene who pioneered cancer monitoring through its liquid biopsy technology has announced a change in its shareholder structure. The new and sole owner is now Marek Minarik, one of the two original founders of the company. Elphogene, which based its original business plan on molecular cancer diagnostics and monitoring of cancer therapy for patients with colorectal tumors using its proprietary liquid biopsy technology, has seen unprecedented economic growth over the past two years resulting from COVID-19 PCR tests. The company chief, Marek Minárik, says: "With the outbreak of the covid pandemic we have surprisingly seen a significant decrease in interest in our oncology diagnostics from the referring clinical sites. Based on this, our SARS-CoV-2 virus PCR protocol, which was originally developed only for internal testing of our oncology patients, was then converted into accredited regime and after obtaining a license for the Czech National Institute of Public Health we have become part of the official national network of testing laboratories." Elphogene labs, which greatly benefited from their location near the Václav Havel International Airport in Prague - Ruzyne, processed close to 330,000 PCR tests throughout the pandemic, representing approximately 1% of all COVID PCR tests performed at that time in the Czech Republic. The company was first with accreditation for COVID-19 PCR testing, and also one of the first to introduce and validate the pooling method for preventive screening provided to a number of primary and secondary schools in Prague and the Central Bohemia region. "After the decline in COVID tests during the spring of last year, we decided to focus fully to the research and development of a new generation of our technology for the sensitive detection of tumor-specific markers in the peripheral blood of oncology patients," says Minarik, adding: "At the end of the last year, we succeeded in validating of a completely new approach, for which we are now finalizing European patent application. At the same time, we have already approached several leading players in the field of instrument diagnostics with a possibility of technology transfer." Minarik, one of the two original founders, who until now owned 78% stake in the company, acquired the remaining share from a biotechnology incubator i&i Prague, which was the original angel investor when Elphogene was founded at the beginning of 2020. The founder share buy-back, which took place during the last days of December, represents the second successful exit of the investing fund which was established at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague. i&i Prague: Our mission ends, we wish you much success In the portfolio of the bio-innovation center i&i Prague, Elphogene was among the most mature. "Our investments were at the early stage of the company and helped the transition of its technology from the laboratory to oncology patients and, last but not least, enabled it to respond flexibly to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to this, Elphogene has become one of the leading laboratories in the Czech Republic in the diagnosis of this disease," says Jiri Moos, executive director of i&i Prague and, until recently, also one of Elphogene's executives. The task of i&i Prague is to search for promising technologies and help them with their introduction to the market. This was achieved in this case, the company Elphogene is today a functioning private healthcare facility that has all the necessary accreditations and permits authorizing it to operate its activities. "At this point, our mission ends and we will focus on supporting other unique ideas from our portfolio. We would like to thank Associate Professor Marek Minarik for excellent cooperation and wish the Elphogene company much success in the commercialization of their technology," adds Jiri Moos. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

< Back Martin Kovalčík Communications For almost 13 years, Martin worked as a media coordinator for the respected Czech non-profit organization, People in Need, where he was responsible for the media service for a team of 300 people. Also, he has experience working in several editorial offices. He left his most significant mark at the Metro newspaper, where he worked for over 5 years, the last two as the deputy editor-in-chief.

Notes from a trip to “The most startup friendly country in the world” At the end of April, Karel Kubias (one of the partners of i&i Biotech Fund) and Jiří Moos (CEO of i&i Prague) attended an event in Riga, Latvia, called Roche Latvia Innovations Day. Here you can read their blog where they describe their impressions from the event and, more importantly, provide further evidence that the Baltic States can serve as inspiration for the Czech Republic. At least in terms of technology transfer… At the end of April 2022, the Latvian representative office of the global pharmaceutical company, Roche, invited us as guests of the “Roche Latvia Innovations Incubator Day”. We gladly accepted the invitation as supporting and building technology transfer is in i&i Prague and i&i Biotech’s genes. It is commendable and positive (but not surprising) that Roche has decided to establish incubators in different territories to financially support primary research results and create an environment where innovative ideas can grow and mature. In Latvia, moreover, this initiative is closely aligned with significant state support. Developing the knowledge economy During the one-day event, two representatives of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (www.liaa.gov.lv ) spoke, among others, about how the Agency supports innovation and technology transfer, increases Latvia’s attractiveness for foreign investors and, last but not least, introduced us to its support programs for startups. Additionally, we learned that: in 2021 Latvia had over 400 startups from different sectors (from Fintech to Medtech and Healthtech to Biotech); the entire country (almost one-fifth smaller than the Czech Republic in size) is divided into 11 regional incubators, each of which provides startups with pre-incubation and incubation programs. Latvia has a “Startup Law”, designed to support startups, which allows them to receive co-funding from the state for qualified staff as well as tax benefits. However, the agency not only supports startups, but also the activities of entrepreneurs looking to develop new products or technologies in the form of Innovation Vouchers of up to €25,000. If you are interested in transferring your activities from abroad to Latvia and establishing a startup there, the Agency will arrange a visa for you. Thanks to all this, the Baltic country has been named “the most startup friendly country in the world” by Index Ventures. At times, we felt like we were at a conference in Germany or Austria, where the state also strongly supports technology transfer and startups in general. But Latvia? The targeted efforts to promote technology transfer here have a quite prosaic reason, this country does not have a strong industrial base, so they are focusing on promoting technology transfer in order to create favorable conditions for the development of the knowledge economy in Latvia. The meeting in Riga ‘one of the most exceptional’ As part of our contribution “What does your start-up need to be ready for investors?”, we shared our experience of the process of evaluating and supporting startups before i&i Biotech Fund decides to invest. We were delighted with the feedback from the audience who found our experience beneficial and did not hesitate to contact us with questions after the program. The full morning program can be viewed here. In the second part of the program, we were then introduced to the presentations of seven startups. Each of them received feedback from us and also recommendations for next steps. We continue to stay in contact with two of the teams and are considering investment in the future. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the Roche team for the excellent organization of the meeting. In our professional lives we have made dozens, if not hundreds of business trips, and only a few have stuck in our minds for their uniqueness. We dare to say that this visit to Riga will be one of those exceptional experiences. And we must also admit that we were pleasantly surprised by the level of support the Latvian government is dedicating to technology transfer. Our country can take inspiration from Latvia in this respect. Jiří Moos, i&i Prague (Executive Director) Karel Kubias, i&i Biotech Fund (Partner) THE CZECH VERSION OF THE BLOG CAN BE FOUND HERE . Contact: Martin Kovalčík, kovalcik@inibio.eu , +420 777 472 863

