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We’ll show you what’s new with us here, offer you interesting media outlets that relate to our work, and you can find our press releases here. Our news We help invention grow! Welcome to the News section of i&i Prague – your go-to source for the latest updates straight from our incubator! This is where we keep you informed about everything happening at i&i Prague. Stay up to date with how we are driving innovation and turning scientific discoveries into real-world solutions. Whether you're a researcher, investor, or entrepreneur, this is the place to discover what’s new at i&i Prague. Highlights Interview Jiří Růžička: The Start-up/Spin-off Gives Scientists the Opportunity to Help Shape the Path of Their Discovery Read More Blog i&i Prague Continues to Support Biotech Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Young Talents at Lifbee Academy 2024/25 Read More Press release i&i Prague, ÚHKT and Medirekt Partner Join Forces to Bring an Innovative Sample Preparation Technology to Market Read More Podcast CHEmic podcast with Milan Prasil about how to turn a scientific discovery into a successful start-up/spin-off View More Press release Czech i&i Prague and the Polish Medical Innovation Institute join forces to support cutting-edge scientific innovation in the region Read More Press release Neuron 2024 Award for Bridging Science and Business Goes to SophoMer, s.r.o., a Startup from i&i Prague's Portfolio Read More Other news Nov 23 2024 David Stíbal: We believe a startup is one of the best paths nowadays to develop interesting technologies beyond the academic level Read More Nov 7 2024 i&i Prague and other Prague.bio members participate in a business mission with Czech president in Switzerland Read More Oct 30 2024 Jiří Moos: From the lab to the market: What biotech commercialization looks like from the perspective of an incubator Read More Oct 21 2024 PANC-CKI Consortium led by CasInvent Pharma Secures €4M Eurostars Grant for Pancreatic Cancer Research Read More Sep 24 2024 The Prague.bio Conference 2024 welcomed approximately 300 participants from all over the world Read More Mar 11 2024 This fall Prague will be the stage for a showcase of cutting-edge biotechnologies featuring prominent figures such as ... Read More Now 30, 2024 CasInvent Pharma raises € 1.6 million from i&i Prague and Other Investors to Support the Development of CK1 Inhibitors for ... Read More Now 30, 2023 IOCB Tech Group Successfully Represents the Czech Republic at the Prestigious Biotech Conference BIO-Europe 2023 Read More Apr 25, 2023 The Prague.bio international conference will bring together the best of science and business in Prague Read More Feb 7, 2023 New startup in our portfolio: Sophomer's technology will make immunoassays faster, easier and cheaper Read More Feb 6, 2023 Czech liquid biopsy startup Elphogene comes under full control of one of the founders Read More Earlier News

< 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.

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

Smart bandages not only capture pathogens, but also destroy them in no time. All they need is ordinary light. LAM-X team Hospital-acquired infections are a problem that current technologies are not able to deal with effectively. In the European Union alone they cause around 100,000 deaths each year, with estimates of the costs associated with treatment in the EU around €7 billion per year. However, this could change in the future; the Czech spin-off LAM-X a.s. is working intensively on the development of a nanomaterial that not only passively prevents viruses or bacteria from entering open wounds, but can also actively destroy them. It is made up of nanofibres doped with a photoactive substance which, when activated by ordinary light, eliminates any microbes that are in close proximity to it. Current dressing materials provide a kind of mechanical barrier aimed at suppressing the transmission of infection into the patient's body. However, if the objective is also to destroy the pathogens that cause infections, cover materials containing active silver are available. However, this is potentially toxic to the patient if used for a long time, and over time bacterial strains that may be resistant to this metal emerge. The material from LAM-X a. s. works on a completely different principle. “Our technology works with nanofibres that are hundreds of nanometres in diameter. We use them to create a very dense network that effectively prevents the penetration of pathogens. However, this in itself is not groundbreaking; nanofibre coverings have been produced for some time, although their use is not yet widespread. The added value of our material lies primarily in the fact that we can add a photoactive substance (so-called photosensitizer) to our nanofibres, which, when illuminated with ordinary light, activates a sterilization process that eliminates any bacteria or viruses on the surface of the bandage,” says Roman Chaloupka, CEO of LAM-X a. s. The light-activated photosensitizer can convert virtually ubiquitous molecular oxygen into so-called singlet oxygen, a highly reactive molecule that oxidizes virtually anything that comes in its way. “By using the photooxidation process, we are able to destroy even those pathogens that have already built up resistance to antibiotics or silver. Another huge advantage of our technology is that it eliminates the problem of toxicity of active dressings, which allows their long-term use. The singlet oxygen is generated only on the surface of the nanofibers and, due to its high reactivity, it acts only in close proximity to the nanofibers, so it does not come into contact with the patient's own wound or skin at all. And last but not least, our material is cheaper, as there is no need to use precious metals such as silver in its production,” adds Chaloupka. Bandages, incision films, catheter fixation The development of a second-generation smart bandage with antimicrobial effect is currently moving towards a clinical trial. If its current potential is confirmed, it could help, for example, people with chronic wounds in a few years' time. “More than 50 percent of patients with chronic wounds have been on treatment for more than a year. One reason is that these wounds are repeatedly infected with other bacteria. Our material should prevent this,” says Roman Chaloupka. However, it could be used to treat virtually any wound. A prototype of this type of bandage already exists and is currently being tested preclinically. These are a set of tests that need to be carried out before the product receives the necessary approvals to conduct clinical trials on real patients. Recruitment and follow-up should then take about a year. “By the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 at the latest, we should have the data to certify this dressing material as a medical device and subsequently award the CE mark, which is necessary for placing it on the EU market. At that point, production can begin,” adds Roman Chaloupka. However, dressing materials are only one of the paths LAM-X a.s. wants to take in the use of its technology. “At the moment we are already working on the development of other products, because we are convinced that our technology has a much more versatile application. Our material could be used, for example, to drape an operating field, which would greatly reduce the incidence of bacteria that could get close to an open wound. Even better, they could replace incision films, which are glued directly to the patient's skin to enhance health protection, especially in more time-consuming operations. The increase in cleanliness during surgery using our material should clearly reduce the incidence of post-operative infectious complications,” says Roman Chaloupka, outlining further possibilities. The technology of LAM-X a. s. would also find application in intravenous catheterisation, especially in long-term patients. “Even in this case, doctors struggle with the transfer of bacteria into the bloodstream, which causes serious health complications in the form of infections. If we made the adhesive dressings that fix the catheters to the wound from our material, we could largely prevent infections,” explains Roman Chaloupka. Clinical trials, search for an industrial partner LAM-X a.s. was founded in 2020 thanks to the joint efforts of Charles University and the Academy of Sciences. Specifically, its creation is backed by Charles University Innovations Prague, a subsidiary of Charles University, and the i&i Prague bio-innovation centre. It is currently preparing an investment round to raise funds for the aforementioned clinical trials. “All our products fall into the category of medical devices, the production of which is, of course, highly regulated. In order to obtain the necessary permits, whether in the Czech Republic, the European Union or in non-European countries, we need to collect a large amount of data to confirm the safety and efficacy of the material,” explains Roman Chaloupka of the need for clinical trials. The company would like to use part of the funds raised to equip its own laboratory (including a semi-operational nanofibre production facility) and to develop further products using this technology. However, the plans of LAM-X a. s. do not end there. “After completing all the necessary testing of our wound covers, we would like to launch them on the market through an industrial partner in the form of a large multinational company. We are looking for someone who has been involved in the treatment and healing of wounds for a long time, which means they already have a distribution network and effective marketing. We could then continue to focus on what we do best, i.e. on the development of new products,” concludes Roman Chaloupka, CEO of LAM-X a. s. Conclusion The products that LAM-X a.s. develops are based on unique technology that can help improve the quality of life for millions of people. Thanks to their versatility, they can be used in many areas of healthcare. They are also cheaper to produce in many cases than the materials currently used. It is these attributes that give LAM-X the chance to develop its potential not only in the local market, but also to succeed globally.

