Winners 2013
Contact persons
Dr. Petra Burgstaller
Co-Lead Venture Creation & MAxL
Christina Enke-Stolle
Co-Lead Venture Creation & MAxL
Those were the 2013 m4 Award winners!
Dr. med. Thomas Bumm
PD Dr. med. Gernot Stuhler
Universitätsklinikum Würzburg
Novel bimolecular T-cell-activating antibodies for targeted combinatorial tumor immunotherapy (bi-ATAK)
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Germany. Modern therapies using targeted antibodies bind to so-called antigens on cancer cells and cause the immune system to destroy the cancer. The problem is that there are very few antigens that occur exclusively on the surface of cancer cells, making it impossible to clearly distinguish healthy tissue from diseased tissue, which results in unwanted side effects associated with the therapy. The award winners have now developed a method that specifically identifies cancer cells by combining two antigens. This method takes advantage of the fact that certain combinations of antigens occur only on cancer cells. By using two antibody fragments—each of which binds to one antigen and only becomes effective when combined—a high degree of specificity is achieved. The therapeutic approach is to be tested using multiple myeloma, a malignant disease of the bone marrow. If successful, the technology could also be applied to many other types of cancer.
Dr. med. Andreas Benesic
Prof. Dr. Alexander L. Gerbes
Klinikum der Universität München, LMU
MetaHeps – Personalized Liver Protection
This project aims to prevent liver damage caused by new medications. In the worst-case scenario, such side effects can be fatal. Due to this previously unpredictable risk, numerous medications have been withdrawn from the market, even though only a small number of patients were typically affected. This is caused by significant variations in individual liver metabolism, which current tests are unable to detect. The award winners have developed a method that uses just 10 ml of blood to cultivate cells similar to the donor’s liver cells, thereby enabling, for the first time, an assessment of an individual’s risk from medications and drug interactions. With the support of the m4 Award, studies are being conducted on patients and volunteers, and individual profiles are being created. This elucidation of molecular mechanisms in individuals forms the basis for the development of biomarkers to protect at-risk patients. The MetaHeps method is of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry and enables unprecedented safety through personalized medicine.
Dr. Bernhard Frankenberger
Dr. Slavoljub Milošević
Prof. Dr. Dolores Schendel
Helmholtz Munich
Elimination of pathogenic T cells in T-cell leukemia and autoimmune diseases through the targeted use of T-cell receptor-specific monoclonal antibodies (TABS)
Many autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis, are caused by misdirected components of the immune system—so-called T cells—that mistakenly attack the body’s own tissues. In a specific type of cancer, T-cell leukemia, the regulation of T cells is also disrupted, leading to uncontrolled growth. The award winner has developed a new treatment concept that can specifically identify and destroy the misdirected T cells without affecting healthy immune cells. To achieve this, monoclonal antibodies are produced that specifically recognize certain types of T cells. The m4 Award is intended to help characterize the most suitable antibodies and validate the therapeutic approach in animal studies. Unlike current medications, this new therapy could lead to a complete cure for patients.
Prof. Dr. Herrmann Koepsell
University of Würzburg
In vivo demonstration of the efficacy of an oral antidiabetic drug that acts locally in the small intestine to improve blood glucose control during meals (DarmADB)
Diabetes is a widespread disease and can lead to serious complications such as stroke, heart attack, and blindness. Type 2 diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin or reduced effectiveness of this hormone. The award recipient has developed a new oral drug designed to stimulate the body’s own release of insulin. The tripeptide causes glucose from food to be absorbed not in the anterior portion but in the posterior portion of the small intestine. A high concentration of glucose in the distal portion of the intestine triggers signaling pathways that increase insulin production. For this reason, the proximal portion of the small intestine is currently surgically removed in obese patients. This surgery could be avoided with the new drug. The m4 Award is intended to validate the therapeutic concept in animal studies and prepare the drug for clinical trials.
Prof. Dr. Matthias Mann
Dr. Nagarjuna Nagaraj
M.Sc. Nils A. Kulak
Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried
Mass Spectrometry-Based Diagnostics for the Classification of Clinical Pictures
This project aims to bring protein mass spectrometry into clinical practice. This highly sensitive method makes it possible to precisely identify the protein components of a sample and determine their quantities. Mass spectrometry is currently used to address many scientific questions, but not in routine clinical practice. There is great potential here, particularly for personalized medicine. For the diagnosis of diseases, mass spectrometry offers the advantage that not only individual or a few markers can be examined, but thousands of proteins can be analyzed in just a few hours. The m4 Award aims to optimize and standardize sample preparation, quantification, and evaluation of protein signatures. One potential application is the analysis of tumor tissue to determine the therapy best suited for the individual patient.