CasInvent Pharma, a New University Spin-Off Focused on Developing Cancer Drugs Established with Help of i&i Prague! A new spin-off company, CasInvent Pharma, a.s., has been established by Masaryk University (MU) in cooperation with its investment partner, i&i Prague, s.r.o. (Ltd), in order to facilitate further development of new compounds that could be used to treat certain types of leukaemia, lymphoma and solid tumours. The company will test the compounds that inhibit the enzyme Casein Kinase 1 (CK1) which is responsible, among other things, for the migration of leukaemia cells into lymphoid organs. The research groups of Vitězslav Bryja and Kamil Paruch from the Faculty of Science MU have been studying and developing these compounds for a long time now. Thanks to the newly-established company, they will be able to finish the preclinical stage of the development of these prospective drugs and move on to clinical trials of the most promising compounds. “The main reason behind establishing this spin-off company is the fact that it is virtually the only option to commercialize this technology, which is still in early stages of development, and advance the research to such stage that it catches the interest of big investors from the pharmaceutical industry,” says the director of Technology Transfer Office MU, Eva Janouškovcová, as to why the joint-stock spin-off company was established with the university as one of its stakeholders. “The i&i Prague company searchs and supports the most promising technologies and the highest quality projects. We have known for a long time that the inhibitors of CK1 are the most promising Czech projects. I am glad that Masaryk University has chosen the i&i Prague as a strategic partner for this project. I believe that we will be able to make significant progress towards clinical trials in the development of the drug, attract other co-investors and international partners and enable the practical use of these new substances as soon as possible thanks to the establishment of the CasInvent Pharma company,” said the CEO of i&i Prague, Jaromír Zahrádka. The CasInvent Pharma spin-off will continue developing the promising results of the scientific teams which led to the patenting of the inhibitors, i.e. compounds that significantly decrease or completely inhibit the activity of CK1 and can be used to treat e.g. certain types of leukaemia. More specifically, the B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) and the Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML). CLL characteristically causes the accumulation of dysfunctional cancer cells in the blood and their migration to lymph nodes, liver, spleen and bone marrow, which causes further complications such as enlargement of organs, immunodeficiency, anaemia and other. The aggressiveness of the disease then depends on the interaction of these dysfunctional cells with their immediate surroundings – so-called microenvironment. This interaction leads to tumour cells dividing uncontrollably. The inhibitors of CK1 can effectively stop the migration of the leukaemia cells to lymphoid organs, which prevents them from being damaged and hinders the spreading of CLL. AML, which is one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat types of leukaemia, has CK1 working in a different way. Based on the current results, the scientists expect the new compounds to initiate programmed cell death (so-called apoptosis) in leukaemia cells. Targeting interactions in the microenvironment, regulating apoptosis and inhibiting migration mechanisms can be successfully used with other forms of cancer as well, e.g. solid tumours the growth and spreading of which often depends on roughly the same principles. CasInvent Pharma joined the ranks of the other 17 spin-off companies Masaryk University helped to establish. The purpose of these spin-off companies is mainly to utilize the university’s intellectual property and increase its value. The university grants companies intellectual property licensing agreements and, in some cases, it even owns shares of the company. As a result, the spin-off companies established by the university bring profit to all the parties involved: for the university, it is the best way to appreciate its intellectual property, the spin-off company gains a competitive advantage on the market and, last but not least, the end product reaches the consumer more quickly