< Back Iva Machová Project Manager Iva Machová is a Project manager at i&i Prague. She is responsible for the analysis of project technology. Before joining our company, Iva worked as a postdoc researcher at the Biomedical Center of the Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen. She holds BSc and MSc degrees from UCT Prague, Czech Republic, and she did her Ph.D. at the Institute of organic chemistry and biochemistry, AS CR. Iva spent several months on a postdoctoral fellowship at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Due to her scientific experience in biochemistry, she is focused on projects in the field of drug discovery and cell therapy.

< 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).

CasInvent Pharma Raises €1.3 Million from KHAN-I and i&i Biotech Fund to Support the Development of New Casein Kinase 1 Inhibitors for the Treatment of Leukemias and Solid Tumors Prague, Czech Republic, September 13th, 2022. CasInvent Pharma, an early-stage drug discovery company developing small-molecule compounds with anticancer properties, has raised a follow-up investment round of €1.3 million provided by KHAN Technology Transfer Fund I (KHAN-I) and i&i Biotech Fund (i&i Bio). With this funding, CasInvent Pharma will be strengthening its portfolio of casein kinase inhibitors and progressing its lead compound to the development candidate status. The company CasInvent Pharma is developing proprietary, highly selective inhibitors of enzymes belonging to the casein kinase 1 (CK1) family, which play an important role in several disease-related processes, including the migration of leukemia cells into lymphoid organs. The small-molecule inhibitors are designed to target individual isoforms of CK1 and thereby selectively eradicate leukemic cells. The CasInvent inhibitors have shown promising effects on hard-to-treat leukemias, suggesting their potential use in diseases that currently have limited treatment options. Overall, approximately 500,000 new cases and more than 300,000 deaths due to leukemia were recorded worldwide in 2020. CasInvent Pharma will also explore the potential of its CK1 inhibitors for the treatment of other cancers, such as solid tumors. “We are confident that through the support of our investors, we will be able to advance our compounds faster into the clinic and to demonstrate the therapeutic anticancer effects of CK1 inhibition in patients. This step will render CasInvent attractive for larger pharma companies, as it will enable them to expand their portfolio with new compounds useful in single-agent as well as combination therapies,” says Vojtěch Helikar, CEO of CasInvent Pharma. “CK1 inhibition provides a novel mechanism of action in different cancer indications, which needs to be exploited in the clinic. We believe that our compounds have the potential to offer novel alternatives of cancer treatment for patients with a high unmet medical need,” adds Alexander Scheer, CSO of CasInvent Pharma. High quality of the research team and the strong support The company CasInvent Pharma was established in 2020 as a spin-off of Masaryk University (MU) in cooperation with the investment partner i&i Prague. “The investment of €1.3 million further confirms the quality of the scientific project that was created and developed for several years at Masaryk University. The establishment of the spin-off company CasInvent Pharma was thus a logical step to advance, and ultimately commercialize, these efforts. I am very pleased that the Technology Transfer Office of MU was part of such an important achievement,” says Radoslav Trautmann, Head of Technology Transfer Department, Masaryk University. “We are looking forward to our first investment in a Czech start-up and our first co-investment with the recently launched i&i Biotech Fund. From the beginning, we were impressed by the high quality of CasInvent’s research team and the strong support from Masaryk University and the biotech incubator i&i Prague to make this investment possible. With our deep experience in preclinical development of small molecules, we will be able to make valuable contributions to the design and achievement of the key R&D milestones. We look forward to working with Vojtěch, Alexander and the R&D team,” comment Michael Krebs and Peter Nussbaumer, managing partners of KHAN-I. CasInvent Pharma is i&i Bio’s most recent investment announced this year. It marks yet another successful cooperation with the biotech incubator i&i Prague, one of the main investors of i&i Bio. „We are excited to welcome another promising Czech project to our portfolio. The ability of this spin-off to convince renowned international investors confirms its ambition to be successful on a global scale. It is great to be part of this journey. We are also pleased to use our investment to support research that could help treat serious diseases such as leukemia in the future,“ says Ivan Vohlmuth, one of the partners of i&i Bio. Contact Martin Kovalčík, + 420 777 472 863, kovalcik@inibio.eu (for i&i Biotech Fund) Vojtěch Helikar, +420 728 995 850, helikar@casinvent.com (for CasInvent) Radoslav Trautmann, +420 605 824 519, trautmann@casinvent.com (for Masaryk University) Anne-Kathrin Klebl, +49231 97 42 70 29, pr@lead-discovery.de (for KHAN-I) 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 discoveries, 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 €45M 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 the close cooperation with the fund’s 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 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 millions under management. Our 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, academic spin-offs as well as pharma licensing and partnering. KHAN-I received an investment from the European Investment Fund (EIF) with support of InnovFin Equity, 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. About Masaryk University Technology Transfer Office Masaryk University Technology Transfer Office is a specialised department of Masaryk University that helps to transfer knowledge and technology into practice. The Office supports the university's cooperation with the commercial sphere, the creation of spin-off companies and the successful commercialisation of university research.

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.

