High-Tech Gründerfonds and Bayern Kapital invest in Lophius Biosciences

Regensburg-based biotech company to receive 600,000 euros venture capital for the development of novel diagnostic tools to detect infectious and autoimmune diseases

Lophius Biosciences GmbH (Regensburg) has successfully closed its first financing round. High-Tech Gründerfonds (Bonn, Germany) and Bayern Kapital (Landshut, Germany) invest a total 600,000 euros in the young Biotech company. The funding will be used for the development of novel diagnostic tools for rising diseases such as tuberculosis, the world‘s greatest infectious killer of women of reproductive age and the leading cause of death among people with HIV/AIDS.
Lophius Bioscience is accompanied by netzwerk|nordbayern since its participation to the Nordbayern Business Plan Competition (BPWN) in 2006.

Proprietary technology
Lophius Biosciences owns a unique and patented technology, named Reverse T-cell Technology (RTT) for the fast and reliable detection of activated T helper cells and its target structures. T helper cells play a crucial role in the control of acute microbial infections and the onset of autoimmune diseases. Using RTT will allow for the first time an accurate discrimination between active and latent tuberculosis infections. Furthermore, RTT-based diagnostics are under development to identify the beginning of autoimmune diseases even before clinical symptoms become manifest. Consequently, an early diagnosis is of major importance to prevent and to selectively treat autoimmune diseases.

Growth potential
With its proprietary RT-technology, Lophius Biosciences has excellent growth opportunities. Already today, Lophius Biosciences is developing tailor made cell-based bioassays e.g. to test the biological activity and quality of protein-based therapeutics and vaccines in charge of international pharmaceutical partners. With the growing amount of registered biopharmaceuticals on the market, specialized contract research gains more and more importance.

About Lophius Biosciences:
Lophius Biosciences GmbH is a spin-off of the Institute for Medicinal Microbiology and Hygiene and the Department of Internal Medicine I at the University Hospital of Regensburg located in Regensburg, the south-east of Germany. The young biotechnology company offers services to assess the safety, quality and efficacy of biological agents.

The company’s service portfolio includes:
• Determination of toxicity and immunomodulatory properties of test substances in cell cultures and in animal models.
• Development and qualification of cell based assays to control biological activity and safety of protein based drugs and vaccines.
• Detection und quantification of specific antibodies as well as T-cells mapping of B- and T-cell epitopes.
• Evaluation of the immunogenicity of active ingredients in animal models.

In addition, Lophius Biosciences is developing innovative technologies for the diagnosis of acute infectious and autoimmune diseases as well as the rapid and efficient identification of novel T-cell epitopes (epitope database).

Contact:
Lophius Biosciences GmbH
Ludwig Deml, PD Dr.
Josef-Engert-Straße 9
D-93053 Regensburg
Germany
Tel: +49 941 944-4637
Fax: +49 721 151 397 812
info@lophius-biosciences.de
www.lophius-biosciences.de

About High-Tech Gründerfonds:
The High-Tech Gründerfonds invests venture capital in young technology companies that transform promising scientific research into business enterprises. The seed financing of up to 500 T€ shall result in a technical prototype, a proof of concept or a proof of market. High-Tech Gründerfonds has access to a fund volume of around 272,0 million Euro. Investors in this public-private partnership include the Federal Ministry for Economy and Technology, the KfW Banking Group as well as the six industry companies BASF, Robert Bosch, Carl Zeiss, Daimler, Deutsche Telekom and Siemens.

Contact:
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2
53175 Bonn
Tel: +49 228 – 965685-00
Fax: +49 228 – 965685-50
info@high-tech-gruenderfonds.de
www.high-tech-gruenderfonds.de

About:
The Seedfonds Bayern was started in 2003. With a fund size of 22 million Euro it is focused on investments in early stage technology companies in Bavaria. The fund is managed by Bayern Kapital which was founded in 1995 by the Bavarian Government as part of the campaign “Initiative Bavarian Future” and to provide young and innovated Bavarian companies with venture capital. Up to date Bayern Kapital has invested in over 165 innovative high-tech companies with a total investment volume of about 135 million Euro. Overall, Bayern Kapital now manages a fund volume of almost 190 million Euro and implement the Clusterfonds Bayern concept with a fund volume von furthermore 75 million Euro. Seedfonds Bayern managed by Bayern Kapital:

Contact:
Bayern Kapital GmbH
Ländgasse 135a
84028 Landshut
Tel: +49-871-923 25 0
info@bayernkapital.de
www.bayernkapital.de