Million-euro EXIST funding for two LMU pharmacy teams

Two teams from LMU’s Department of Pharmacy have secured million-euro funding through the German government's EXIST Transfer of Research program. Administered by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the program supports researchers preparing to launch spin-off companies based on novel systems for delivering nucleic acid therapies. The FormulAIte team is receiving approximately one million euros, while evoVect has been awarded around 1.2 million euros.

EXIST Transfer of Research supports research-based high-tech start-up projects. Over a period of 18 months to three years, the funding is intended to enable the participating teams to keep developing their technologies, demonstrate technical feasibility, and establish a viable business model. Both LMU projects focus on technologies that are designed to deliver RNA and other nucleic acid therapeutics more precisely to their intended target within the body.

Accelerating development with AI

The LMU team behind FormulAIte is working on a digital platform for developing nanocarriers. These tiny delivery systems are able to transport RNA therapeutics into cells in the body, making them a key enabling technology for modern treatments. But identifying suitable nanocarriers is a complex and time-consuming process because many potential formulations need to be tested in the laboratory. FormulAIte combines artificial intelligence with computer simulations to identify promising formulations more efficiently and optimize them in a targeted way. At the heart of this start-up project is the ALINA platform, which combines data models with physical simulations.

The FormulAIte team consists of Dr. Joschka Müller, Dr. Felix Sieber-Schäfer, Dr. Min Jiang, and Florian Orbach. Professor Olivia Merkel, Chair of Drug Delivery, serves as the team’s scientific mentor. In emphasizing how important the funding is for the next stage in development, Joschka Müller says: “Combined with LMU’s highly supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem, this funding provides the foundation we will need to establish and commercialize our platform over the next two years. We look forward to working together and taking the next steps toward launching our start-up.”

The evoVect team brings together expertise in pharmaceutical sciences and biotechnology. Eric Weidinger, Dr. Paul Folda, and Dr. Sophie Thalmayr developed a novel carrier technology for gene and RNA therapies during their doctoral research at the Chair of Pharmaceutical Biology and Biotechnology under Professor Ernst Wagner. This technology is designed to deliver therapeutic agents more precisely to specific tissues and organs, including places that remain difficult to reach using existing methods. It is based on specially engineered carrier molecules that respond to differences in the acidity of their surroundings, enabling the therapeutics to be released at the desired location. This approach could make gene and RNA therapies easier to produce in the future, more widely applicable, and adaptable for use in a wide range of medical applications.

From the laboratory to real-world applications

“EXIST Transfer of Research enables us to evaluate the scalability and market potential of our technology beyond the research scale,” says Sophie Thalmayr from evoVect. “Our goal for the funding period is to achieve proof of concept for the use of our carriers in mRNA vaccines and to develop a full business plan.” Professor Ernst Wagner serves as the team’s scientific mentor, while Professor Olivia Merkel supports the project as co-mentor. Rika Neumann contributes her expertise in business development.

Both teams of scientists received support from LMU’s Spin-off Service during the application process. This service advises research teams on identifying appropriate funding programs and on how to apply for funding. Through the EXIST Transfer of Research program, each team receives funding for three researchers and one business specialist for a period of two years. During this time, the researchers remain employed at LMU’s Department of Pharmacy and can continue to benefit from its research infrastructure.

“In pharmaceutical research, it is absolutely essential to translate scientific discoveries into real-world applications,” says Dr. Philipp Baaske, Vice President for Entrepreneurship at LMU. “Outstanding research can only realize its full potential for society if it leads to new therapies, technologies, and products.” This is why he is particularly delighted that two teams from the Department of Pharmacy – FormulAIte and evoVect – were successful in securing EXIST funding. “Their success is a powerful demonstration of the potential for innovation from research at LMU.”