Onena Medicines has raised a total of 3.7 million Swiss francs as part of a financing round. The venture capital has been provided by the Basel-based asset management firm Avanteca Partners and Zürcher Kantonalbank, the cantonal bank of Zurich. The biopharmaceutical firm Onena, which is headquartered at the Main Campus of Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area in Allschwil in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, is a portfolio company of BaseLaunch, the biotech startup incubator active within the Basel biotech cluster.

Onena has a pipeline of promising antibody medicines to treat cancer, which neutralize a new class of growth factors called dual SMAD inhibiting proteins (DSIPs) that are responsible for programming the cancer cells to grow and induce resistance to chemotherapy. “Our partners realize, as we do, the incredible opportunity that lies before us to lead the AI drug discovery field”, comments Neethan Lobo, CEO and co-founder of Onena Medicines, in a press release.

Efficacy already shown

Onena intends to put the investment towards its efforts to provide in vivo proof of concept with its most advanced DSIP program (OMED-2). This is a first fully human antibody that targets an as yet undisclosed DSIP target protein. The company believes this has the potential to impact solid tumors such as melanoma.

Onena’s flagship OMED-1 program has already shown efficacy in breast, colorectal and glioblastoma preclinical models in vivo. Onena uses its deep learning pipelines to humanize and optimize the binding affinity of its lead molecules.

CSL is expanding its research and development (R&D) network in Switzerland. The global biotechnology company, which is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, officially opened a new office in the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area premises on the Novartis Campus in Basel. The contract with the operator includes 18 workstations.

In a statement, CSL describes the move as a “pivotal milestone in strengthening CSL’s R&D network across Switzerland”. It allows for “flexible and activity-based ways of working” and taps into “the region’s great potential” for collaboration along the drug development process.

Access to Basel Area’s talent pool

“This step is not only extending our long-standing strategic partnerships with key players in biotech located in Basel but ensuring access to the region’s talent pool and exploring further opportunities for collaboration”, commented Emmanuelle Lecomte Brisset, CSL’s Head of Global Regulatory Affairs who is leading CSL’s efforts to strengthen its R&D presence in Switzerland.

In May of this year, CSL opened an R&D laboratory on the Biopôle Campus in Lausanne. In August 2022, the company acquired Switzerland’s Vifor Pharma, which has since operated as CSL Vifor. CSL has also established collaborations with academic institutions in Switzerland, such as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and Lausanne University Hospital.

Published by Med-Tech Innovation

The Jura region is often referred to as the cradle of Swiss watchmaking, and a wide range of industries are now taking advantage of the wealth of precision engineering expertise in the area, most notably the medtech sector. This potent blend of microfabrication and medical knowledge is stimulating a wave of technological breakthroughs, such as a smart tool that makes it possible to perform spinal surgeries percutaneously in less than 30 minutes.

Switzerland has been known for its watchmaking skills ever since the end of the 17^th century, producing mechanical masterpieces that took the world by storm. The Jura region is, to this day, the most prominent source of watches of exceptionally high quality, and is home to many renowned brands, including Cartier, TAG Heuer, Baume & Mercier and Breguet. In fact, Breguet was behind one of the greatest innovations in watchmaking history: the ‘pare-chute’, a shock-absorbing system that significantly improved the accuracy and reliability of timepieces.

Creating such complex mechanisms requires vast knowledge in intricate engineering and microfabrication, as well as meticulously standardized and robust production processes. These qualities have been mastered by traditional watchmakers in the Jura region over centuries, being passed down over generations to ensure their knowledge continues to contribute to the industry today. More recently, these same skills have been applied to industries such as medtech, where they have proven invaluable in the development of medical devices. This is why many timepiece manufacturers have started to turn their attention – as well as their existing expertise – to high precision medical instruments. Switzerland has already had many triumphs in the medtech industry, delivering medical devices such as syringes, specialised imaging equipment, pacemakers, and orthopaedic implants of the same Swiss quality that made their watches so popular.

