Innovative therapeutic tools in the fight against cancer
Spin-off company of the University Medical Center Mainz starts operations and enters into joint venture with Indivumed
Mainz University Medical Center is pleased to announce another spin-off from its ranks: the new biopharmaceutical company KHR Biotech GmbH. The spin-off pursues the goal of developing innovative therapeutic tools in the fight against cancer. The basis for the cooperation is the research success on the oncogene Ras, which was patented by the head of the Cell Biology Unit (CBU) of the University Medical Center Mainz, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Krishnaraj Rajalingam. Activating mutations in RAS are frequently identified in numerous human cancers.
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The partner in this joint venture project is the company Indivumed GmbH, which maintains one of the world's largest tumor tissue and tumor databases, and with which the University Medical Center Mainz has already been working successfully for many years. The new company will combine Professor Rajalingam's research and scientific approach with Indivumed's database and AI capabilities to rapidly advance novel cancer drugs targeting the Ras signaling pathway into the clinical phase.
"With the foundation of KHR Biotech, an important step has been taken in the translation of successful basic research into practical, clinical applications for patients. This is exactly in line with the goal of the Translational Medicine Research Center of the University Medical Center Mainz," explains the Scientific Director and Dean of the University Medical Center Mainz, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ulrich Förstermann.
KHR Biotech Managing Director and Head of the Cell Biology Unit at Mainz University Medical Center, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Krishnaraj Rajalingam, emphasizes: "It is gratifying to witness that our long-standing research on oncogenic signaling pathways can now be used to advance the development of cancer therapeutics and individualize the treatment of tumors. I look forward to working with Hartmut and the Indivumed team to further advance translational research in cancer medicine."
“Supported by the tremendous amount of data and analytical tools that the IndivuType discovery solution provides, we are able to continue our rapid expansion into cancer drug development”, enthuses Prof. Dr. Hartmut Juhl, CEO and founder of Indivumed. “As a part of KHR Biotech, we are proud to be working with University Medical Center Mainz and Krishna, one of the brightest minds in cancer research, to better understand and to develop treatments for RAS pathway mutations in colorectal cancer among others. The goal is for the jointly developed drugs to enter the clinical trial phase in a timely manner."
Prof. Dr. Krishnaraj Rajalingam is one of the highly recognized experts in the field of molecular signaling pathways. He has numerous research successes, among others funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and private research foundations, for example in the context of the Collaborative Research Center SFB 1292 "Targeting converging mechanisms of inefficient immunity in tumor diseases and chronic infections". In addition to his leadership role at CBU, he is a member of the Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI) and the University Center for Tumor Diseases (UCT) at the University Medical Center Mainz. He further holds a visiting research directorship at the renowned IMCB, A*STAR Singapore. The UMC Mainz has transferred the patent based on Professor Rajalingam's research and discovery to KHR Biotech and has entered into various financial and business agreements with its new spin-off company.
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