DE | Accessible presentation
Translations are powered by AI

How Munich biotech startups are fighting cancer

Munich is one of Germany's leading biotech hubs. Research is being conducted here on a wide variety of drugs and therapies, including cancer treatments. We'll introduce you to five startups in more detail.

February 21, 2023 4 min reading time

Plectonic
The company, founded in early 2022, is still relatively new on the startup scene Plectonic BiotechFounders Klaus Wagenbauer, Jonas Funke, Benjamin Kick, and Hendrik Dietz have developed an "on/off switch" for antibody immunotherapies that connects immune cells with tumor cells. The construct, measuring just a few nanometers in size, can dock onto cells on two sides. On one side, the researchers place antibodies against tumor cells, which it uses to identify and bind to tumor cells. This essentially flips a switch that activates other, previously hidden antibodies on the opposite side. These antibodies are recognized by the body's own immune cells, which are then recruited to fight the cancer cells. This should make cancer immunotherapies more targeted and with fewer side effects possible. Last December, the TUM spin-off received its first funding in the form of a Sprind grant. (Image: Sprind)
read more ↓