Incubating medical breakthroughs

The Jura region is now home to many companies that specialize in microtechnology, producing premium components and tools for the watchmaking and medtech industries alike. This bustling ecosystem creates unique opportunities for startups to innovate, but breaking the mould can be challenging, requiring the support of incubation and accelerator programmes to equip startups for success. The DayOne accelerator is one of the area’s – as well as Europe’s – largest medtech and digital health accelerator initiatives, nurturing early and mid-stage startups. The organization can offer help and advice to companies on their journey from ideation and prototyping to the final launch of the business. One company that has taken advantage of these favorable conditions is InnoSpina – a local startup specialized in intuitive guiding instruments and novel implants for spinal fusion and motion preserving surgeries.

Steely-spined

Spinal fusion is commonly performed on patients who suffer from conditions such as degenerative disc disease, narrowing of the spinal canal or slipped vertebrae. The surgery involves placing pedicle screws and short rods, connecting two or more vertebrae for increased stability. Aside from the high complexity and risks associated with this procedure, there are also many requirements that must be fulfilled for a patient to be a suitable candidate, and only a fraction of those in need of the treatment can tick all the boxes. InnoSpina’s vision is to address this issue by introducing easy-to-use equipment that allows a wider spectrum of patients to receive spinal surgery, while simultaneously reducing recovery time and post-surgery follow-up.

Spinal surgery in less than 30 minutes

InnoSpina combined its engineering expertise with the local competence in precision manufacturing – resulting from decades of watchmaking – to create a solution that allows accurate positioning of implants with simple pushing and tilting movements, while protecting the spinal cord at all times. The tool is made up of seven instruments that are gliding on top of each other and only a small incision is necessary to perform the entire surgery. This allows surgeons to carry out spinal procedures in less than 30 minutes, which is two to four times faster compared to operations using traditional equipment. Decreasing the time in surgery is not only beneficial for the patients but will also help hospitals save money as the running costs of surgical theatres are sky high. Additionally, the simplicity of the procedure will decrease the surgeon learning curve and make this type of treatment accessible to more patients.

Choosing to settle down in Jura

The founders of this technology decided to start and grow their company in the Jura region because of its technological environment, initiatives such as the DayOne accelerator, and the presence of the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area – which have helped players in the watchmaking industry to diversify and apply their extensive know-how to the medtech sector.

Hannema explained: “The long-standing watchmaking industry in the Jura region has given the area a vast range of skills that are transferrable to medtech. We have greatly benefited from that local expertise, as well as the DayOne programme that provided valuable advice on procurement and regulatory matters. I would call it a mutually beneficial collaboration as I am now able to give back to the community by sharing my entrepreneurial experience with startups that are just beginning their journey.”

Summary

The canton of Jura is successfully expanding its global reputation for watchmaking capabilities to also become a big name in the medtech circle, attracting a wide range of medtech startups such as CNS Therapy, Incaptek and CryoThermo. These budding companies are receiving support from both watchmaking veterans and incubators, fuelling innovations in medical devices. InnoSpina – a company specialising in innovative instruments for spinal fusion and motion preserving surgeries – is one of the many businesses that have sprung up in the Jura, benefiting from the collaborative spirit and local talent that this region has to offer.

Worg Pharma has raised 1.1 billion renminbi as part of a Series C financing round, which is the equivalent of 130 million Swiss francs. Founded in 2018, the biopharmaceutical company is headquartered in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, with European headquarters at the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area since 2021. Basel Area Business & Innovation, the investment and innovation promotion agency, supported Worg in establishing a presence in the Basel Area with consulting services and legal help, as well as by assisting the search for premises.

The company specializes in the development of innovative therapies to treat allergies and autoimmune diseases. According to a press release, DeTong Capital, Paramount Capital, the YSIM Fund from Germany, SeeSu Capital, the Kequan Fund, Kangjun Capital, an unnamed “well-known European financial institution” participated in the financing round alongside existing investors. The company is led by a management team from China, the USA and Europe.