With our investment, we try to help innovative ideas in their transition from research projects to functional companies. Investment We help inventions grow! We have moved the investment part of our business to our associated venture capital firm, i&i Biotech Fund I. We target early-stage Life Science startups that often build on decades of research and have the potential for breakthrough discoveries. We are trying to help them in their transition from purely scientific projects to functional companies. We focus mainly on projects from European Union member states, our core expertise lies in Central and Eastern Europe. Our focus DRUG DISCOVERY MEDTECH DIAGNOSTICS OTHER LIFE SCIENCES Stage of investment i&i Biotech Fund is supported by highly reputable institutions, a strong track record, a team of professionals and proprietary access to deal flow. In cooperation with it, we are targeting the following investment phases: SEED Ready to create? We can start at € 150 K to support business creation. A SERIES A Prepared to grow? Our sweet spot lies between 0.5 and 2 million euros. B Being exceptional? In exceptional cases, we are able to provide extra financing. SERIES B Investment steps GO-NO GO decision can occur during the whole investment process STEP 01-05 is in primary competency of i&i Prague STEP 06-10 is in primary competency of i&i Bio i&i Biotech Fund I For more information about the i&i Biotech Fund please visit the website. Read more

IOCB Tech Group Successfully Represents the Czech Republic at the Prestigious Biotech Conference BIO-Europe 2023 Over 5,000 participants from more than 50 countries and a total of over 30,000 official meetings – that was the outcome of this year's edition of the international BIO-Europe conference in Munich. The Czech Republic was represented by the companies IOCB Tech, i&i Prague, and i&i Biotech Fund (i&i Bio), which are entities associated with the IOCB Tech Group under the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The Czech stand at the event was also supported by representatives of the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Munich. “IOCB Tech Group regularly participates in BIO-Europe. It is a useful opportunity for us to meet with leading representatives of the biotech, medtech, and life sciences world, as well as investors and scientific research clusters. Thanks also go to the organizers, the EBD Group,” said Martin Fusek, director of IOCB Tech. “BIO-Europe represents a great opportunity for us to meet startups at the forefront of Biotech. Specially, in the CEE region we have found great founders who are shaking the field with their innovative technologies. The event also gives us a chance to reach out to startups which might not have been ready for investment when we originally talked to them, but after some time it is fascinating to see their progress,” adds Roberto Fernandez Alvarez, who represented the incubator i&i Prague with other colleagues. “This year's BIO-Europe was also unique due to the inclusion of a new section of panel discussions on so-called translational funds. These are investors who provide fund financing for the translational phase of research and the technology transfer process. Besides our i&i Bio, four other funds from Germany, Austria, and Belgium were presented, which were also established at significant scientific institutions,” says Jaromír Zahrádka, director of i&i Biotech Fund, adding: “It is evident that such funds have their place in the European venture capital market and often become the initial investor in new projects and biotechnological spin-off companies, which then get the chance to appeal to a broader group of less specialized investors.” The IOCB Tech team conducted more than a hundred meetings and negotiations over three days. “We are particularly grateful for the discussion with the EBD Group regarding the potential hosting of the BIO-Europe conference in Prague, and we are pleased that this vision is also supported by significant clusters such as LISAvienna – Life Science Austria Vienna, BioM Biotech Cluster, Biosaxony association, and many others,” added Martin Opatrný, spokesperson for IOCB Tech. “BIO-Europe represents a great opportunity for us to meet startups at the forefront of Biotech. Specially, in the CEE region we have found great founders who are shaking the field with their innovative technologies. The event also gives us a chance to reach out to startups which might not have been ready for investment when we originally talked to them, but after some time it is fascinating to see their progress,” Roberto Fernandez Alvarez i&i Prague Discussions on cooperation also took place, for example, with the company Symeres, a leading research organization focused on the discovery and development of new drugs. Representatives of the Consulate General in Munich also expressed their support for the IOCB Tech Group, whose visit was a significant recognition of the activities of the IOCB Tech Group. “We are glad to be part of this significant event and present, thanks to IOCB Tech, Czech excellence in the field of life sciences and pharmacy, and thus show the world the innovations and potential of Czech science and technology transfer,” said consul Lukáš Opatrný from the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Munich. BIO-Europe is an annual meeting of visionaries, innovators, and experts in the field of biotechnology and pharmaceutical research from around the world. Over the past 29 years, BIO-Europe has grown not only in size but especially in becoming the flagship of European biotech. Its international reach is a symbolic gateway to the global life science community. About IOCB Tech The Technology Transfer Office IOCB Tech, s.r.o. is a fully owned subsidiary of the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB). The main responsibilities of IOCB Tech include the identification of commercially interesting projects at IOCB, analysis of their market potential and patentability, protection of intellectual property, support for the development of the projects in the form of project management, search for commercial partners and negotiation of contractual terms for signing license agreements. IOCB Tech has been involved in the process of negotiating and concluding more than a dozen key license agreements with major pharmaceutical partners such as Gilead Sciences, Merck, Novo Nordisk and SHINE Medical Technologies. In 2017, the company established a subsidiary, i&i Prague, which focuses on funding promising early-stage projects at the Institute and other research and academic institutions. For more information visit www.iocbtech.cz . 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 i&i Biotech Fund (i&i Bio) i&i Bio is a Luxembourg-based venture capital firm that invests in innovative European Life Sciences companies focused on drug discoveries, 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 €47M 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 EIF 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.

Back Anchor 1 Nanofibers from Technical University of Liberec brings new hope in fight against Covid-19 Technical University of Liberec has a long and renowned history of research of nanomaterials and nonwoven cloth for various applications. The nanofibrous materials not only have unique filtration and acoustic properties, but they also have a huge potential in bio-medical purposes. Lately they´ve developed a new device which can produce advanced nanofibres using the method of AC electrospinning. The amount of produced nanofibers can be used for almost 6000 face masks per day. Moreover, it seems that efficacy of such face mask can be similar to FFP2 respirators. During current Covid-19 crisis where every possible safety device counts, this technology may be a new hope for all the first responders. Method itself was modified for the purpose directly on the TUL as a result of work of some of the biggest experts in the field. Although capacities of this temporary „manufacture“ can´t meet present demand, it shows a great dedication and willingness of briliant Czech researchers and Academia in times of need. https://youtu.be/I2UaQxR5AOM i&i Prague is very proud to be one the companies which support this technology, it´s production and distribution and we will search for more opportunities to scale up even more. https://www.rouskystulkou.org/ Anchor 2 LAM-X – light-activated nanomaterials for face-masks and respirators LAM-X a.s. is the newest company established in cooperation with i&i Prague. It develops light-activated nanomaterials which provide protection from bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. The lead product is a nanomembrane that generates singlet oxygen upon activation by visible light. LAM-X a.s. was once again great example of cooperation between academia and private sector. Its technology comes from Charles University in Prague and was established in cooperation with i&i Prague and Charles University Innovations Prague, s.r.o. after many months of incubation on 20th January 2020. LAM-X a.s. biggest advantage is that the technology doesn´t use silver ions, antibiotics nor any kind of special light. Its ability to self-sterilize also allows reuse of the membrane which decreases the amount of produced waste. The LAM-X platform technology