Mye spennende på gang i BioNTech:
It specializes in so-called messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules that instruct human cells to produce therapeutic proteins that trigger an immune response against cancer or infectious diseases.
Among its other areas of development are gene therapies and nano-particles for cancer immunotherapy.
Biotech investors Thomas and Andreas Struengmann, who sold their generic drugs business Hexal to Novartis in 2005, are majority shareholders in BioNTech, and other owners include German venture capital investor MIG Fonds.
Pfizer last year agreed to pay the German biotech firm up to $425 million in an alliance to develop more effective influenza shots and also acquired a smaller stake in the company.
BioNTech competes in the race for mRNA therapies with groups such as Massachusetts-based Moderna, whose market value peaked at $7.7 billion last month, as well as Belgium’s eTheRNA and domestic rival CureVac.
Apart from Pfizer, the emergent mRNA field has seen drugmakers such as AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Sanofi partner up with biotech firms.
BioNTech has previously attracted alliance partners including Roche’s Genentech, Eli Lilly, Sanofi, Genmab and Bayer Animal Health.
Så får vi bare håpe fimaNAC kan være en nøkkel på mRNA feltet…