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CasInvent Pharma raises € 1.6 million from i&i Prague and Other Investors to Support the Development of CK1 Inhibitors for Treatment-Resistant Solid and Hematological Tumours The financing will boost the development of innovative casein kinase 1 (CK1) inhibitors with the potential to treat conditions like acute myeloid leukaemia, pancreatic cancer, and certain types of breast cancer. This investment round was supported by the existing and two new investors. The syndicate includes i&i Biotech Fund (i&i Bio), KHAN Technology Transfer Fund I (KHAN-I), i&i Prague, the Holeček Family Foundation, and BIOINVESTIMED a. s. CasInvent Pharma, a university spin-off focused on developing anti-cancer compounds, has successfully closed the Pre-Series A funding round, raising a total of € 1.6 million from both existing and new investors. Founded in 2020 as a spin-off from Masaryk University in Brno and with the support of i&i Prague, CasInvent Pharma specializes in the development of highly selective inhibitors targeting the casein kinase 1 enzyme family. These enzymes play an important role in several disease-related processes, including the migration of leukaemia cells into lymphoid organs. The small-molecule inhibitors are designed to target individual isoforms of CK1 and thereby selectively eradicate leukemic cells. "It's gratifying to have convinced both new and existing partners to support our quest in developing effective treatment options and hope for patients suffering from these cancers with a very low survival rate," says Alexander Scheer, CEO of CasInvent Pharma. He believes these inhibitors have the potential to treat patients with conditions like acute myeloid leukaemia, pancreatic cancer, certain types of breast cancer (TNBC), and other diseases with limited treatment options. "The company's ability to attract new investors reaffirms not just the project's quality, but also the combined expertise of the team at CasInvent Pharma," says Ivan Vohlmuth, a partner at i&i Bio. "The team has worked really hard over the past 18 months and achieved promising data in the development of their CK1 inhibitor portfolio. We are pleased to continue to support the company," add Michael Krebs and Peter Nussbaumer from KHAN-I. Joining the investment round, alongside i&i Bio, KHAN-I and i&i Prague, are two new partners: the Holeček Family Foundation and BIOINVESTIMED a. s. "Supporting this innovative project allows us to participate in the important development of new treatment methods and therapeutic strategies in the field of oncological diseases. At the same time, we are impressed that a Czech entity has embarked on this difficult and financially demanding path. With our engagement we would like to motivate other investors to fund promising life science companies in the Czech Republic," says Ondřej Novák, Director of the Holeček Family Foundation. Contact: Martin Kovalčík, kovalcik@iniprague.com , +420 777 472 863 About i&i Bio i&i Bio is a Luxembourg-based venture capital firm that invests in innovative European life sciences companies focused on drug discovery, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health. The Fund was created thanks to the cooperation of the biotech incubator i&i Prague and the European Investment Fund (see below). With over € 53 million under management, i&i Bio plans to invest in about 20 early-stage companies. i&i Bio is led by an experienced team of professionals with backgrounds in private equity, healthcare and venture capital supporting entrepreneurs on their journey to global success. Thanks to close cooperation with the fund’s main sponsor, the biotech academic incubator i&i Prague, i&i Bio is supporting and advancing transformative Central European technology companies. For more information visit www.inibio.eu . About CasInvent Pharma CasInvent Pharma is a drug discovery spin-off company established in 2020 by Masaryk University (MU) and Bio-Innovation Centre i&i Prague, s.r.o. (Ltd). The mission of the company is to develop new therapeutic options for the treatment of resistant tumours. The CasInvent platform is based on the use of proprietary, best-in-class highly selective inhibitors of enzymes belonging to the casein kinase 1 (CK1) family that are responsible for the regulation of different cellular mechanisms leading to resistance to targeted therapies. More information at www.casinvent.com . About European Investment Fund i&i Bio is supported by an investment from the EIF, with the support of: lnnovFin Equity, with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) set up under the Investment Plan for Europe. The purpose of EFSI is to help support financing and implementing productive investments in the European Union and to ensure increased access to financing; and the Pan-European Guarantee Fund (EGF), implemented by the EIF with the financial support of the Participating Member States. The objective of EGF is to respond to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring that companies in the Participating Member States have sufficient short-term liquidity available to weather the crisis and are able to continue their growth and development in the medium to long-term. About KHAN-I KHAN Technology Transfer Fund I GmbH & Co KG (KHAN-I) is an early-stage life sciences venture fund with € 70 million under management. Their mission is to create value through cooperative drug development partnerships with academic innovators in Europe. KHAN-I focuses on first-in-class therapies for attractive markets with a high unmet medical need. The fund is managed