Synthelis to Announce Forthcoming Spin-Off from its Technology Transfer Incubator, Floralis at BIOTECHNICA 2010

Visit Synthelis to learn more about an important project that will leverage the unique characteristics of membrane proteins in order to create a range of innovative biological therapies. Synthelis is also working on a biological therapy to combat Glioblastoma (brain cancer) and the development of anti-bacterial vaccines.

Synthelis specializes in the production of customized membrane proteins. Membrane proteins act as key regulators of cellular function and as such, currently account for up to two thirds of all drug targets across a wide variety of conditions including cancer, cardiovascular, metabolic, CNS and inflammatory diseases.

Synthelis is also working on an important project that will leverage the unique characteristics of membrane proteins in order to create a range of innovative biological therapies. The therapeutic protein market addressed by the future start-up is estimated at 59bn$ with an annual anticipated growth rate of 20%.

As well as the production of Protein Membranes that are marketed to Big Pharma organizations for use in their drug discovery programs, Synthelis is currently working on the development of its own products, namely a biological therapy to combat Glioblastoma (brain cancer) and the development of anti-bacterial vaccines. Synthelis has already validated its glioblastoma therapy to proof-of-concept level in-vivo, and it is anticipated that the therapy will enter a clinical trial program in the next 4 years. There are 3100 new cases of glioblastoma each year in France (19,000 in the United States) and this devastating illness is poorly responsive to drug therapy giving sufferers an average survival time of under a year. The socio-economic benefits of the new Synthelis therapy could therefore be highly significant.

The rapid growth of Synthelis has also been made possible as a result of the technology transfer infrastructure that has been put in place by its incubator, Floralis, to assist its business units and enable them to grow rapidly. Comprehensive commercial support in the form of marketing and communications, legal, licensing and intellectual property departments is available to assist Floralis’s Business units: all of which have helped contribute to the rapid growth of Synthelis. As original as it is efficient, the Floralis Business Unit model has helped the Grenoble Tech Transfer company achieve recognition across Europe, helping it to win places in the Deloitte Fast 50 & Fast 500 technology awards as well as being selected from an intial sample of over 15,000 European companies to win a place in the HSBC European Business Awards.

Bruno Tillier, Synthelis’s future CEO stated: “The launch of Synthelis as a new start-up is testimony both to the strength of Floralis’s business unit model, but also to the dedication and talents of the team that we have put in place. What started out as an exchange of ideas in meetings between Jean-Luc Lenormand, our Scientific Advisor, and myself, two years ago has grown, rapidly into Synthelis, a business that we believe has a real future. The imminent launch of Synthelis will be a real milestone in our development and I truly believe that the ambitious targets we have set ourselves over the next three years are achievable”

Synthelis will be officially launched as a private company on November 1st 2010.

To find out more visit booth F04, Hall 9.