can be used in the fight against infections that are caused by surface-transmitted pathogens found in hospitals, sanitation facilities, food and water production factories. Unlike antibiotics, which target specific cell parts, the singlet oxygen approach is quick and rather nonspecific, making it impossible for microbes to develop resistance mechanism. In response to the current #covid19 situation, the LAM-X adapted its R&D strategy and began developing self-sterilizing filters usable as “active layers” of face masks and respirators. To increase production capacity, LAM-X a.s. started cooperation with the Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation of the Technical University of Liberec. To learn more, contact their website: https://lam-x.tech/ . Anchor 3 Prague startup RIOCATH had recently entered market with its world-unique catheter RIOCATH Global, a company established in collaboration with IOCB Tech, has developed a revolutionary type of catheter based on world-unique technology applicable for all tubular medical devices. Since its birth in 2014, the Riocath team has been cooperating with the IOCB Prague Development Center (http://dc.uochb.cz/ ). The company is financed by private investors who already invested more multiple millions EUR in the invention development. i&i Prague is among shareholders and supports the Riocath team in its business development activities, IPR protection and partnering. One of the first clinically significant applications of the RIOCATH technology is Rectal tube RIOCATH (https://www.nabolavebrisko.cz/en/home-page/ ) for babies which entered a market in late 2019. Furthermore, the new urinary catheter based on the RIOCATH design and principle should enter market soon. The RIOCATH design can greatly reduce the risk of introducing infection into the body as well as the trauma of sensitive tissues, mainly faced by patients who use these devices repeatedly. The double-skinned RIOCATH catheters application ensure, that the casing of the catheter does not move through the inside (such as the urethra) as is common with all other catheters, but the outer casing of the catheter is unpacked at the top of the catheter and gradually lengthens the wall around the perimeter. This principle prevents damages and insertion of infection in the patient body. To learn more about this company: Riocath website. Anchor 4 Enantis – first biotechnology spin-off from Masaryk University in Brno Enantis s.r.o. was founded in 2006 as the first biotechnology spin-off from Masaryk University in Brno , Czech Republic. Project went through long development and its expertise is now based on vast experience in protein science and state-of-the-art software tools. A combination which enables Enantis to provide protein engineering and production. Enantis s.r.o. now located at INBIT, biotechnology centre operated by JIC and located on Masaryk University’s campus and closely collaborate with Loschmidt Laboratories and other research institutions. They are predominantly focused on improving the poor stability eg. of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) for research and therapeutic use. Enantis offers contract research services and licensing of their original products and the company already collaborate on the B2B level with multiple international companies. Under current difficult circumstances Enantis are one of the key suppliers of research products. They also became a member of FASTCURE (https://fastcure.net/ ) consortium recently. i&i Prague and Enantis started a collaboration in 2017 and it is based on consultations and business development support of the Enantis team. To learn more about this company: Enantis s.r.o. webpage. Anchor 5 Elphogene: non-invasive screening of patients in advanced stages of cancer Elphogene s.r.o. is a Czech spin-off company that succeeds decades of intensive research performed at Genomac research centre as well as thanks to collaborations with leading oncology centres. Using their technology oncoMonitor™ – a diagnostic tool based on so-called liquid biopsy – Elphogene brings a non-invasive screening of patients in advanced stages colorectal cancer. Biggest advantages of oncoMonitor™ technology are its speed and accuracy in diagnosing possible relaps of the tumor growth after a successful surgery. Elphogene s.r.o. has received an initial investment from i&i Prague in order to implement its oncoMonitor™ for a diagnostic monitoring screening of ctDNA in peripheral blood of patients in advanced stages of cancer. The company has been founded at the beginning of 2019 as a spin-off from the Genomac Research Institute , a leading Czech private research center widely recognized for its strong record of scientific projects in clinical cancer genomics. The purpose of the oncoMonitor™ test is a follow-up of patients in advanced stages of cancer for early detection of newly arising metastatic lesions. The technology is capable of capturing ctDNA in up to 88% of patients with advanced colorectal cancer with the presence of liver metastases which is more accurate and lacking the negative impact on health (such as radioactive doses) than current approaches (ultrasonography, magnetic resonance, and especially X-ray examination and computed tomography – CT). To learn more about this technology: elphogene.cz . Anchor 6 Czech anti-covid19 #hackathon won by two i&i Prague accelerated projects Virtual #hackathon was a national challenge for all Czech scientists, companies, students and science-enthusiasts with a simple goal: gather the best Czech bio-technologies to fight COVID-19 crisis. Finally, the top 15 projects were chosen from the wide group of participants and presented as part of yesterday’s final. Winners were chosen by a jury of experts and the first three split a prize of almost 400 000 euro donated by Hyundai Motor Czech s.r.o. and Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech s.r.o. i&i Prague can proudly announce that the first and third places were won by startups we helped to establish – DIANA Biotechnologies and LAM-X a.s. It once again shows the quality and applicability of Czech science and the need of full acceleration and technology transfer. To learn more about this competition and it´s winners, search: CzechInvest Hack The Crisis Český rozhlas Věda Výzkum iDnes The first place was won by Diana Biotechnologies ,platform technology for faster and more precise detection of the virus( https://lnkd.in/dXRi4rF ), second place was won by the project CoroVent developing ICU ventilators, and third place active sel-sterilizing nanofilters from LAM-X a.s. (https://lam-x.tech/ ). The joint fourth place was won by projects GREYCORTEX , Oxygenerator, Kaleido, Flying Kale , FreMEn and Hunter Games, s.r.o. . Anchor 7 DIANA Biotechnologies – technology that raised EUR 3M in 3 years DIANA Biotechnologies started as a project of a PhD. student at IOCB. After less than 3 years of pre-seed incubation it developed into an independent biotech company, with their own laboratories, impressive portfolio of projects and products and stable venture capital funding. The technology originated from IOCB lab and its incubation has been supported by IOCB Tech, the Technology transfer office. The company has been established in summer of 2018 thanks to raising of EUR 3 m from BPD Partners investorsand it is further supported by i&i Prague team. DIANA is a multi-well plate assay, where target protein is selectively captured to the solid carrier and then bound by a unique detection probe consisting of a small-molecule ligand linked to a DNA-oligonucleotide. Subsequently, the probe is detected and quantified by qPCR. For drug discovery, the assay utilizes competition between the probe and the test compounds to measure their binding affinity. DIANA is a platform technology and its applications are effectively developed and used for both, super-sensitive Diagnostics (both for research use and clinical applications) and effective Drug discovery (high throughput screening , affinity measurements and selectivity profiling , assay development , lead compound optimization, ADME pharmacology ). To learn more about this technology: dianabiotech.com . Anchor 8 DRACEN Pharmaceuticals – Novel glutamine antagonist as anticancer therapies One of the first project i&i Prague participated in is Dracen Pharmaceuticals. Dracen itself started as an international science team at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB Prague) and Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, USA). The scientific team prepared and tested new substances for cancer treatment that are effective through stopping the metabolism of glutamine. i&i Prague joined in this spin-off company early summer of 2017 as a co-investor. This investment opportunity and quality of the technology itself attracted investors supporting the development of these new drugs in the amount of more than $40 millions including the leading investor Deerfield. Dracen is a now a private pharmaceutical company focused on treating cancers by directly shrinking tumors and remodeling the tumor microenvironment to make it more conducive to immuno-oncology approaches, to gain greater disease control, increase anti-tumor responses and extend patient survival in areas of unmet need. “Our new substances, glutamine antagonist, bypass