CHF 150'000 for painless drug delivery

Millions of patients are discomforted by the daily injections of drugs that can not be taken orally. To address this problem, OBaris (former Transire Bio) has developed a needle-free alternative to injections, called the “OctoPatch®” - a painless suction patch that can be easily self-applied to the inner side of a person’s cheek. The build-up of the patch is inspired by an octopus sucker: it applies negative pressure to the buccal mucosa, and together with natural permeation enhancers, it temporarily disrupts the barrier, enabling drugs to efficiently reach the bloodstream. The patch, spanning a few millimeters in diameter, stays in place for a very short period of time, before it is removed. 

Applications for the technology expand to various injectables with minimal waste production. OBaris aims to access the rapidly growing market of therapeutic peptides, with an overall size of ca. CHF 40 billion in 2023. Its goal is to provide a painless alternative to patients across multiple therapeutic indications, with a focus on metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, and osteoporosis. The team also aims to partner with leading pharmaceutical companies to make its solution available for an even broader population of patients. 

OBaris will invest the CHF 150’000 from Venture Kick to validate its regulatory strategy and initiate the first meeting with the FDA, organize the scale-up manufacturing, and prepare for its fundraising by meeting with international investors.  

The founding team comprises CEO Nevena Paunoviç, CSO David Klein Cerrejon, Prof. Jean-Christophe Leroux, and Prof. Zhi Luo (advisory board). From April 2024, David and Nevena will swap roles, with David becoming the CEO and Nevena taking the role of CTO. 

“Venture Kick program substantially accelerated our progress in the last nine months. The great questions raised during our pitches, the feedback we received afterwards, as well as the coaching during Kicker’s Camps, helped us to refine our business plan and improve our pitching skills. Additionally, the financial support enabled us to get first feedback from regulatory consultants and ensure our presence at one of the largest partnering conferences in the world”, said Nevena Paunovic. 

 
(Press release / SR) 
Image: OBaris CEO Dr. Nevena Paunovic and CSO David Klein Cerrejon.