by Khanu Management GmbH, an experienced team of professionals with proven track records in early-stage drug development and academic spin-offs as well as pharma licensing and partnering. KHAN-I received an investment from the European Investment Fund (EIF) with the support of InnovFin Equity, and with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) under the Investment Plan for Europe. KHAN-I is also supported by Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (AWS with funds provided by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs and the Austrian Foundation for Research, Technology, and Development), Max Planck Foundation, and Thyssen’sche Handelsgesellschaft mbH. In addition, KHAN-I sustains a preferred partnership with the Max Planck Society (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft e.V.). More information at www.khanu.de. About Holeček Family Foundation We support people with knowledge, experience and vision in areas we consider important for the development of our society. We provide support in the form of an open opportunity to receive funding from the Foundation and we leave it up to the beneficiaries to decide how to best use the support we grant. We would like to inspire others with our actions, because we believe that giving back to society brings value to us all. Our main area of focus is the Czech educational system. Educated people are a prerequisite for the development of any society and there is therefore a close focus on educational projects in the Foundation’s activities. Good health is a prerequisite for a full and active life of each of us. Therefore, the quality of health care, social care and the health care system is also in the Foundation’s focus. Last but not least, the Foundation supports science and research projects as the main drivers of progress and development in any society. The Foundation mainly supports organisations such as universities or hospitals, which already have a strong potential in the fields mentioned above, but their funding does not always allow them to fully develop their potential. In addition to these main areas of focus, the Board of Trustees also looks at specific innovative projects with the potential of bringing new discoveries or practices. More information at www.holecekfoundation.cz .

We are your new team member, leading your journey from groundbreaking invention to market-storming product. Incubation We help invention grow! For scientists aiming to commercialize their innovations, i&i Prague offers step-by-step support, including market analysis, initial funding, and early industry feedback. We connect you with experts from science, law, and industry to ensure your project’s success. We are your new team member, leading your journey from groundbreaking invention to market-storming product. Incubation process Unlock the full potential of your scientific discovery. Our team of experts will provide you with the support you need to successfully commercialize your innovation. Our incubation program includes four basic phases: Idea Evaluation, Pre-Incubation, Incubation and Post-Incubation phase. IDEA EVALUATION Content: Project introduction Duration: Individual Result: Yes/No futher discussion The Idea Evaluation lasts a few weeks. It begins with an introductory meeting to assess the project’s fit with our focus. If relevant, a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is signed, allowing the team to share confidential data. After that, our team internally analyses the technology’s scientific and commercial potential . The result is a clear decision: either approval or rejection for entry into our program. PRE-INCUBATION Content: Mentoring Duration: Individual Result: Incubation decision In the Pre-Incubation phase , we tailor each project individually . During the second phase of our program, we provide mentoring and hold regular update meetings to track progress and refine the project’s potential. The result of the Pre-Incubation phase is the signing of the Incubation term sheet and incubation agreement. INCUBATION Content: Full-speed project development Duration: Up to 36 months Result: Startup establishment The Incubation phase is the third step of our program, lasting up to 36 months . We focus on market analysis , creating a business plan , building a team (including a CEO ), and developing a proof of concept (PoC) or prototype . We also facilitate investor connections and provide financial support for the startup’s establishment . The result is either the incorporation of a new startup or out-licensing . POST-INCUBATION Content: Startup further support Duration: Individual Result: Support until successful exit The Post-Incubation phase provides ongoing support tailored to the startup’s needs for up to 10 years . Our support includes assistance with business developmen t, access to our expert network , and, if approved, optional investment . The result of the last of our incubation program is either a successful company exit or i&i Prague’s exit from the company . Contact us If you are interested in joining our incubation program, let us know. Our incubation program is open for projects from the Czech Republic and Poland. First Name Last Name Email Message Thanks for submitting! Send

UCT Prague, a Czech leading chemistry-focused University, entered in memorandum with i&i Prague, s.r.o. We are very proud to announce that at the end of 2020 i&i Prague, s.r.o. started cooperation with one of the top Czech Universities focused on natural sciences: University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague – Všcht . This cooperation will allow us to effectively support their research and possible spin-offs. Right now we support two great scientific UCT projects and we expect a lot from both of them. Check our webpage and social media for more updates about these as soon as possible! Read more and learn more on UCT Prague webpage