these limitations. In order to be effective, they need to be activated first and this activation occurs primarily in cancer cells. Thus in healthy tissue these substances remain largely only in an inactive form,” explains Dr. Pavel Majer from IOCB Prague, whose team prepared the substances in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery team. “Together with our colleagues from Johns Hopkins, we have demonstrated that this mechanism works in a number of types of tumors implanted in mice. Since the metabolism of rodents differs significantly from human metabolism, we also had to perform a number of metabolic studies in larger mammalian species,” adds Pavel Majer. Dracen Pharmaceuticals is a great example of how an academic cooperation between renowned research facilities led to a functional spin-off which attracted major investors. Right now the Dracen Pharmaceuticals develops the lead candidate, DRP-104 on its way through the pre-clinical to clinical testing. Similarly to many patients, we believe they will reach another milestone soon.To learn more about this technology: www.dracenpharma.com . Anchor 9 LAM-X a.s. is collaborating with TUL to develop active nanofilters against COVID-19 During COVID-19 crisis we embrace our startups to answer current questions and solve present problems. Our the most recently established startup – LAM-X, a.s. – is not an exception. LAM-X a.s., a technological spin-off of the Charles University and the Czech Academy of Sciences, joined forces with the Technical University of Liberec (TUL) in the fight against COVID-19. Their common goal is to develop active nanofilters that not only capture but also actively remove viral particles. The nanofilters will be useful as part of face masks and respirators. In response to the current situation, the LAM-X adapted its R&D strategy and began developing self-sterilizing filters usable as “active layers” of face masks and respirators. To increase production capacity, LAM-X, an academic spin-off, started cooperation with the Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation of the Technical University of Liberec. This institute is known for its excellent expertise in the production of nanomaterials. “Cooperation with the academic environment is and will undoubtedly be very important for our company. After all, the LAM-X proprietary technology is based on many years of research by the academic group of Associate Professor Jiří Mosinger from the Faculty of Science of the Charles University,” said Dr. Chaloupka, the CEO of the company.“We believe that by starting cooperation with the Technical University of Liberec, the technology will be prepared faster for the industrial production”, mentioned Dr. Barbora Šumová, the board member representing company’s financial investor i&i Prague s.r.o She added: “Currently, there are almost no nanotechnologies that would offer active elimination of viral particles and those existing differ greatly in their effectiveness. To ensure high quality and smooth certification process, we therefore want to first thoroughly test our material in cooperation with the academic and private sectors.” The use of LAM-X nanofilters offers additional added value. The amount of healthcare waste produced during this crisis will represent a significant economic and environmental burden on society. LAM-X self-sterilizing nanomaterials, that are intended for reuse, could at least partially alleviate this undesirable situation. To learn more about this interesting project, contact barbora.sumova@lam-x.tech . Anchor 10 License for use of iBodies® bought by Immunotech, a member of the Beckman Coulter group! The Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IOCB Prague), the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IMC), and Charles University have signed a licensing agreement with the company Immunotech, a member of the Beckman Coulter group, for the use of iBodies®, a joint technology for measuring free testosterone in blood. The new iBodies provide an alternative to the radioactive tracer method, thus simplifying the measurement of free testosterone in clinical laboratories. Measuring free testosterone is important in determining the correct therapy for a number of health problems and serious diseases. In women, for example, it is measured in cases of menstrual disorders and conception problems. In men, it can help identify the causes of obesity, erectile dysfunction, depression, sleep disorders, and osteoporosis. The actual measuring, however, is complicated: the amount of free testosterone is either inaccurately derived from overall levels of testosterone in the blood, or it is measured using radioactive tracers, which provide accurate results but also present a variety of complications arising from the use of radioactive material, among them its relatively low stability.Typically used as synthetic antibody substitutes, iBodies are complex molecules that enable imaging of specific proteins on the surface of cells. “The iBodies molecules constitute a fully synthetic system based on a water-soluble polymer that forms a basic backbone. Other components are added to this polymer backbone, such as a fluorescent label, an affinity tag, and the specific ligand responsible for detecting free testosterone. Choosing the right individual components lets us prepare iBodies with great variability for a wide range of biochemical applications,” says Vladimír Šubr of IMC. In this case, iBodies are being used for the very first time as so-called tracers, i.e. nonradioactively labelled molecules that can be detected with a high degree of accuracy, making it possible to derive free testosterone levels. Therefore, iBodies represent a key component that facilitates sensitive detection of free testosterone. “The license is evidence of the broad scope of applications that our iBodies technology offers, and in areas we hadn’t originally considered and where application hadn’t occurred to us,” says Jan Konvalinka of IOCB Prague in discussing the new use for iBodies. “This is only the beginning – we’re working toward the application of our technology in other fields, too." The results of the new iBodies, their sensitivity, and their long-term stability caught the attention of the Beckman Coulter group, which, with the license, will use them as an important component for its new nonradioactive (ELISA) kit for determination of free testosterone and will add them to its standard in vitro kits for clinical laboratory diagnostics. What are iBodies? iBodies® (www.ibodies.eu ) were developed by Pavel Šácha, Tomáš Knedlík, and others in the laboratory of Jan Konvalinka at IOCB Prague and Charles University in collaboration with the team of Vladimír Šubr of the Department of Biomedical Polymers, headed by Tomáš Etrych, at the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences. iBodies comprise a polymer backbone with a small organic molecule bound to it that can bind to the target receptor of tested cells. A component of the complex is a molecule that serves as an anchor for use in various separation techniques and, in some cases, also a fluorescent label facilitating imaging of iBodies with various laboratory methods. All this together gives the technology considerable potential for use in clinical laboratories, either as substitutes for nonsynthetic antibodies that are otherwise not readily available, or as tracers for measurement. Development of a free testosterone determination kit Development of a kit for the determination of free testosterone began in 2017 with collaboration between the company Immunotech and the Department of Advanced Materials and Organic Synthesis at the Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the Czech Academy of Sciences as part of grant project of the Ministry of Industry and Trade FV20061. To improve the characteristics of the proposed kit, work was undertaken in 2018 between the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (Vladimír Šubr, Libor Kostka), the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (Pavel Šácha, Natan Sidej), and the companies IOCB Tech and i&i Prague (Jiří Moos, Jan Plicka) on development of a technology for measuring free testosterone using iBodies, which was completed at the beginning of 2020. Correlational studies and tests of several hundred samples have demonstrated that ELISA technology using iBodies is more sensitive than commercially available kits with radioactive testosterone. Another significant advantage of the new iBodies is their long-term functional stability as compared with radioactive or protein-based tracers. Anchor 11 iBodies – synthetic antibodies from Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS iBodies is a project originated at IMC , IOCB and Charles University, which is currently under a pre-seed incubation. The iBodies team focuses on development of the novel macromolecules designed to substitute antibodies in common biochemical methods. Use of such substitutes was successfully tested for wide range of laboratory methods: ELISA, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, Western Blotting, protein immobilization and immunoprecipitation methods. i&i Prague team supports iBodies in business development activities, including a search for potential business partners, co-developers, or iBodies-technology