Development at a faster speed

“With the success of the Series C financing round, the company will actively promote the development of additional product pipelines at a faster speed and make every effort to fully accelerate the integration of clinical and commercialization processes”, comments CEO and founder Dr. Xu Aiwu. In specific terms, the fresh capital is to be put towards the global development and commercial expansion of the existing product pipeline. In addition, the investment will be used to build the independent research and development platform as well as to launch new projects and expand the international team.

Tenpoint Therapeutics has developed a platform that can be used to replace cells damaged with age or disease. This technology aims to make vision loss reversible. The startup established in London with operational headquarters in Allschwil at the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area has now announced in a press release that it will start operations with a series A round of financing amounting to 70 million US dollars. Basel Area Business & Innovation supported Tenpoint with its settlement in Allschwil  in the canton of Basel-Landschaft.

The biotech company will now develop cell-based therapies and perform in-vivo cell reprogramming. This makes healthy cells available to replace cells that can no longer function. Tenpoint’s CEO Eddy Anglade stated in the press release that most cases of vision loss are due to damaged or missing tissue, adding that this is why “cell-based therapeutics represent an ideal modality for degenerative ocular diseases.” Tenpoint focuses on addressing the causes of vision loss.

All seed investors that had previously enabled the company to be set up were involved in the funding round. Additionally, a new investor was brought on board in the form of British Patient Capital. Chair of the Board David Guyer commented: “Tenpoint has great potential to lead ophthalmology into a new era, which will fully replace cells lost to degenerative conditions rather than merely endeavoring to slow the processes that drive vision loss.”

Published by Innovations in Pharmaceutical Technology

These advancements promise to propel healthcare into the future and make the seemingly impossible possible, including everything from optimizing patient care through robust data analytics, to aiding the discovery of complex disease patterns through artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. This article features some examples of digital technology, which are supporting pharmaceutical R&D in the innovative science hub that is the Basel Area, Switzerland, and describes how these latest developments will play a major role in the ever-changing healthcare landscape.

New Platforms for Drug Discovery

The pharma industry continues to be driven by the need to refresh pipelines, identify new targets, design new drug molecules and find new biomarkers for successful clinical development. With the days of ‘low-hanging fruit’ and serendipitous drug discovery in the past, new platforms are required to provide data-based solutions in R&D. AI, ML and other digital technologies can allow companies to benefit from large datasets that have been captured in recent years, including drug molecule libraries, genomic data, patient health records and medical imaging data. These different platforms have applications across the drug discovery and development process. Some enhance existing computational library screening efforts to identify drug-like molecules with very specific properties that would not be found with traditional methods; others highlight biomarkers of disease progression in electronic health records, feeding into both target discovery and clinical trial design. By tapping into the huge quantities of data that are now available, pharma companies can develop new drugs quicker and with an improved chance of success. Recent research suggests that even modest improvements in early-stage drug development success rates enabled by AI and machine learning (ML) could lead to an additional 50 novel therapies over a ten year period, translating to more than $50bn in opportunities.¹

Partnering for Innovation

Much of the innovation in this field has been driven by AI-native companies offering products or services through partnerships or software licensing deals that can then be applied to pharma pipelines. The move from traditional service and software models to the use of asset and pipeline development partnerships has led to soaring investment. Figures show that third-party investment in AI-enabled drug discovery has more than doubled annually for the last five years, topping $2.4bn in 2020 and reaching more than $5.2bn at the end of 2021.²