New startup in our portfolio: Sophomer's technology will make immunoassays faster, easier and cheaper The originators of SophoMer in their chemical laboratory. Prague, February 7, 2023. The academic startup Sophomer today announced the signing of a licensing agreement to commercialize a technology that can replace the traditionally used bovine serum albumin (BSA) in immunoassays. The newly licensed technology has been developed in collaboration between the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the CAS (IMC), Elisa Development and the bio-innovation center i&i Prague. The signing of the license agreement also officially accelerated the activities of the startup. Sophomer has also joined the portfolio of i&i Prague. BSA is one of the oldest industrially derived proteins. In immunoassays it is primarily used as a blocker, which makes the measurements more accurate by suppressing unwanted signals. It is derived from bovine serum, which poses a number of problems. These include the risk of pathogen transmission, which means that this material must be tested rigorously and expensively and its use is subject to certification to confirm its safety. "Logically, there is no such risk with our technology, as our product is fully synthetic. This eliminates other problems, whether it is the variability in reproduction of production, the relatively high price, which increases with the requirement for higher purity, or the complex disposal of the material. The ethical aspect of the whole matter is also not negligible," says Jan Plicka of Elisa Development and a leading expert in the development of diagnostic devices. Sophomer's technology will find application wherever immunoassays is a basic working tool. It has the potential to greatly assist in biochemical laboratories, in the development of In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) devices, in the monitoring of environmental contaminations, in food laboratories for the determination of allergen content, or in immunoassays in veterinary laboratories. "Our ambitions continue to grow as our research progresses, but the main idea remains the same: to make the work of our fellow developers and researchers faster, easier and, to a large extent, cheaper. We want them to be able to focus without distraction on their own ideas and the challenges that their demanding, extremely important and at the same time low-visibility work brings to the public," adds Martin Burkhard, CEO of Sophomer. A great example of technology transfer The creation of the start-up Sophomer is a prime example of technology transfer and the linking of science and industry. "At the beginning of the story there was a need for diagnostic test manufacturers, which we were able to identify thanks to our network of contacts. We then searched academia for a technology suitable to address this need. We found a suitable technology at the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry and, after successful validation tests, we assembled a joint development team," says Jiří Moos from the i&i Prague Bio-Innovation Center, which has been behind the project from the very beginning. Among other things, i&i Prague also participated in the creation of a startup that has been included in the portfolio of this bio-innovation center. "We are currently helping to find customers for the developed polymer Sophomer F10, while continuing to co-develop other products. We are also well on our way to arranging the first investment that will help kick-start the company's activities," adds Jiří Moos. Synthesis of a polymer product at a defined temperature in a bath. A team of scientists at the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry began developing the technology that led to the establishment of Sophomer about two years ago. "I am very pleased that we have managed to bring our joint efforts to the successful signing of a licensing agreement. We have thus taken an important step towards ensuring that the quality work of our scientists finds its application in real life. This builds on our previous successful transfers of basic research results into practice. I believe that this technology from the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry will significantly simplify the performance of immunoassays," adds Jiří Kotek, Director of the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the CAS. Contact Martin Kovalčík, 777 472 863, kovalcik@iniprague.com The signing of a licensing agreement from the right: Jiří Moos, Martin Burkhard, Jiří Kotek, Jan Plicka and Alexandr Krajhanzl The signing of a licensing agreement Jiří Kotek, Director of the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the CAS The signing of a licensing agreement Alexandr Krajhanzl, i&i Prague The signing of a licensing agreement from the right: Jiří Moos, Martin Burkhard, Jiří Kotek, Jan Plicka and Alexandr Krajhanzl 1/6 About Sophomer Sophomer Ltd. is an academic startup founded by a group of people who come from both industry and academia. Their vision is to bring together two seemingly unrelated fields: immunoassays and polymer chemistry to help anyone who uses immunochemical assays in their work. One of the startup's first and widely applicable products is SophoMer(TM), a polymer that can replace the widely used bovine serum albumin