applications with strong market potential. During the last three years, i&i Prague helped iBodies to start multiple collaborative projects and finalized several out-licensing deals. These synthetic antibody mimetics consist of N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymer backbone decorated with low-molecular-weight functional groups: a targeting ligand, an affinity anchor and an imaging probe. In theory, iBodies can be custom designed towards any protein of interest (provided a ligand is known) and tailored based on the intended applications. Moreover, iBodies are highly stable, easy to prepare and modify, can target via an active site which allows them to target groups of homologous proteins and many more advantages. To discover actual products and possibilities, search https://www.ibodies.eu/ . Anchor 12 iBodies established cooperation with Ximbio, a TTO within the UK’s largest charity, Cancer Research UK Project iBodies , supported by IOCB Tech and i&i Prague, is focused on developing novel macromolecules designed to fully substitute antibodies in common biochemical methods. Recently, iBodies established a cooperation with the world´s largest non-profit organization focused on life-science research tools of all kinds – Ximbio . Ximbio is a UK based technology-transfer company within the charity Cancer Research UK , which is the largest charitable funder of cancer research in the world. Ximbio’s goal is to make life science research tools widely and easily available all around the world (such as small molecule tool compounds, antibodies, cell lines, proteins, animal models). Ximbio can manage the whole commercialisation of these research tools on behalf of its partner research institutes (providing storage, production, quality control and execution of licence/sales agreements and transfer of material to its global network of both industry and academic scientists). Any revenue Ximbio generates is shared back to the iBodies inventors and their respective research institutes. Including iBodies in their portfolio shows not only the quality of the technology, but again makes this unique, flexible platform available for even more laboratory applications all around the world. In theory, iBodies synthetic antibodies can be custom designed towards any protein of interest (provided a ligand is known), tailored based on the intended applications and used in various methods such as ELISA, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, Western Blotting, protein immobilization and immunoprecipitation methods. In general, these iBodies can target a specific protein such as neuraminidase, GCPII, HIV-1, FAP, CA-IX or can be used for broader spectra of proteins such as His-tagged or GST-tagged proteins. Specifically, anti-neuraminidase iBody , anti-glutamate carboxypeptidase (GCPII) iBody , anti-HIV-1 protease iBody , anti-fibroblast activation protein (FAP) iBody , anti-carbonic anhydrase IX (CA-IX) iBody , anti-HIS tag iBody , anti-GST tag iBody and a negative control iBody are all available online now – HERE. Anchor 13 LAM-X: revolutionary wound-treating nanomaterials Story of LAM-X technology is a perfect example of our work in i&i Prague. For the last year our expert Investment manager Barbora Šumová entered project called LAM-X: light activated nanomaterials providing protection from bacteria, viruses and other patogenes. In cooperation with the university of origin (Charles University, Prague and CUIP) and the inventor doc. RNDr. Jiří Mosinger, PhD., Barbora helped LAM-X reach all milestones, build a proper business plan, set up a functional team and, finally, launched this advanced technology as a Start-up. Company itself was established on 20th February 2020. LAM-X is now a fully functional biotechnology company, it´s lead product is a nanomembrane that generates singlet oxygen upon activation by visible light. The clinical study on patients suffering from ulcers proved the efficacy of the LAM-X membrane. This platform technology can be used in the fight against infections that are caused by surface-transmitted pathogens found in hospitals, sanitation facilities, food and water production factories. Unlike antibiotics, which target specific cell parts, the singlet oxygen approach is quick and rather nonspecific, making it impossible for microbes to develop resistance mechanism. It can provide solution in countries, where sanitary conditions complicate even the simpliest medical interventions as well as it answers the general demand for non-antibiotic treatment, too. Anchor 14 Elphogene in World Journal of Gastroenterology Another great achievement for one of our projects! Prague-based biotechnological start-up Elphogene is a progressive, young company focused on monitoring of patients in advanced stages colorectal cancer. With an initial investment from i&i Prague, Elphogene was able to implement its oncoMonitor™, a liquid biopsy technology into a commercial assay for non-invasive diagnostic monitoring of patients. The company has been founded at the beginning of 2019 as a spin-off from the Genomac Research Institute. Since then, oncoMonitor™ technology was widely mentioned in major Czech Scientific and Public media and now it´s methods and results were published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology. Congratulations! We believe it will introduce this idea to even more patients and doctors worldwide. The article can be found under the title: Significance of postoperative follow-up of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer using circulating tumor DNA. As a short disclaimer; short abstract of this article mentioned: One of the most notable applications for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detection in peripheral blood of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is a long-term postoperative follow-up. Sometimes referred to as a “liquid (re)biopsy” it is a minimally invasive procedure and can be performed repeatedly at relatively short intervals (months or even weeks). The presence of the disease and the actual extent of the tumor burden (tumor mass) within the patient’s body can be monitored. This is of particular importance, especially when evaluating radicality of surgical treatment as well as for early detection of disease progression or recurrence. Aim is to confirm the radicality of surgery using ctDNA and compare available methods for detection of recurrence in metastatic colorectal cancer. Among the monitored patients, the R0 (curative) resection correlated with postoperative ctDNA negativity in 26 out of 28 cases of surgical procedures (26/28, 93%). In the remaining cases of R0 surgeries that displayed ctDNA, both patients were diagnosed with a recurrence of the disease after 6 months. In 7 patients who underwent an R1 resection, 4 ctDNA positivities (4/7, 57%) were detected after surgery and associated with the confirmation of early disease recurrence (after 3 to 7 months). All 15 patients (15/15, 100%) undergoing R2 resection remained constantly ctDNA positive during the entire follow-up period. In 22 cases of recurrence, ctDNA positivity was detected 22 times (22/22, 100%) compared to 16 positives (16/22, 73%) by imaging methods and 15 cases (15/22, 68%) of elevated tumor markers. CONCLUSION ctDNA detection in patients with mCRC is a viable tool for early detection of disease recurrence as well as for confirmation of the radicality of surgical treatment. Anchor 15 LAM-X: the spin-off accelerated by i&i Prague in Media One of the first project i&i Prague participated in is Dracen Pharmaceuticals. Dracen itself started as an international science team at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB Prague) and Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, USA). The scientific team prepared and tested new substances for cancer treatment that are effective through stopping the metabolism of glutamine. Founding of LAM-X, a.s. , the newest company accelerated by i&i Prague and Charles University Innovations Prague, s.r.o. was met with both interest and positive feedback from Czech national media. Company was established on 20th January 2020 and since then 17 articles in the best and most read Czech media were published about it. The LAM-X platform technology can be used in the fight against infections that are caused by surface–transmitted pathogens found in hospitals, sanitation facilities, food and water production factories. The lead product is a nanomembrane that generates singlet oxygen upon activation by visible light. This membrane can have a wide usage as preventive wound dressing which can help reduce amount of antibiotic resistence. The clinical study on patients suffering from ulcers proved the efficacy of the LAM-X membrane. The list of media, where LAM-X was mentioned, is rather wide (dispclaimer: articles are mostly in Czech): Věda a Výzkum Česká věda do světa Lidové noviny iRozhlas Česká rozhlas Charles University in Prague Charles University in Prague – the Tarantula Blesk Muzeum CUNI Týden.cz ČtiDoma.cz iDnes.cz TV iDnes České Novinky MF Dnes We are very proud that this technology was met with such and interest and we believe it will once again inform public about quality of Czech Science. More about LAM-X technology and their products on: https://lam-x.tech/ or