Technology from the laboratories of IOCB Prague has been given an extraordinary opportunity to succeed in the rapidly developing segment of gene therapy. The results of successful research are set to be advanced by a newly established private company called Adalid Sciences, which is being supported with a major investment from BTL Group, a leading manufacturer of medical technologies.
The story begins with the discovery of new lipid nanoparticles with a comic book name coined by Dr. Petr Cígler and Dr. Klára Grantz Šašková of IOCB Prague. Acting as a sort of imaginary courier, their XMAN is capable of safely transporting nucleic acids, either the basic building blocks of DNA or the long strands of RNA, into cells. At the same time, the potential of such a molecular transport device is constantly growing because the field of gene therapy has recently been developing at break-neck speed. Nucleic acids can be used to suppress or, conversely, replace or directly repair incorrect genetic information, making it possible to fight diseases that are difficult to treat. They also play an important role in the development of vaccines, both those targeting infectious diseases as well as oncological ones. Therefore, the new company, Adalid Sciences, has a unique opportunity to assume a permanent position in the global pharmaceutical market. This is also possible thanks to the extraordinary support provided by the IOCB environment, without which promising discoveries could hardly navigate the proverbial valley of death and have any hope of achieving commercial success. Professional support comes from the institute’s subsidiary transfer company, IOCB Tech, which helps bring promising scientific ideas to life.
The investment that Adalid received from BTL is exceptional in the Czech milieu: a major manufacturer of medical technologies has promised to invest around ten million euros. The technical director of BTL, Tomáš Drbal, explains why they decided to take this step: “BTL Group is a world leader in several medical fields, so strategic investments in related areas such as biotech and pharma are a good match for the group’s vision. The outlook for the industry and the product is especially important to us, but even more important are the people who develop it. The credibility of the scientific institution from which they come to Adalid, as well as their professional and personal qualities, played a crucial role in our decision to make the investment.”
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/adfm.202101391