Health Tech Boom in Basel

One area where this synergy between digital technology and pharmaceutical R&D is making waves is the Swiss city of Basel, where a leading European innovation hub has grown to be the home of over 700 companies across the biotechnology, digital health, medical technology, chemistry and advanced manufacturing sectors. This includes pharmaceutical giants such as Roche, Novartis, Johnson & Johnson and Boehringer Ingelheim. Companies continue to flock to the Basel Area to take advantage of the world-class academic institutions and local talent pool of over 31,000 life sciences professionals, as well as the network of big pharma juxtaposed with scaleups and startups. Amongst the most recent arrivals are health tech companies looking to support R&D in the big pharma arena. For these companies, a presence in the region provides the perfect opportunity for meeting, networking and developing new relationships that are crucial for further innovation. Several companies are making the most of the thriving tech culture, supporting initiatives for health tech startups and dedicated innovation and co-working spaces, to drive success in the Basel Area.

Discovering Complex Disease Patterns

Examples of the work being performed include:

• Associating multimodal single-cell datasets (RNA-/TCR-/ BCR-seq, proteomics, etc) with clinical endpoints – such as disease diagnosis, progression, severity, treatment and toxicity response – to identify ultra-sensitive biomarker signatures and cell functionality states
• A research engine that introduces a new standard of interpretability and explainability to life sciences datasets using simple models and straightforward mathematical expressions to help pharma companies bring drugs to market faster
• AI-powered analytics and digital solutions to support improvements in behavioral health, delivering rich, high-quality and relevant real-world evidence information to healthcare providers, patients, researchers, payors and regulators by analyzing electronic health record data with analytics. This data helps providers recognize disease progression and provide tailored treatments to their patients, and aids pharmaceutical companies in improving drug discovery and development.

The Future of Digital Innovation in Pharma

The applications above are classic examples of how digital technologies can make use of the vast quantities of data that are being generated in healthcare and pharmaceutical R&D. Their innovative products and services are allowing new insights and a deeper understanding of complex processes – including disease progression, drug mechanisms of action and clinical effectiveness of new drug candidates – and they are improving the drug development process. The platforms themselves are driving a paradigm shift that could enhance the process of drug discovery, bringing new drugs to market more quickly, and reducing the large numbers of candidates that are currently lost along the development pathway. Strong partnerships between technology and pharma companies, academic institutions and hospitals, such as those being developed in Basel, are undoubtedly helping to revolutionize the future of healthcare.

References

1. 1. Morgan Stanley Research (2022), ‘Putting the ‘Tech’ in Biotech: Assessing the Potential for AI in Drug Development’
   2. Boston Consulting Group (2022), ‘Adopting AI in Drug Discovery’

Published by the Journal of mHealth

We are generating more digital data than ever before – at an estimated rate of 2.5 quintillion bytes per day¹ – and the great strides being made in informatics are helping to excavate ever-more meaningful and actionable information from these data goldmines. Tools like artificial intelligence and machine learning could hold the key to transforming a whole host of sectors, but perhaps none more so than healthcare, where game-changing technologies are under development.²

Building on a rich heritage

Several regions of Switzerland are well known for being bustling biopharma hotspots. The Basel Area in particular is home to industry giants including Roche, Novartis and Johnson & Johnson, as well as many smaller companies that are taking advantage of both the world-class academic institutions and the swathes of life science professionals embedded there. Below the surface of this rich biotech and pharmaceutical heritage is a new wave of digital innovation that has the potential to transform the healthcare industry, and Switzerland along with it. A new breed of entrepreneurs is combining biopharma knowledge with medical informatics to promise a digital healthcare revolution.

Laying the groundwork

It is no coincidence that this transformation is happening in Switzerland, since academic institutions like the University of Applied Science and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) have been laying the groundwork for years, by offering forward-thinking medical informatics courses.³ These multidisciplinary degrees are moulding medical, data science and business students into fully-fledged medical informatics experts ready to make their mark on the industry.