https://www.linkedin.com/company/lam-x/about/ Anchor 16 Elphogene – liquid biopsy assay for non-invasive monitoring of patients with colorectal cancer Another one of successful projects supported by i&i Prague is the Prague-based biotechnological start-up Elphogene, Inc. Its oncoMonitor™, a liquid biopsy technology, was recently turned into a commercial assay for non-invasive diagnostic monitoring of patients in advanced stages colorectal cancer. Elphogene, Inc. has been founded at the beginning of 2019 as a spin-off from the Genomac Research Institute , and it´s launch was widely covered by media alike the most recent launch: LAM-X . Prague, 13th June 2019 – A team of Czech scientists from the Elphogene company presents a unique diagnostic method called oncoMonitor™, which offers cancer survivors an improvement in regular control screening aimed at the verification of their treatment’s success or timely detection of the disease’s reoccurrence. The Prague-based biotechnological start-up Elphogene has received an initial investment from i&i Prague in order to implement its oncoMonitor™, a liquid biopsy technology into a commercial assay for non-invasive diagnostic monitoring of patients in advanced stages colorectal cancer. This method brings a key benefit of personalized testing to detect potential new metastases and the timely option to select further treatment. “We have completed pilot studies demonstrating the analytical sensitivity of the oncoMonitor™ assay, and the data were presented at the annual conference of American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Atlanta, USA, in April. We are very happy with the results of this test, which can be applied universally to various forms of solid tumours, and currently we are initiating clinical validation in cooperation with leading domestic oncological centres,” says Dr. Marek Minárik, Co-Founder and General Manager of Elphogene. The company has been founded earlier this year as a spin-off from the Genomac research institute, a leading Czech private research center widely recognized for its strong record of scientific projects in clinical cancer genomics. Originally developed at Genomac and now exclusively owned by Elphogene, the oncoMonitor™ liquid biopsy technology, will further be developed and validated in clinical setting at company headquarters and laboratories located near Prague Vaclav Havel airport in Ruzyne. The initial investment was provided by the i&i Prague company, which is a leading Central European biotechnological incubator and investment centre providing financial support to promising projects in the field of living-nature science, biotechnology and modern medicine. “Liquid biopsy is a newly emerging field with fascinating growth potential, destined to fundamentally change modern medicine from diagnostics to therapy. We have been following the oncoMonitor™ technology for some time and we are now excited to collaborate with the team at Elphogene in its clinical implementation“ says Dr. Jaromir Zahradka, the CEO and a co-founder of i&i Prague. In the long run, the Czech Republic has been occupying leading places in patients with colorectal carcinoma. Thanks to extensive campaigns aimed at the importance of screening and early detection of colorectal carcinoma, the number of patients who lose their fight with this insidious disease has been dropping. On the other hand, there is an ongoing lack of non-invasive methods which help post-op detection of recurring cancer activity and prolonging the lives of patients in advanced stages of the disease. According to the available data from the National Cancer Registry, a total of 7800 patients was newly diagnosed with colorectal carcinoma in 2016, 1508 of which suffered verifiably from advanced stages with the occurrence of metastases. In the same year, almost 4 thousand patients succumbed to this disease. To compare the occurrence of colorectal carcinoma in Europe, according to the 2018 data by Globocan, the Czech Republic takes the 15th place in the number of newly diagnosed cases and the 18th place in death rate. In a whole-world comparison, it takes the 23rd place in newly diagnosed cases and the 22nd place in death rate. Colorectal cancer usually appears in older patients, and in the Czech Republic, colorectal carcinoma is a more frequent phenomena in men. A novel early cancer diagnostics method has been developed at University of Pardubice, partnered with i&i Prague Pancreatic cancer is one of the most dangerous and most aggressive types of cancer. According to recent data, the twelfth most common malignant disease in the world. It is also associated with a high mortality rate, and it is the seventh of the most common causes of deaths for both sexes in cancer in general. In addition, the incidence has increased in recent years and can be expected to move to the third position ahead of breast cancer. Scientific teams around the world are looking for methods for early diagnostics of cancer. Among these is the team of Prof. Michal Holčapek of the University of Pardubice. „We have developed new methods for the lipidomic analysis of body fluids, predominantly blood, which distinguish patients with several types of cancer from healthy volunteers. We are currently working on pancreatic cancer data, where early diagnosis in early stages is the only chance for survival,“ described Prof. Holčapek the goal of the project. The research project of Prof. Holčapek has been awarded the European Research Council (ERC) grant and has been financially supported by the Ministry of Education of the Czech republic. Recently, the University of Pardubice has signed the memorandum with Czech Biotech incubator i&i Prague establishing a strategic collaboration towards further commercial development of the technology in order to introduce the novel diagnostic methods into the world market. i&i Prague is going to support the project with 20k EUR in the very first phase to ensure the business plan development and to cover further analyses to verify the commercial potential of the method and develop solid patent protection of the technology. i&i Prague incubator support „Ones we are able to confirm the potential of the technology, we are ready to invest up to 200k EUR in this project and invite further co-investors,“ commented Jaromír Zahrádka, CEO of i&i Prague, adding at the same time: “Prof. Holčapek’s project is a world-class science. However, it need to be properly developed to become the comprehensible and ready-made business opportunity for investors and corporate partners. This is a necessary step to offer this promising technology to patients in future". „The accuracy of our method is more than 90% for the very first stage of pancreatic cancer. However, the accuracy of other state-of-the-art and promising method was reported to be only 43%, according to the results published in Science magazine. The high accuracy of the method for early stages is a key parameter. Early diagnostics in oncology is crucial to improving patient prognosis and increasing survival chances, “ commented further Prof. Holcapek a key competitive advantage of his technology.The project is currently undergoing the clinical testing and beside the pancreatic cancer detection, highly promising results has been obtained for other cancer types which uncovered a potential for further exploitation of the technology. Biotechnology Incubator i&i Prague supports projects by scientists and researchers focusing on technologies in medicine, biotechnology, diagnostics and drug development. It takes care of the business part of the projects, leads and plans their business direction, looks for partners and takes care of technological marketing. The full press release can be found here . DIANA Biotechnologies, a novel startup in the i&i Prague´s academic incubator A new startup, DIANA Biotechnologies , has been founded at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IOCB Prague). This unique technology created by postgraduate student Václav Navrátil has the potential to significantly improve disease diagnostics and accelerate the development of new drugs. The startup has earned the trust of investors, who are putting more than 3 million EUR into the project. A PhD graduate, Václav Navrátil has developed together with his colleagues a technology known as DIANA, or DNA-linked Inhibitor Antibody Assay. The unique method allows for ultrasensitive quantification of enzymes and other proteins in a solution, e.g. human blood, urine, or saliva. In practice, it should help doctors diagnose certain diseases (cancer and various infectious diseases, for instance) at an earlier stage than is possible with existing methods. Moreover, it enables screening of large numbers of chemical substances for enzyme inhibitors and the identification of suitable compounds for further development as drug candidates. DIANA Biotechnologies is being set up with the support from the academic incubator of biotechnologies i&i Prague as well as from investors at bpd partners, who plan to provide over 3 million EUR in the next few years. The DIANA technology was developed at IOCB Prague. The institute is known for its efforts to systematically advance the results of basic research applicable in practice and facilitate their transition to the world of business, which is overseen by the institute’s