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From the Labs of Roche and Pfizer Back to the Czech Republic: Jan Berka Helps Biotech Startups Grow Globally After spending three decades in the United States—working at companies like Roche, Pfizer, and Adaptive Biotechnologies—Jan Berka has decided to return to the Czech Republic part-time. Today, he serves as Project Manager for International Contacts at i&i Prague. We spoke with him about his journey, professional insights, and why it's important to occasionally look up from the details and focus on the big picture. You’ve had an impressive career in the US. What brought you back to the Czech Republic and led you to join i&i Prague? It was a bit of an impulsive decision. After 30 years in the US, I became genuinely curious about what was happening in biotech back in the Czech Republic. While I visited frequently for holidays, I had lost touch with the local professional scene. At the same time, my wife and I began to miss more regular contact with the Czech landscape, culture, and our friends here. So, when the opportunity to join i&i Prague came up, I didn’t hesitate for a second. You’ve worked for global companies like Roche, Pfizer, and Adaptive Biotechnologies. How has that environment influenced your work at i&i Prague? Above all, it gave me experience. Every work environment I’ve been part of was unique in some way. That gave me valuable insight into what works under different circumstances—and what doesn’t. I now aim to bring that know-how to i&i Prague. Each of our startups is different, and I believe my experience can help support their growth. But we're still at the beginning—I'm curious myself to see how I’ll be able to contribute. As a Project Manager focused on international connections, what do you primarily concentrate on? My role has two main aspects. First, there’s classic project management—guiding the individual projects that go through our incubation program. Second, and just as important, is leveraging the international network I’ve built over the years. It's not just about having good ideas or solutions—you also need to know who to call. That’s my strength. Thanks to longstanding personal connections, I not only know what’s being worked on around the world, but I also know the people behind it. And personal relationships are always the most valuable. I think we often build our own mental ceilings and fail to see beyond them—and that can prevent us from aiming higher. JAN BERKA Project Manager for International Contacts at i&i Prague What has been the most pivotal project or moment in your career so far? Two moments come to mind. The first was my time with the startup 454 Life Sciences. We began as a team of four people with an idea almost no one believed in. But within five years, we launched a genome sequencer that kicked off the entire field of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). That was a truly unique moment—driven by healthy ambition, vision, and the right team. The second breakthrough happened at Pfizer. We were trying to apply genetics to personalized medicine, but it wasn’t yielding great results. Then a colleague suggested we shift our focus to the immunome, the most variable part of the human genome. That opened up a completely new field of research for us. It was a moment that taught me the importance of seeing things from a different perspective. Ultimately, that shift helped us succeed and led to the development of immunome analysis using NGS. Company culture often plays a key role in startups. In your view, what’s the biggest mindset difference between the US and the Czech Republic? More and more, I get the impression that in the Czech Republic, we tend to focus too much on details—technical or personal. We spend hours discussing issues that are not immediately relevant. In the US, the approach is to pursue the vision, the big picture. The details get resolved along the way. It reminds me of a book by Mojmír Hampl called “For Czechs, the Sky Is Too Low.” I think we often build our own mental ceilings and fail to see beyond them—and that can prevent us from aiming higher. You split your time between Prague and Colorado. What do you enjoy about both places, and how do you balance such different worlds? Surprisingly easily—neither my wife nor I can stay in one place for too long. Prague and Colorado are completely different worlds, and we enjoy the best of both. In Prague, we go to the theatre or a great restaurant. Colorado is all about nature, hiking, and the desert. You’re currently learning to fly. What inspired you to take up piloting? I started flying gliders as a student and did it for about 15 years before life pulled me in other directions. Now that I have more time for hobbies again, I decided to return to flying—and fulfill a childhood dream of piloting a plane with an engine. Since I was young, I admired the “big guys” who could just fly wherever they wanted. Meanwhile, we in gliders had to land in a field if the thermals weren’t favorable. So, I didn’t hesitate—I enrolled in ultralight pilot training and I’m currently preparing for the final exam. Flying is highly technical. You need to understand all the instruments and also what’s happening around you. That’s very similar to science, where you have to know what you’re doing and think analytically. JAN BERKA Project Manager for International Contacts at i&i Prague Cycling is another of your passions. Do you see any parallels between your hobbies and your work in science? Absolutely—and very different ones. Flying is highly technical. You need to understand all the instruments and also what’s happening around you. That’s very similar to science, where you