2nd place at BioRiverBoost! 2023 start-up competition
Plantman a cooperative project from the Cologne University Clusters of Excellence in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD) and Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), is following an unconventional approach to find potential drugs to treat polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases like Huntington's disease. To explorehow plants deal with toxic protein aggregation, the researchers have introduced the toxic mutant protein huntingtin in plants, which causes cell death in human neurons, finding that Arabidopsis thaliana plants actively removed huntingtin protein clumps and avoid harmful effects. By means of synthetic biology, the researchers have transferred the plants’ ability into human cultivated cells and animal models of Huntington’s disease. “We are very excited to be awarded second place at BioRiver Boost! 2023,” said Dr. Ernesto Llamas, Postdoctoral Scientist at CEPLAS. “The recognition supports us and our goal to develop plant-derived proteins to treat human neurodegenerative diseases that involve protein aggregation. David Vilchez from CECAD is a mentor of the Plantman start-up project.
With its award, BioRiver – Life Sciences im Rheinland e.V., the regional association representing the biotech and life science industry in the Rhineland area, aims to strengthen very young start-ups and founding projects. The award enables and supports access to leading life science experts and investors as well as visibility and networking for promising start-ups.
The jury made the following awards:
- 1st place: Akribion Genomics, Zwingenberg
- 2nd place: Plantman, Cologne
- 3rd place: Ningaloo Biosystems, Cologne
About the Start-up Competition BioRiver Boost!
Young companies developing disruptive technologies or innovative services for the biotechnology or life science industry can apply to the BioRiver Boost! start-up competition. Finalists are selected based on specific criteria, such as customer benefit and the degree of innovation of the technology, as well as the experience of the team and the quality of the business plan. In a two-stage process, the jury first selects eight finalists from all submissions, which then give an "elevator pitch" on the day of the competition and answer questions from experts. In a secret vote, the jury then decides on the best three projects. After the awards ceremony, the winners benefit from the extensive BioRiver network and its expertise to further their company’s development.
For more information, please visit www.bioriver.de
Contact:
BioRiver – Life Science im Rheinland e.V.
Dr. Frauke Hangen
Managing Director
+49 (0)211 316 0610
hangen@bioriver.de