subsidiary IOCB Tech (formerly IOCB TTO). The quality and potential of the DIANA project is reflected in the prestigious Werner von Siemens Award for the most significant result in the field of development and innovation, which was recently awarded to Navrátil and his team. The full press release can be found here . Novel partnership for iBodies has been facilitated by i&i Prague and IOCB Tech managers The Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry (IMC) of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) in cooperation with the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS (IOCB Prague) are moving ahead together in intensive research of synthetic antibody mimetics called iBodies®. They have just commenced cooperation with the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute (ICCI). In the future, newly prepared iBodies® should serve in clinical diagnostics, e.g. histological staining of tissues. The partnership has been facilitated by our colleague Jiri Moos, who supports iBodies project management and business development. Congratulations! For the full press release, click here . Revolutionary type of catheter raised €2 million from private investors Czech company Riocath Global has introduced a worldwide unique technology applicable to tubular medical devices. This revolutionary technology has been patented and developed in collaboration with the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IOCB Prague ). The urinary catheter is one of the first clinically significant applications. The clinical trials will begin by the end of this year. The RIOCATH® (Reversal Inside-Out CATHetrisation) design greatly reduces the risk of introducing bacterial infection into the body. The current catheter is carrying on its surface microbes from the urethra tip as it makes its way through the urethra. Another danger is the damage to sensitive tissues caused by the insertion of current catheters. The new type of RIOCATH® urinary catheter will be of great benefit to a broad spectrum of patients. Reduction in bacterial infections should contribute significantly to reducing the need for antibiotic treatment. All of this should contribute to significant savings in the health care system and more comfortable patient care. “Unlike old catheters whose casing rubs on the urethra´s wall during insertion, the new technology allows for the catheter to extend by unfolding itself from the inside out, virtually imitating a snail´s eye stalk,” explains Miroslav Svoboda, MD, the project initiator, co-inventor and the CEO of Riocath Global. “Upon completion of clinical trials and marketing of the catheter, the estimated value of the company will grow to tens of millions of euros. Apart from urinary catheters, the principal can be used in a number of other applications which are part of the company´s development portfolio with the considerable market and therapeutic potential,” comments on the importance of the patented technology Jaromír Zahrádka, PhD., the CEO of i&i Prague and a member of the board of directors of the Riocath Global. responsible for the intellectual property protection. The first product market entry is expected in 2019. The full press release can be found here . Startup Riocath is among Hello Tomorrow’s top 500 stratups in the world Hello Tomorrow, which recently partnered with i&i Prague to advance its mission of fostering advancements in deep technology startups and businesses, will hold its global summit in Paris on 14-15 March. As part of the summit program, Hello Tomorrow highlights 500 of the most outstanding startups in the field of deep technology. This year’s top 500 selection includes another of i&i Prague’s very successful partners, Riocath, a company specializing in tubular medical devices. Included with this honour is the opportunity for Riocath to compete for one of the limited showcase positions at Hello Tomorrow Global Summit 2019 . i&i Prague became a shareholder in the spin-off XENO Cell Innovations! XENO Cell Innovations is a young, progressing company based in Pilsen, Czech Republic. It is focused mostly on bio-computing – capturing complex biological system in images, combining creative microscopy with a little narration and a lot of imagination to make more visible the amazing potential of computing in liquid media. Their technology is able to link up to biological objects generating a coherent intelligible interface. It self-assembles into computational clusters and processes information locally within these clusters. Rather than relying on brute-force screening, the linked biological sample reports on itself. Categorically, a cluster is a physically connected network made up of genetically engineered yeast, linkers, enzymes, and other chemical modifiers. Clusters are not prefabricated. They self-assemble around objects with specific immunological profiles. By fusing different fluorescent labels to different yeast strains, the makeup of a cluster can in part be made visible. We, the i&i Prague, had this great opportunity to offer our services to this project and helped its creators reach their goal. Now, with the company established, we became a proud shareholder! The motto of XENO Cell Innovations is: „Many foundational problems in diagnostics and bioengineering are solvable if biology could just do more of the work. But current biotech isn’t smart enough. We are interested in changing the status quo by systematizing biologic units and constructing modular composition rules“.To find out more about this growing company, SEARCH: https://xenocells.com/ i&i Prague co-invested Dracen Pharmaceuticals, a company developing a novel oncology treatment i&i Prague has co-invested in a new oncology project. The development of novel glutamine antagonist prodrugs is supported with a total investment of $40.5 million. The international team of scientists from Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Science (IOCB Prague ) and Johns Hopkins University (JHU ) has prepared and tested a new substance for cancer treatment. The aim is to stop the cancer growth by cutting out the glutamine supply necessary for the viability of cancer cells. The novel glutamine antagonist prodrug was prepared at the IOCB Prague. Further clinical development will be led by a biotech company Dracen Pharmaceuticals , formed recently with the support of both IOCB Prague and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The phase I clinical studies of the new substances should begin in the first half of 2019. The potential of the new therapy is highlighted by the fact that the company has closed a $40.5 million financing round led by Deerfield Management. The full Press Release can be found here . i&i Prague is joining Hello Tomorrow Ecosystem, a global community boosting deep technology-based start-ups In mid-June 2018 a new partnership has been established between a Prague-based company focused on central and east European biotech start-ups in the early stage of development and a global organisation which gives a platform for deep technology-based start-ups all over the world, Hello Tomorrow. i&i Prague has joined the Ecosystem Partners of Hello Tomorrow , which aims to connect current and future start-ups coming from the i&i Prague´s incubator to the global start-up scene and increase their visibility, e.g. by participating in the Global Challenge and other activities organized by Hello Tomorrow. Additionally, the collaboration will help Hello Tomorrow and its partners to connect and tap into unsuspected opportunities and projects in biotech and deep technologies originating in central and east Europe. About Hello Tomorrow Hello Tomorrow is a non-profit organisation bringing together a community of actors aiming to unlock the potential of deep technologies to solve the world’s toughest challenges. They source deeptech projects and startups and facilitate collaboration between entrepreneurs, industries and investors in order to propel innovation from the lab to the market. Hello Tomorrow organises startup competitions, mentorship programs and a series of events around the world, as well as educating and consulting relevant stakeholders on emergence of deep technologies. Hello Tomorrow is fast becoming a key reference platform in deeptech innovation and entrepreneurship. i&i Prague successfully mediated an out-licensing of antibodies from IMG A strategic business collaboration of Institute of Molecular Genetics of the CAS and i&i Prague has been established recently, in October 2017. Despite it is still fresh, this partnership showed its promising potential within first months. Our very first collaborative effort resulted in out-licensing of one of the IMG assets to an international pharmaceutical company. Institute of Molecular Genetics is one of the top Czech Biotech institutes and the scientists are doing world class research. However, the highest quality of their work has not been fully recognized by companies and investors yet. Since we had a chance to screen full portfolio of IMG projects, we are sure further successful deals with companies and investors should follow quickly. Congratulations and we look for further great deals for IMG! Anchor 17 Anchor 18 Anchor 19 Anchor 20 Anchor 21 Anchor 22 Anchor 23 Anchor 24 Anchor 25

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!