NextImmune wins CHF 150,000 to develop a new generation of immunosuppressive drugs

A properly functioning immune system is essential to protect against invasive pathogens and to prevent the occurrence of cancers. In autoimmune diseases and organ transplantation, suppression of the immune system is indicated. However, conventional immunosuppression is non-selective and increases the risk of infections and tumors.

NextImmune is focused on the research and development of a novel class of immunosuppressive therapies for autoimmune-inflammatory diseases and organ transplantation. The start-up aims to offer selective and efficient immunosuppressive drugs without the usual complications, offering first-in-class drugs that target the coronin 1 pathway, as a novel treatment for diverse auto- and allo-immune disorders. These drugs will target a signaling pathway whose deficiency has been validated to be protective against autoimmune diseases and transplant rejection in the absence of infectious complications or the development of cancer. According to a press release, the startup’s novel screening assay and screen-identified compounds signal the beginning of a new era of specificity and safety in the immunosuppressive therapy market.

NextImmune’s solution will be beneficial to patients suffering from a variety of immunological and autoimmune diseases. The autoimmune therapeutic market is valued at over USD 109 billion and has been expanding at a 5% annual growth rate for the past five years.

“The financial support, business insights, access to a smart pool of diversely talented individuals together with the overall experience gathered from our Venture kick journey will be instrumental for the follow-up fundraising activities of NextImmune,” says Dr. med. Rajesh Jayachandran, MD, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of NextImmune.

(Press release / SK)