have to know what you’re doing and think analytically. In contrast, mountain biking is all about intuition—pure flow. You don’t think; you react. And it’s during those intuitive moments that I often get my best scientific ideas. I usually rush home afterwards so I don’t forget them. What fascinates you most in biotech right now—and why? I’ve spent my whole career working on genome sequencing, hoping it would become a routine diagnostic tool. It hasn’t happened yet, but we’re getting closer. I’m also fascinated—and somewhat alarmed—by CRISPR-Cas genome editing. The first case where a point mutation was corrected in a child’s liver completely blew my mind—but also scared me. I don’t think society is ready for the sheer power of such technologies. It’s not just scientific progress—it’s a social challenge, too. If there was one thing you could do at i&i Prague, what would it be? I’d be happy to be part of a process where an idea turns into a real product or service that truly helps people. I don’t need to be there at the finish line—but if I can help kick something off that has a meaningful impact, I’ll consider it a success. Thank you for the interview. Author: Martin Kovalčík

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

David Stíbal: We believe a startup is one of the best paths nowadays to develop interesting technologies beyond the academic level How complex is the path to a new drug? Why do licenses for Czech drugs end up abroad? What are the most common issues currently faced by biotech startups? David Stíbal, Vice Director of the biotech incubator and venture builder i&i Prague, s.r.o., reflects on these and other questions related to the commercialization of scientific discoveries. How complex is the path to a new drug today? The path to a new drug is very complex and risky, and in some respects, this is even more true today than it was in the past. For example, if we were to calculate the current cost of developing a new drug from initial trials to the final "pill", statistics show it would approach one billion dollars. This figure includes also the costs of all unsuccessful candidates within the development program, preclinical and clinical experiments, production, marketing, and much more. Pharmaceutical companies then need to recoup this investment from the sales of the drugs that make it all the way to market. What drugs are in the highest demand today? According to the list of the most successful drugs (known as "blockbusters," i.e., drugs that generate at least one billion USD annually) for 2023, the most sought-after drugs are GLP-1 agonists, such as anti-obesity drugs (Ozempic, Mounjaro, etc.), cancer-fighting antibodies (e.g., Keytruda from MSD), immunologic drugs (Humira, Stelara, etc.), or HIV medication, incidentally the one developed by Professor Holý’s team at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry in the late 20th century (Tenofovir alafenamide, marketed by Gilead Sciences). Many licenses for Czech drugs are sold abroad. Is there any way to change that? Licenses are typically sold at an early development stage to larger companies that have the capacity to bring such programs through advanced clinical trials and to market. In our field, this is usually the domain of major pharmaceutical companies capable of bearing the high costs mentioned earlier. The idea of having a drug, invented and developed in the Czech Republic, also manufactured here is certainly appealing. However, until a major pharmaceutical company transfers its R&D or manufacturing facility to the Czech Republic, or until a mid- to large-sized pharmaceutical company emerges here, this scenario is hard to imagine. You support startups focused on developing new drugs or diagnostic methods. Are there any positive trends in this segment in the Czech Republic? Through our work, we see a positive trend, especially in the growing number of startups and the willingness of scientists and university employees to discuss commercialization and consider developing their inventions beyond scientific publications or patents. We’re delighted by this, as we believe a startup is one of the best paths nowadays to develop interesting technologies beyond the academic level. However, it's also worth noting that the startup mentality in the Czech Republic, particularly in our field, is not yet as developed as it is in more advanced countries. What are the biggest challenges these startups face today? The biggest issue, globally, is the current lack of investment capital and, more specifically, the scarcity of investors willing to support new, high-risk projects. This is especially true when compared to the “COVID years” of 2019-2021, when funds were released more readily, with investors supporting projects that could, among other things, respond immediately to the crisis. The situation is different now: investors are more cautious about where they allocate their funds, partly because they are reserving capital to support their existing portfolio companies. A startup may be a suitable path, where scientists and managers can work together to further develop the technology until it is relevant for direct licensing to a larger firm. DAVID STÍBAL VICE DIRECTOR AT i&i PRAGUE What did you think of this year’s Prague.bio Conference? I consider the event a great success. It’s impressive how the Prague.bio association managed to organize a high-quality conference with such a small team. Similar events are held fairly regularly across Europe, some of which i&i Prague likes to attend. However, there are relatively few conferences focused on such early-stage technologies, as was the case with Prague.bio. We were also pleased with the scientifically