In the laboratory: imaged virus and a cell plate

In Portrait | Kupando Activates the Immune System - Toll-Like Receptors as a Target

Kupando is a biopharmaceutical company based in Schönefeld, Germany, that is researching drugs that stimulate the innate immune system in order to treat tumor diseases or prevent infectious diseases, for example. After successfully completing a Series A financing round, the company is now looking to prepare the way to the clinic.

"My dream is that one day a small shot of our drugs in the nose will be enough to get us through the winter healthier. And that we will manage to treat patients with tumor diseases more effectively and gently," says Dr. Johanna Holldack. For the founder of Kupando, this is the impetus to push her company forward and to keep it rolling even in difficult phases.

Harnessing the immune system

The biopharmaceutical company Kupando develops drugs that stimulate innate immunity. These have the potential to be used to treat tumor diseases and as vaccines against infectious diseases, as well as for prevention. Kupando is focusing on previously unusual drugs - so-called TLR 4/7 agonists, which activate the Toll-Like Receptors (TLR) of cells. TLRs have been known to researchers since the late 1990s. They are able to recognize cancer cells and viral and bacterial infections, even if those are still unknown to the body, and respond by activating the innate immune system. "Ten TLRs in humans are known. We can activate two and thus trigger a very broad immune response," explains Johanna Holldack. According to the company, the unique selling points of the TLR 4/7 agonists developed by Kupando include high accuracy of action, low side effects, and high potency and therefore a low required dose.

Kupando's declared goal is, on the one hand, to provide cancer patients with an immunotherapy that is not only safe but also affordable, and, on the other hand, to make a significant contribution to protecting the population from future pandemics with the help of vaccines. Prevention from viral diseases is also conceivable, or boosting vaccines. "Drugs that activate TLRs can improve the efficacy of vaccines and be used preventively for a more effective immune response during flu season," Holldack says.

When she founded Kupando in 2018, Johanna Holldack already had experience with TLR 7 agonist research as CEO of a Swiss company. The data and results convinced her to focus more intensively on such solutions. For the start-up and further work, she relied on basic research conducted at the University of California San Diego in the laboratories of Professor Dennis Carson, with whom she had previously collaborated. Carson's team also identified the original drug candidate - TLR4/7 agonist.

A virtual international company

Kupando is a virtual company composed of numerous experts worldwide. This international team consists of researchers from industry as well as academia. The company is headquartered in Schönefeld. From there, there are close contacts to Milan, San Diego and Los Angeles.

In the past few years, the Kupando team has mainly been involved in development work and research. In the fall of 2022, Kupando was able to conclude its work with a successfully completed Series A financing round in the amount of 13 million euros. The money will be spent on making the first TLR 4/7 agonists in development ready for approval for clinical trials and then conducting those trials. "We are looking for strategies to further expand our research and conduct the clinical trials. We also want to expand our already existing circle of advisors at German and international universities," says Johanna Holldack.

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Source: Interview with Kupando conducted by Cluster Gesundheitswirtschaft Berlin Brandenburg, published on HealthCapital.de on March 14, 2023.