Araris Biotech Raises CHF 2.5 million to Develop own Antibody-Drug-Conjugates
20.08.2019
The startup can now focus on the commercialization of a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)-linker technology, co-founder and CEO Philipp Spycher says in our interview.
 Araris Biotech co-founders Isabella Attinger-Toller and Philipp Spycher
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What is Araris Biotech AG's mission and core innovation?
Our platform allows scientists to attach any payload to ‘off the shelf’ antibodies, without any prior antibody engineering. The resulting ADCs have well-defined drug-to-antibody ratios, are stable and monomeric – favorable properties that show high efficacy and low toxicity. In summary, the straightforward drug conjugation, versatility of the technology and high in vivo efficacy enable the creation of ADC compounds to treat patients with a high unmet medical need.
What distinguishes Araris from the current state-of-the-art?
ADCs are powerful biopharmaceuticals that deliver highly potent drugs, very specifically to diseased tissue. They typically consist of highly potent cytotoxic agents conjugated to antibodies through a specific linker. This molecular format enables the highly selective delivery of any payload to the diseased tissue, while sparing the healthy parts of the human body.
Until now ADCs generated using conventional methods faced several challenges and side-effects: the pre-mature loss of drug poisoned healthy tissues and reduced the overall ADC efficacy, which resulted in many ADCs failing in clinical trials. In addition, current technologies have limited versatility, which means some payloads impair ADC stability, requiring significant optimization efforts of each antibody/payload combination.
Our pioneering Linker Technology addresses those shortcomings and permits straightforward conjugation of any payload on an existing antibody ‘off-the-shelf’, e.g. without prior cell line or antibody engineering. Using our highly soluble, hydrophilic linkers, we can accommodate most payloads and offer an unparalleled chemical versatility that result in very stable ADCs. This ease of ADC generation and favorable physicochemical properties significantly reduce the time and cost of drug development.
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How will this 2.5-million-franc-investment from Redalpine, Schroder Adveq and VI Partners help you achieve your vision?
It will allow us to start generating in vivo proof-of-principle data using our own ADCs. A pipeline of ADCs is essential and we plan to start pre-clinical development and IND filing as quickly as possible. We also plan to test features of the technology platform, and validate our technology in collaboration with industry partners, with whom we would aim to then close licensing deals.
How did Venture Kick help your startup?
Venture Kick was essential in the starting phase. We received extremely valuable inputs on our business plan development and presentation skills. Venture Kick’s financial support allowed us to attend partnering meetings and scientific conferences, which led to our ongoing feasibility studies with several pharma companies. The challenging feedback at the Kicker’s Camps regarding financial projections, plans and company development, also prepared us for the critical questions we encountered when fundraising.