oriented program and high attendance, which shows that such an event is needed in the Czech Republic and is appreciated by both academic and industry players. Are there any new figures in today’s biomedicine who might follow in Professor Holý's footsteps? Repeating such an achievement will be challenging but not impossible. To make it happen, however, we need to build a more robust infrastructure that can help scientists navigate the very complex process of bringing their ideas to fruition. Our incubator aims to be one of the pieces that form this mosaic. What is the best way to commercialize the results of science and research? The answer to this question depends on how advanced the result is and how well it aligns with the current market needs. If it is possible to directly connect with a larger company and license the result to them, this is a relatively fast way to transfer the technology into practice. If that’s not possible, a startup may be a suitable path, where scientists and managers can work together to further develop the technology until it is relevant for direct licensing to a larger firm. Alternatively, developing the technology all the way to market can also be considered, although this is more of an exception in our field. David Stíbal is the Managing Director of the biotech incubator i&i Prague. He evaluates the business potential of scientific projects, establishes and initially manages startups, and works on the long-term development of projects all the way to their successful commercialization. He completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, earned a Ph.D. from the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland, and conducted postdoctoral research at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Czech version of the interview was published in Ekonomický magazín . Author: Martin Kovalčík

i&i Prague announces its first exit, DIANA Biotechnologies is bought out by its founders Prague, 21 February 2022 – BTND a.s. has completed the buyout of DIANA Biotechnologies from the portfolio of biotech incubator i&i Prague. For i&i Prague, the transaction opens up new opportunities to support other scientific projects. i&i Prague acquired a stake in DIANA Biotechnologies at its inception, reflecting the important role of the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS (IOCB) in the early development of DIANA technology prior to the company’s establishment. However, DIANA Biotechnologies has gradually become a successful biotechnology company that is independently developing a number of other new technologies. It has also made a positive contribution to the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic by developing unique PCR assays, significantly increasing the Czech testing capacity. DIANA Biotechnologies is now facing major investments in further development and it made sense for i&i Prague to make its first exit. BTND a. s., a company backed by DIANA Biotechnologies co-founders Václav Navrátil and Martin Dienstbier, together with the Czech investment group BTCZ, is buying the stake from i&i Prague. „In less than four years DIANA Biotechnologies has moved from a spin-off project to a broad-based and independent company. We are now facing heavy investment in building a state-of-the-art scientific facility and in developing projects in drug development and monoclonal antibody development. Our goal is to build an innovative biopharmaceutical company that will work closely with Czech academia. I am pleased that our success will also help other promising scientific projects,“ said Václav Navrátil, co-founder and director of DIANA Biotechnologies. The transaction is also considered a great success by the incubator i&i Prague, where it is the first purchase of a share of the company from their portfolio. “We were honored to be at the birth of this project. It is the first swallow, which completes several years of efforts of our entire team and which also confirms the sense and correctness of our steps and vision. We will use the funds raised through this transaction to support other interesting startups and spin-off companies from the academic sphere in the Czech Republic and Europe,“ explained Jaromír Zahrádka, founder and director of i&i Prague. About i&i Prague The i&i Prague biotech incubator was founded in 2017 and has become part of a unique ecosystem that has formed around the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS (IOCB). Since its establishment, this incubator has been dedicated to investing in academia and supporting the transition of scientific discoveries into practice. Currently, i&i Prague has in its portfolio the shares of 10 spin-off companies, promising projects from all over Europe or the USA, in which it has invested a total of approximately EUR 3 million. In addition, it has helped these early stage companies to raise another approximately EUR 75 million from investors not only from Europe but from all over the world. About DIANA Biotechnologies The i&i Prague biotech incubator was founded in 2017 and has become part of a unique ecosystem that has formed around the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS (IOCB). Since its establishment, this incubator has been dedicated to investing in academia and supporting the transition of scientific discoveries into practice. Currently, i&i Prague has in its portfolio the shares of 10 spin-off companies, promising projects from all over Europe or the USA, in which it has invested a total of approximately EUR 3 million. In addition, it has helped these early stage companies to raise another approximately EUR 75 million from investors not only from Europe but from all over the world.

