A new type of cell therapy that can help combat solid tumors, the most common type of cancer. This is the idea behind Makrophagen 2.0, a start-up project led by Prof. Michael Sieweke, Prof. Martin Bornhäuser, Dr. Anke Fuchs, and Dr. Ludwig Englmeier. Now, the team was chosen as one of ten winning teams in the concept phase of the largest German business plan start-up competition, moving the project a substantial step closer to reality.

New therapies have revolutionized cancer treatment in recent years. So far, these cell-based therapies usually use T-cells of the immune system to effectively target and kill cancer cells. “Unfortunately, at the moment, these revolutionary therapies are limited to blood cancers and do not work for solid tumors, i.e., the majority of cancers,” says Dr. Ludwig Englmeier. “Our multidisciplinary team wants to change that.”

The Makrophagen 2.0 team wants to develop new types of cell therapies based on macrophages. In contrast to other immune cells, macrophages can penetrate into solid tumors. This makes them a tool with great potential to effectively eliminate cancer cells.

But previous attempts to turn macrophages into cell therapies have been unsuccessful. “Cancer cells can influence the macrophages and turn them into helpers that instead of killing, start to actually promote the tumor growth,” explains Prof. Michael Sieweke, Alexander von Humboldt Professor and research group leader at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD). “We found a way to modify the macrophages in a way that makes them resistant to the cancer cells’ manipulation. Our patented macrophages remain stable and are armed to effectively kill tumor cells.”

“The ultimate goal is to effectively transfer the cell therapies from our lab bench to the patient’s bedside,” concludes Dr. Anke Fuchs, research group leader at the CRTD and fellow of the Mildred Scheel Early Career Center for Precision Oncology.

The annual Science4Life competition consists of three independent phases. The current concept phase started in January 2023. Over 90 start-up teams presented a concise description of their business concept together with a forecasting market evaluation, which was then reviewed by a jury of scientists, lawyers, investors, and industry experts. During the preparation for this phase, the precision therapy cluster SaxoCell provided support to Makrophagen 2.0 team as a network partner. In the end, 20 project teams were invited to the final of the concept phase in Berlin - two days of individual expert coaching and workshops on all aspects of start-ups, to further optimize their business model. Ten project teams were selected as winners of the concept phase, and Makrophagen 2.0 was one of them.

Not much time to celebrate for our team, though, as the deadline for filing the complete business plan as part of the third and final stage of the business plan competition is only a month away!

About Science4Life Competition
Science4Life is a German initiative to support founders of start-up companies in the field of Life Sciences, Chemistry, and Energy. The main sponsors of Science4Life are the Government of the State of Hesse and the global healthcare leader Sanofi. For 25 years, the mission of Science4Life has been to bring new ideas to entrepreneurial success.

Established in 1998, the Science4Life Venture Cup for start-ups from the areas of life sciences and chemistry is awarded annually and has been an important tool for helping young entrepreneurs to get their businesses started.

More information: https://science4life.de/about-science4life-english/

Contact:
Dr. Ludwig Englmeier