Prof. Miho is also the founder of the ETH Zürich spinout company aiNET – based in Basel – which uses artificial intelligence and large-scale networks to provide immunoinformatic services for the biopharma industry, as well as digital immunity data to aid personalized diagnostics. She continued: “We offer an antibody discovery service via high-throughput sequencing of immune cells and antibodies, using machine learning techniques to select sequences that successfully bind to viruses. We are also developing a digital twin of the human immune system, which evolves over time to mimic the dynamic nature of the real thing, allowing us to accurately model and predict disease progression to enable early diagnosis. We feel extremely lucky to be based in Basel, where there is a healthy collaborative spirit between academics, clinicians and biopharma professionals. There is a true culture of innovation here.”

Help is at hand

Launching a startup like aiNET can be a daunting prospect, as many startups fail within their first year.⁴ Switzerland is determined to buck this trend by fostering a supportive environment where fledgling companies offering cutting-edge innovation can thrive. Not only is there tax relief for startups, but organisations like Innosuisse and the Swiss National Science Foundation provide grants to help academic researchers and entrepreneurs commercialise their promising ideas, as well as promoting the activities of regional startups and SMEs. Accelerator and incubator programs are also available to provide startups with legal and logistical support, extra investment, and access to a network of experienced biopharma professionals. For example, The Digital Health Nation Innovation Booster program, hosted by DayOne and Innouisse, is fostering breakthroughs in digital healthcare by helping entrepreneurs transform their ideas into solutions that can deliver real value to patients and healthcare professionals. Basel Area Business & Innovation – the non-profit innovation promotion agency behind DayOne – also manages dedicated coworking sites that foster a thriving interactive community of digital health companies and entrepreneurs, such as the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area at the Novartis Campus.

Switzerland’s digital destiny

Cutting-edge tools like AI and machine learning are set to revolutionise healthcare by generating remarkable insights from medical data and making previously unimaginable technologies – like immune system digital twins – a reality. By combining multidisciplinary degree programs, governmental support and accelerator and incubator programs, Switzerland is laying the groundwork needed for digital healthcare to flourish. Its thriving biotech hubs are an ideal breeding ground for a new era of startups, and the potent combination of biopharma heritage and novel technologies is set propel Switzerland towards its digital destiny.

References

• How much data do we create every day? The mind-blowing stats everyone should read. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/05/21/how-much-data-do-we-create-every-day-the-mind-blowing-stats-everyone-should-read/?sh=1c916ec960ba. Accessed 24.04.23.
• Transforming healthcare with AI: The impact on the workforce and organizations. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/transforming-healthcare-with-ai. Accessed 24.04.23.
• MSc Medical Informatics. FHNW. https://www.fhnw.ch/en/degree-programmes/lifesciences/master/medical-informatics. Accessed 12.04.23.
• Small businesses that fail in the first year always have these 3 things in common. https://www.forbes.com/sites/briannawiest/2020/01/24/small-businesses-that-fail-in-the-first-year-always-have-these-3-things-in-common/?sh=35cd5ff426c7. Accessed 24.04.23

Several South Korean pharmaceutical companies have visited the Basel Area in recent months, some of them considering establishing a presence in the region as a base for their respective European subsidiaries. As the investment and innovation promotion agency, Basel Area Business & Innovation, has announced, a trio of South Korean firms recently travelled to Switzerland and the Basel Area on a fact-finding mission regarding the regional Life Sciences ecosystem. The trip was organized by the industry association KoreaBIO. The itinerary included visits to the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area at Novartis Campus and its Main Campus in Allschwil in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, where informative presentations were arranged covering the Basel Area and its ecosystem.

Macrogen, one of the world’s leading companies for precision medicine and biotechnology, based in Seoul, serves more than 18,000 customers from academic research and industry. The company has several overseas subsidiaries and branches in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Singapore. The biotech firm Stemon is developing digital induction of cell therapies using Entr technology. CEFO focuses on the pre-clinical stage of bone regeneration in the hip and spine.