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.

Meet Our Team Our team benefits from decades of know-how and experiences gathered in academic institutions, technology transfer and industrial companies. Using this knowledge, we are developing a pool of highly potent biotech projects originating in academia and finding commercial partners for them. Jiří Moos CEO, Board of Directors Jiří Moos is the Executive Director at i&i Prague. Read More Iva Machová Project Manager Iva Machová is a Project Manager at i&i Prague. Read More Martin Kovalčík Communications Martin Kovalčík is our Communications Manager. Read More Milan Prášil Chairman, Board of directors Milan Prášil is the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Read More Jiří Růžička Project Manager Jiri Ruzicka is a Project manager at i&i Prague. Read More Simona Šandová Office Manager Simona Šandová is the Office Manager of i&i Prague. Read More David Stíbal Board of Directors, Vice Director David Stíbal is the Vice Director at i&i Prague. Read More Roberto Fernandez Project Manager Roberto Fernandez is a Project manager at i&i Prague. Read More Mikuláš Vargic External Lawyer Mikuláš studied law at Masaryk University Brno and International and European Law at the University of Antwerp. Read More Our Mission We scout and support the growth through discovery, pre-seed or seed phase of the most promising projects with innovative potential in Drug Discovery, Diagnostics, MedTech and other Life Science fields. Our Objective Our ambition is to become a leading partner advancing and promoting game-changing biotech inventions coming from the Central Europe region. Our Team Our team benefits from expertise and experience gathered from IOCB and IOCB Tech. We are developing a pool of highly promising biotech projects originating from academia and finding commercial partners for them. Our background We operate as a private company under the wings of the Czech Academy of Sciences and its Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB). From 1994 to 2002, the IOCB was led by Dr. Antonín Holý, whose team invented and developed hugely effective and successful anti-HIV drugs (Truvada, Atripla, Complera, Eviplera). We believe that this is a legacy to build upon and that, with your and our combined expertise, we can make this world a better place and help millions of people.

< Back Alexandr Krajhanzl Board of Directors Alexandr Krajhanzl has been a part of i&i Prague since September 2021. He is also a member of the Board for the Commercialization of Science and Research Results of Charles University Prague. Between 1993 and 2004 he worked in various General Management functions in Cilag, later Janssen-Cilag, Johnson & Johnson. In 2004 as the Regional Director he became responsible for Business Development in EMEA Emerging Markets (80 countries) at Janssen, J&J Pharmaceutical companies. His responsibility changed from 2010 until 2017 when he acted as the Regional Director of New Business Development in the territory covering Europe Mid-Sized Markets. Between 2004 and 2017 he was a member of the Global BD team responsible for L&A and M&A initiatives and projects in Infectious Diseases and Vaccines. During his tenure in this position, he led or participated in numerous global, regional and local L&A and M&A deals. For his contribution, he was rewarded with two Global Standards of Leadership Awards of Johnson & Johnson. Between 2013 and 2019 he also served as the President and Founding Member of Pharma Licensing Group Central and Eastern Europe and Vice-President of the European Pharma Licensing Board. Alexandr completed his Master’s degree in Chemistry at Charles University in Prague. He has received a Ph.D. (CSc.) degree in Biochemistry and worked as a Charles University teacher for almost 11 years at the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science. Should you be interested in a collaboration in the field of drug development, Alexandr will be the right contact whom you can meet. He has been in the world of science and its commercialization for more than 20 years and has an extensive network of contacts among Pharma and Medical Device companies.