in immunochemical assays, currently a component without which the development of immunological analytics is seemingly unimaginable. Read more here: www.sophomer.com . About Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the CAS, v. v. i. (IMC) The Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the CAS, v. v. i. (IMC) is the largest research institution in the field of polymer and polymer materials research in the Czech Republic. In this field, it is also among the most important academic research centres in the world. IMC has a knowledge potential of more than 120 scientists in the key fields of macromolecular chemistry, physical chemistry and polymer physics, as well as in related fields such as biochemistry or biomedical or materials engineering. Although the institute is primarily focused on basic research, it also works closely with the application sphere, as evidenced by a number of applied basic research results. Read more here: www.imc.cas.cz/eng . About i&i Prague The i&i Prague Bio-Innovation Center focuses on the transfer of new technologies into practice. The company was established at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS and is mainly dedicated to innovations in the field of drug development, diagnostics and medical devices originating from academic institutions. It supports the creation of spin-off companies and the sale of licenses. So far, the company has participated in the creation of or otherwise supported 15 spin-off companies from five countries, has an equity stake in nine of them and has invested over 70 million crowns. In total, the spin-offs in i&i Prague's portfolio have raised more than CZK 1.8 billion from other investors. In addition to direct financial investments, i&i Prague also assists more than 15 research institutions and universities in the Czech Republic and abroad in the commercialization of innovative technologies. In 2021, i&i Prague started up the i&i Bio investment fund. About Elisa Development Elisa Development, in cooperation with the Food Research Institute Prague, has previously developed and marketed several ELISA format immunoassay kits for the quantitative detection of food allergens in food and food raw materials. During this development, the company's staff has repeatedly faced the problem of variable quality of BSA, which is very often used as a blocker of non-specific interactions. These problems were the impetus for the idea of replacing BSA derived from bovine serum with a synthetic polymer, which led to the approach to i&i Prague and subsequently to the collaboration with the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry.

< Back Mikuláš Vargic External Lawyer Mikuláš studied law at Masaryk University Brno and International and European Law at the University of Antwerp. He is an independent attorney with a specialization in technology transfer. Mikuláš joined our team in 2016 and has almost ten years of experience. He previously worked in a major Czech law firm in Brno and at the South Moravian Innovation Center (JIC). He also works for other clients from both the public sector (universities and research institutions) and the private sector (investors, start-up, and spin-off companies). Mikuláš helps i&i Prague with all legal matters and is involved in negotiating transaction documentation with our partners. His knowledge of business, technical and legal matters will help you to tailor the legal framework for your specific needs.

Czech i&i Prague and the Polish Medical Innovation Institute join forces to support cutting-edge scientific innovation in the region Iva Machová (i&i Prague) and Jakub Chwiećko (Medical Innovation Institute) during PACTT conference in Poland. Prague/Warsaw, 20 February 2025 – The partnership between i&i Prague and the Polish Medical Innovation Institute (MII) aims to support the commercialization of unique Polish innovations. The companies want to identify biotech projects with the potential to achieve global success and contribute to their development. In the long term, they want to strengthen the links between the Czech Republic and Poland in this field and create a bridge between basic research and its commercial application. i&i Prague is dedicated to helping scientists transform their groundbreaking discoveries into market-ready solutions. The company offers step-by-step guidance to help with the commercialization of innovations, from shaping the scientific idea into a business concept to connecting inventors with top-tier experts in science, law, and industry. With this step, i&i Prague is expanding its activities beyond the borders of the Czech Republic, seeing Poland as a strategic partner. "Until now, we have focused mainly on the Czech environment, which we are trying to co-create and move forward in the long term. Now we are offering our expertise to Poland. We believe that just like in the Czech Republic, we will find unique scientific projects with a high level of innovation. We are ready to help them transform into successful startups and spin-offs," said Iva Machová, Incubation Manager and Regional Manager for Poland at i&i Prague. The Medical Innovation Institute (MII) is a Polish organization dedicated to advancing the commercialization of innovative research in the healthcare sectors. We support scientists and entrepreneurs by offering expert guidance, securing funding, and fostering strategic partnerships to transform innovative ideas into market-ready solutions. MII works closely with both local and international stakeholders, ensuring that innovations are not only successful in the Polish market but also have the potential for global impact. "Cooperation with i&i Prague marks another significant step in our efforts to internationalize Polish scientific projects. With their deep expertise in commercialization, we are confident that, together, we can pave the way for Polish innovations to enter global markets," said Michał Jeska, Chief Growth Officer at Medical Innovation Institute. Contact for journalists: Martin Kovalčík, kovalcik@iniprague.com , +420 777 472 863

