CellmAbs, a spin-off biotech company from Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, announced on 9 January that it has entered into a patent assignment and license agreement with BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX, "BioNTech"), a next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases. This agreement includes patented technology originating from NOVA School of Science and Technology (NOVA FCT) and developed in collaboration with the Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto (IPO) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) in Germany.
The technology is the result of years of collaborative research with the epicentre in Paula Videira's Glycoimmunology research lab at UCIBIO NOVA FCT, including contributions from the NOVA Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and is representative of the excellence in scientific and translational research produced at this university.
This is the largest technology transfer agreement ever signed with a Portuguese company in the field of biotechnology and life sciences, and the most important in this field, as it could lead to the first innovative Portuguese medicine for oncology to reach the market. In this case, the production of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific to cancer cells, without affecting healthy cells, represents a fundamental advance, as it allows treatments that attack the disease more effectively, with fewer side effects, and that are personalised, i.e. adapted to the individual characteristics of each patient's cancer.
"These therapies, which are effective in more than 80% of solid tumours, can be adapted to different tumour stages, ensure lower toxicity and lower risk of chemoresistance, improving patient tolerance and quality of life, and also help prevent tumour progression and escape," assures Nuno Prego Ramos, co-founder and CEO of CellmAbs.
Founded by Paula Videira, a professor and researcher at NOVA FCT's Department of Life Sciences, and alumnus Nuno Prego Ramos, in 2019, CellmAbs is one of the official spin-offs recognised by NOVA University Lisbon in 2019 as a spin-off from the Universidade NOVA de Lisboa. CellmAbs specialises in new cancer treatments and has several preclinical candidates in its portfolio based on its advanced knowledge of cancer-specific antigens. Today, it is a success story in technology transfer and value creation, an area that the University has strategically strengthened in recent years and which is beginning to bear fruit.
"It is with great pride that we see a technology that was originally developed in one of NOVA's research centres being recognised for its potential to save lives with a high probability, confirming in practice the quality of the cutting-edge research carried out at the university and the impact it can have on society," emphasises Vice-Rector Isabel Rocha, who is responsible for research and innovation at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa.
CellmAbs is also particularly optimistic about this agreement, as the company is expected to be the first in the life sciences sector in Portugal to surpass the one billion euro mark.
Recently, the same CellmAbs was awarded twice by Portugal Ventures in the categories for work carried out throughout 2023. "The recognition and investment by Portugal Ventures validates CellmAbs' commitment to innovation and excellent work. It also highlights the positive impact of the transfer of knowledge generated in the Academy and particular research into new immunotherapies in the area of Glycobiology," emphasises Paula Videira.
In the news
Biotecnológica portuguesa CellmAbs vende terapias contra o cancro à alemã BioNTech, Público
CellmAbs. Os portugueses que vendem terapias inovadoras contra o cancro, Sábado
Biotecnológica nacional CellmAbs vende terapias inovadoras contra cancro à BioNTech, Jornal Económico
Portugal Ventures anuncia startups vencedoras dos prémios de 2023, Business.IT
Portugal Ventures distingue mais de uma dezena de startups do seu portefólio, Executive Digest