BioWorld International Correspondent

BORNHEIM, Germany - Curacyte AG started operations with a US$6.5 million seed financing to fuel development of its two platforms on oncology research and a preclinical drug candidate for treatment of thrombocytopenia.

One platform of the Martinsried, Germany-based company revolves around tumor-specific DNA entities being active only in malignant cells.

"We know about more than one hundred of these entities," CEO Helmut Giersiefen said, adding that Curacyte is investigating whether there are patterns of such entities correlating to special types of tumors, progress of tumors or patients' conditions. "Currently we are working on proof of concept and early stage investigations in clinical samples."

Curacyte's other platform is inducing apoptosis with antisense-oligonucleotides in certain kinds of tumors bearing CD30 receptors. Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is an example of such a malignancy. Lymphocytes bearing CD30 also are involved after virus infections and atopical diseases, such as allergies. CD30 on lymphocytes starts signal cascades triggering allergic reactions, Giersiefen explained.

"Our goal is driving one or two of our oligos into preclinical development in 2002," he said.

Proprietary small molecules, agonists of the thrombopoetin receptor, are expected to enter clinical trials in 2002. Potential indications for the molecules are thrombopenias, as they occur following chemotherapy. "We are working on such a molecule in preclinical development. It's very selective and highly efficient in vitro, and accessible for chemical modification if necessary," Giersiefen said.

Curacyte, in addition to its proprietary portfolio, wants to in-license complementary preclinical drugs and diagnostics. "We are looking for opportunities with an understood biology," Giersiefen said.

Hinrich Abken, tumor geneticist at the University of Cologne, Germany, and Winfried Albert, who previously held positions in diagnostics development with Roche and the former Boehringer Mannheim, founded the company last summer. Albert is in charge of research and development. Other board members are Andreas Zaby, who is in charge of business development and Giersiefen. He was in product development with Roche for eight years before he co-founded The Medicines Co., of Cambridge, Mass., and afterward joined a Munich-based business consulting company.

The lead investor in Curacyte's seed financing was TVM, of Munich. Other investors were IKB Venture, of Munich; Alpinvest, of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; tbg, of Bonn; and Bio-M, of Munich.