PANC-CKI Consortium led by CasInvent Pharma Secures €4M Eurostars Grant for Pancreatic Cancer Research October 1, 2024. The PANC-CKI consortium, led by the Czech biotech, CasInvent Pharma, has been awarded a €4M Eurostars grant for a project entitled 'Developing a Novel Casein Kinase 1 Inhibitor for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment: An AI-Integrated Approach.' The project aims to validate CI-CK1i, a new inhibitor targeting casein kinase 1 (CK1), for the treatment of pancreatic cancer patients who urgently need new treatment options. The Casein Kinase 1 inhibitor developed by CasInvent Pharma effectively and selectively blocks all three isoforms of CK1, enhancing responses to ongoing treatments like chemotherapy and reducing tumor growth as a single agent. CasInvent Pharma, in collaboration with its international partners, achieved outstanding success in the 6th call of this program with the PANC-CKI consortium. The consortium will conduct Proof-of-Concept studies to generate a data package for initiating IND/CTA studies. PANC-CKI consortium employs a completely novel drug development, process synergistically combining cutting-edge technologies including creation of digital twin using AI/ML (Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning) technologies with rapid screening of drug combination using state-of-the-art cancer patient-derived organoids at the University of Bern (Prof. Marianna Kruithof-de Julio). Safety testing will be performed by a new organs-on-chip technology developed by Alveolix (Switzerland). "We see the success of CasInvent Pharma in the Eurostars programme as further proof of the excellent potential of our platform and its ability to be successful internationally. In addition, the association with our partners opens a new chapter in our research, which will focus on treatment options for pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive and difficult to treat diseases," says Alexander Scheer (CEO) from CasInvent Pharma. “Deeplife is optimistic about advancing this CK1 inhibitor to tackle pancreatic cancer, a currently hopeless disease,” says Jonathan Baptista (CEO) from DeepLife, (France) Eurostars is the largest international funding programme for SMEs wishing to collaborate on R&D projects that create innovative products, processes or services for commercialisation. CasInvent Pharma, in collaboration with its international partners, achieved outstanding success in the 6th call of this program. Competing among participants from 37 countries, CasInvent Pharma received an exceptional score of 51 out of 54 from the international evaluation panel. The project ranked 1st in the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and France. Such a great outcome among European competition underlines the potential of the CK1 inhibitors and creates a momentum for our ongoing fundraising activities of CasInvent to bring our drug to the patients as soon as possible. Contact for media: Alexander Scheer, scheer@casinvent.com , +33 78 40 43 43 ABOUT THE COMPANIES CasInvent Pharma is a drug discovery spin-off company established in 2020 by Masaryk University and biotech incubator i&i Prague. The mission of the company is to develop new therapeutic options for the treatment of resistant tumours. The CasInvent platform is based on the use of proprietary, best-in-class highly selective inhibitors of enzymes belonging to the casein kinase 1 (CK1) family that are responsible for the regulation of different cellular mechanisms leading to resistance to targeted therapies. More information: www.casinvent.com OTHER PARTNERS University of Bern (UBERN): The Urology Research Laboratory at the Department for BioMedical Research of UBERN conducts advanced research in patient-derived organoids and possesses a collection from various cancer types such as prostate, bladder, and renal cell carcinoma to understand cancer biology. UBERN has demonstrated the translational potential of patient-derived organoids and is currently engaged in clinical studies. AlveoliX AG: AlveoliX, a leader in organs-on-chip technology, is expanding its impact with the patented AXBarrier-on-Chip System, a platform enabling advanced safety and efficacy models for pre-clinical testing. Its current AXBiomodel portfolio includes validated lung and intestine models, with kidney and bladder models in development. AlveoliX’s participation in a new grant will enable the company to enter the fast-growing oncology market, supporting cancer drug development with more precise, predictive pre-clinical models. For more information, visit alveolix.com or contact nina.hobi@alveolix.com . DeepLife: DeepLife, a Paris-based biotech company founded in 2019, uses multi-omics data, machine learning, and systems engineering to accelerate drug discoveries. Its AI technology creates digital twins of human cells, enabling rapid evaluation of drug responses, deciphering mechanisms, and identifying biomarkers and targets. DeepLife collaborates on identifying new targets and drug repositioning projects with this technology. For more information, visit DeepLife.com or contact kevin.carvalho@deeplife. co .