Partnership agreement signed

This was preceded by a visit from two of South Korea’s largest pharmaceutical firms, Yuhan Corporation and Hanmi Pharmaceutical, at the end of October. “We are impressed by how strong the focus on science, technology and the development of new medicines is in Basel”, commented Lauren Young-Mi Lee, Head of R&D at Hanmi, in an article for the “Basler Zeitung” newspaper.

This significant interest in the Basel Area comes along with a city partnership agreement that was signed by Basel and Seoul on September 29. Moreover, Basel Area Business & Innovation and the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association (KPBMA), South Korea’s largest association for the pharmaceutical industry, agreed terms on a partnership agreement in January 2022.

On Saturday October 29, Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin formally opened the Main Campus of the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area on schedule. Around 200 guests attended the official opening ceremony of Switzerland’s most modern innovation park, which is located in the Bachgraben area of Allschwil in the canton of Basel-Landschaft. The three supporting cantons of the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area were represented by cantonal ministers Thomas Weber (Basel-Landschaft), Kaspar Sutter (Basel-Stadt), and Jacques Gerber (Jura).

According to a press release, Parmelin stated in his opening speech: “The Basel Area life science cluster is not only of vital importance for the Swiss economy, but it also occupies a leading position in Europe and the world.” He is convinced that the innovation park will “further enhance the region’s importance”. Raymond Cron, CEO of Switzerland Innovation, expressed his desire that the new innovation campus establish itself as an international beacon for innovative projects in the field of health and life sciences in Switzerland.

Designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron

Spanning 50,000 square meters, the cluster provides workplaces for around 2,000 individuals. The building was designed by the Basel-based architects Herzog & De Meuron. The plans were realized by the building contractor Senn Resources.

According to the information provided, approximately 70 percent of the laboratory and office space in the main campus is currently being rented out to 38 companies and institutes. This includes the University of Basel, numerous startups, plus large companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Basilea. There are now four sites in the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area, which is being operated by the investment and innovation promotion agency Basel Area Business & Innovation. It is one of six innovation parks in the Switzerland Innovation foundation’s national network.

The jury of the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Awards 2022 has honored the best startups in Switzerland. Eight companies from the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft did well. This was the twelfth year of the competition organized by Venturelab. It was supported by Credit Suisse and the Swiss Venture Club.

Five of the awarded firms from the two Basel cantons have been or are being supported by the biotech accelerator and incubator BaseLaunch. This includes Tolremo Therapeutics from Muttenz in 14th place, which has developed an active substance search engine to identify innovative drug resistance regulators and facilitates low-molecular weight therapies to combat these. Anaveon with headquarters at Tech Park Basel came in 30th place. It transforms potent cytokines into life-saving treatments.

Alentis Therapeutics also features in BaseLaunch’s portfolio. Located on the main campus of the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area in Allschwil, it took 51st place. The biotechnology company develops treatments for fibrosis. NextImmune from Basel, an innovative immunotherapy provider, came in 72nd place. Synendos Therapeutics from Basel took 79th place. It researches endocannabinoid modulators to restore the brain’s natural functions for those with central nervous system disorders.

Resistell is the top-ranked medtech startup

Furthermore, the jury placed Resistell at number 12. The medtech startup from Muttenz uses its nanomotion technology platform to rapidly find the correct antibiotic for each case, thus combating the issue of resistance. Resistell is not only the top-ranked startup from the Basel Area, but also the top-ranked startup in the medtech category overall. Bright Peak Therapeutics, a biotech startup from Basel, develops innovative cytokine active substances and took 33rd place. Qnami from Muttenz was assigned to 39th place. The startup uses quantum mechanics to measure things that have not been quantifiable to date on an atomic level.

Additionally, Tinamu Labs came in 32nd place. The spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich won with its drone technology the i4Challenge 2020 run by the investment and innovation promotion agency Basel Area Business & Innovation.

With decades of expertise in healthcare and mechanics, the Basel Area has become a sought-after location for medtech startups.

Find here your comprehensive guide to the Switzerland startup ecosystem.