Paris, May 6, 2021
The new biotech start-up, SpikImm SAS, created by Truffle Capital, has recently signed an exclusive worldwide license agreement with the Institut Pasteur for the development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) monoclonal antibodies for therapeutic and diagnostic use.
Monoclonal antibody therapy is one of the most innovative ways currently available to treat Covid-19 patients and prevent severe forms of the disease from developing. This immunotherapy offers several therapeutic advantages which have already been proven in clinical trials. Antibodies developed by SpikImm have been generated in the laboratory of Humoral Immunology at the Institut Pasteur through an innovative process enabling the screening and selection of human SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. An international patent application has been filed by the Institut Pasteur. SpikImm is financed by Truffle Capital and its BioMedTech fund: it is the second cooperation between the Institut Pasteur and Truffle Capital, following in the footsteps of the BioTech Diaccurate.
SpikImm's objective is to fast-track pre-clinical and clinical development in Europe, North America and Brazil. Diagnostic application of monoclonal antibodies will also be developed.
Dr. Philippe Pouletty, CEO and co-founder of Truffle Capital and Chairman of SpikImm states: "We are delighted to have signed this exclusive worldwide license agreement with the Institut Pasteur and we are impressed by the science quality. The therapeutic monoclonal antibody approach is currently very promising, and we are proud to continue to contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic which is affecting our planet. COVID-19 pathophysiology is complex and, as such, we must remain cautious about the potential success of these monoclonal antibodies. We will focus on an accelerated pharmaceutical and clinical development while complying with international regulatory and clinical best practices".
Isabelle Buckle, Director of the Research Applications and Industrial Relations Department (DARRI) at the Institut Pasteur states: "One of the Institut Pasteur’s missions is to develop its research applications to improve the health of all people. Since the first days of the epidemic, we have mobilized our efforts towards the fight against COVID-19. This project on monoclonal antibodies, which is the result of our Institute's fundamental research, is a clear example of the success of our innovation development model. At an early stage, we were able to identify a project with significant development potential and offer our support to swiftly transfer the technology to a leading manufacturing partner, Truffle Capital, which was prepared to take risks".