< Back Simona Šandová Office Manager During her career, Simona has worked as an Office Manager and a Junior Property Manager. She was responsible for training and conference organization, communication with clients and suppliers as well as administrative assistance for the project and property department. She has considerable experience in administration and office management.

i&i Prague and ÚHKT Join Forces to Bring an Innovative Sample Preparation Technology to Market Prague, March 18, 2025 – i&i Prague, a leading Czech biotech incubator, has announced a collaboration with the Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (ÚHKT) to commercialize an innovative liquid microextraction technology. Developed by Dr. Matyáš Krijt and Associate Professor Daniel Vyoral, this technology enables fast and efficient separation of two immiscible liquids without the loss of analytes, even in a parallel setup suitable for robotics and automation. The further development and production of the final commercial product will be handled by Medirekt Partner. By combining cutting-edge academic research, expert technology transfer, and industrial know-how, this project paves the way for successful commercialization. It serves as another example of how collaboration between the public and private sectors can bring scientific discoveries closer to real-world applications and improve the efficiency of laboratory processes. Faster, More Cost-Effective, and Eco-Friendly Liquid Separation “The new patented technology represents a major breakthrough in sample preparation for analytical laboratories. Unlike traditional methods, it utilizes a unique principle based on a hydrophobic or hydrophilic surface treatment of a capillary opening. The absence of a frit or membrane prevents analyte retention and enables parallel processing of samples using liquid microseparation techniques,” explain the technology's inventors, Matyáš Krijt and Daniel Vyoral. A Technology with Significant Market Potential The Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion plays a crucial role in this project, actively supporting the commercialization of the technology. “ÚHKT recognizes this technology, developed within the TAČR Gama project, as a significant innovation with real market potential. It can be used in virtually any laboratory involved in analytical sample preparation, offering a faster, more precise and cost-efficient alternative to current technologies,” says Petr Lesný, Head of Technology Transfer at ÚHKT. i&i Prague as a Key Accelerator of Technology Transfer i&i Prague specializes in supporting innovations in biotechnology, including the development of laboratory diagnostics and new therapeutics. “We see great potential in this technology and are excited to help bring another innovation from a Czech research institution to life,” says Jiří Moos, CEO of i&i Prague. “We have acquired the intellectual property rights from ÚHKT, and together with our project partners, we believe this innovation can be transformed into a successful commercial product.” Collaboration with Medirekt Partner for Market Entry Industrial partnerships are essential for successfully bringing this technology to market. Medirekt Partner is responsible for product development, manufacturing, and ensuring that the final product meets customer needs. “The technology has successfully undergone laboratory testing and is now being refined for commercial use. We aim to create a product that meets the highest demands of analytical laboratories while offering a more economical (up to ten times more cost-effective) and environmentally friendly (up to a tenfold reduction in the volumes of solvents currently used) solution for sample preparation,” says Jiří Sopuch from Medirekt Partner. Press Contacts Martin Kovalčík – kovalcik@iniprague.com , +420 777 472 863 Jiří Sopuch – jiri.sopuch@medirektpartner.cz, +420 605 826 081 About i&i Prague i&i Prague is a biotech incubator and venture builder founded in 2017 at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The company focuses on innovations in drug development, diagnostics, and medical technologies, specializing in supporting early-stage startups and spin-offs. i&i Prague provides expert guidance on scientific, legal, business, and strategic issues essential for successful company growth. It has built a unique network of startups, investors, industry partners, and biotech experts, fostering efficient collaboration and knowledge-sharing. In 2021, i&i Prague co-founded the investment fund i&i Biotech Fund (i&i Bio). www.iniprague.com About the Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (ÚHKT) The Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (ÚHKT) in Prague is a renowned institution specializing in diagnostics, treatment, and research in hematology, blood transfusion, and stem cell therapy. As a center of excellence, ÚHKT focuses on caring for patients with blood disorders, oncological diseases, and immune-related conditions while ensuring high-quality transfusion medicine. With a long-standing tradition and modern infrastructure, ÚHKT contributes significantly to innovative research and the implementation of new therapeutic methods, making a profound impact on medical advancements in the Czech Republic. www.uhkt.cz About Medirekt Partner Medirekt Partner has been engaged in the production and development of medical devices since 2013. The company has collaborated on various medical applications with renowned organizations such as IOCB Prague and universities. Medirekt Partner also provides expert consulting services for product manufacturing, lean production optimization (Lean Six Sigma principles), and automation. The company strives to be part of unique projects with high added value and is a member of the Prague.bio cluster. www.medirektpartner.cz

PerioTrap Pharmaceuticals, an i&i Prague Supported Start-up, Raises €3M Seed Round to Develop Selective Anti-infectives to Tackle Periodontitis Although periodontitis represents a widespread infectious disease affecting around 30% of the global population, there is no effective treatment for patients available, yet. PerioTrap Pharmaceuticals, a Fraunhofer IZI spin-off, has developed a novel treatment strategy that allows the specific eradication of the major bacterial pathogens of periodontitis and therefore the root of the disease. With the help of bmp Ventures AG via the IBG-Fonds, i&i Prague, Fraunhofer Venture and a strategic partner, the biotech company further proceeds its drug development programs. A world without effective antibiotics becomes an increasingly realistic scenario. Worldwide, 700,000 people annually die of multi-resistant strains against which no antibiotic is effective. There are only few new developments while many of the major pharmaceutical companies have completely abandoned the anti-infective field. The expensive development and the prospect of a drug that can be used solely restrictively seem to make the antibiotics business model unattractive. The valuable reserves that are still available are, therefore, being used even more sparingly. Based on the current austerities caused by a global viral pandemic, the future projections of this solo-economic driven development materialize at a great pace. With its new drug and innovative application procedure, PerioTrap Pharmaceuticals GmbH could not only drastically reduce the need for antibiotics. Additionally, with its selective mechanism that targets the major pathogens directly at the site of infection – the oral cavity – chronic conditions may be overcome while simultaneously reducing systemic side effects. The key element of this strategy is an enzyme called glutaminyl cyclase (QC) type II, which is exclusively present within pathogenic bacteria of the oral biofilm with Porphyromonas gingivalis being the main catalyst of the disease. The seed investment will be used for PerioTrap’s lead compound optimization and to progress its new prolonged-release pharmaceutical composition through clinical testing and to apply for subsequent market approval. „We are looking forward to working with this experienced team of drug developers and to particularly make a contribution to such a socially relevant technology area in this financing round“. Andreas van Bon, responsible managing partner at bmp Ventures AG “Periodontitis constitutes a condition of high medical need for which on the contrary hasn’t been any innovation made available in the last decade. Consequently, this investment not only fuels the long neglected therapeutic market segment within the dental realm, but most importantly restores patient confidence.” Pierre Tangermann, Managing Director at PerioTrap Pharmaceuticals As a result of a pan-European project under the FP7 umbrella, PerioTrap is based on an international network and excellent science including the Institute of Microbiology at the Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (Prof. Jan Potempa), the Institute of Periodontology at the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Bern (Prof. Sigrun Eick) and the Pharmaceutical Technology Research Group at the Institute of Pharmacy at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Prof. Karsten Mäder). This leading scientific network will be further expanded. About the IBG Funds The IBG funds based in Magdeburg are the venture capital funds of the State of Saxony-Anhalt. The IBG funds provide equity capital to innovative companies with sustainable and above-average growth potential and a domicile/ operation in Saxony-Anhalt. At the beginning of 2017, IBG launched the new risk capital fund RKF III with a volume of EUR 84 million. The fund is financed by funds from the state and the European Union and invests in innovative companies in Saxony-Anhalt in the business phases of seed, start-up and growth. The IBG funds are managed by bmp Ventures AG. About bmp Ventures With an experience background of over 250 investments from almost all technology segments, most of which are in the early stages, bmp is one of the most experienced venture capital investors in Germany. In addition to direct investments, bmp has also managed venture capital funds for KfW Bankengruppe and DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft. bmp currently manages the IBG funds in Saxony-Anhalt and the Frühphasenfonds Brandenburg. bmp has around 20 employees in Berlin and Magdeburg. About Fraunhofer Venture Fraunhofer Venture is the central department for spin-offs and investment management of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and offers founders, start-ups, Fraunhofer Institutes, industry, and investors access to the cutting-edge technologies of the 74 Fraunhofer Institutes, the Fraunhofer infrastructure and Fraunhofer know-how with over 7,000 patent families. The range of services includes complete support and consulting from the idea to the founding of a company, active participation management of Fraunhofer participations, support with finding investors up to a possible sale of the company and is flanked by the AHEAD company builder as well as other offerings.

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

< 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.