Introducing the Langerhans Cell Targeted Delivery System
LC-TDS
Contributing to precision medicine.
CUTANOS
Next-Gen Vaccines: Targeted mRNA Delivery to Immune Cells
A novel delivery platform to direct LNP formulations directly to dendritic cells
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The immune system protects our body from harmful invaders, like viruses and bacteria. A central role play dendritic cells (DCs) for recognizing these invaders and teaching other immune cells to fight them. At the same time, DCs are also responsible for tolerating the body’s own structures (autoantigens) – a delicate “orchestra” of immune modulation!
Cutanos developed ligand-based platform to targeted one specific type of DCs: Langerhans Cells (LCs).
HOW IT WORKS
HOW IT WORKS
or how a small molecule ligand brings the mRNA to its destination
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Through this first-of-a-kind targeted delivery approach, the LC-TDS is hardly taken up by off-target cells, which promises significant dose sparing and potentially fewer side effects.
Cutanos’ LC-TDS differs from all other immunomodulating technologies due to its modular design allowing flexible adaptation for different applications. This further results in a high compatibility with other technologies. Another major advantage is the injury-free administration via the skin through minimally invasive microneedles or microinjectors, which increases application safety and patients compliance.
WHO WE ARE
WHO WE ARE
THE FOUNDERS AND MANAGEMENT
Dr. Robert Wawrzinek
Co-Founder & CEO
Dr. Florian Sparber
Chief Scientific Officer
Prof. Dr. Christoph Rademacher
Co-Founder & Advisor
THE SCIENTISTS
Dr. Federica Quattrone
Head of Inflammation and Infectious diseases
Dr. Klara Klein
Senior Scientist
THE ADVISORY BOARD
- Dr. Johannes Bange | KHAN Technology Transfer Fund I
- Markus Wanko | IST cube Management GmbH
- Sebastian Meyer-Borchert | Max Planck Innovation
- Dr. Katharina Severin | High-Tech Gründerfonds III
- Prof. Dr. Christian Mandl | External Advisory Board Member
- Dr. Timm H. Jessen | External Advisory Board Member
THE FUNDING PARTNERS
Gefördert durch Seedfinancing des BMDW bzw. des BMK abgewickelt durch die aws. Gefördert durch den FFG Life Science Call 2022
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Prof. Dr. Christoph Rademacher
Co-Founder & Advisor
Accomplished researcher with a strong background in biotechnology and the main inventor of the LC-TDS technology. He was an independent group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces Potsdam and was recently appointed full professor for Molecular Drug Targeting at the University of Vienna and Max F. Perutz Labs. Christoph maintains an interdisciplinary network of academic collaborators and is well connected to industrial partners worldwide.
Dr. Robert Wawrzinek
Co-Founder & CEO
Entrepreneur and scientist trained in organic chemistry with 12+ years of experience in the fields of biomedicine, material science and spectroscopy. He worked at high-ranking international research institutions, published some 30 articles in peer-reviewed journals and filed two patents. Robert’s core competences include strategic project design, risk assessment, project management, team coordination, communicating and networking, as well as practical lab work in chemistry and biochemistry.
Dr. Federica Quattrone
Head of Inflammation and Infectious Diseases
Biotechnologist specialized in Molecular Medicine by training and further educated in European Patent Law. She carried out doctoral studies in Immunology at the Medical University of Vienna and at CeMM, where she developed a meaningful network across Viennese Start-ups and Academia. Federica further coordinates own-asset developments, external collaboration projects and represents Cutanos at international conferences.
Dr. Florian Sparber
Chief Scientific Officer
Scientist with more than 12 years of experience in skin immunology, dendritic cell biology and infectious diseases. Worked at top research institutions and published numerous articles in international and renowned journals. Gained expertise in drug development, marketing and legislation for inflammatory skin disorders as a medical advisor in the pharmaceutical sector. Florian is responsible for research project development, in vitro and in vivo experimentation, animal model development, communication and networking.
Klara Klein
Senior Scientist
Immunologist with vast expertise in cancer biology, cell culture and in vivo experimentation. Klara acquired her extensive knowledge form excellent institutions such as the University of Heidelberg, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. She currently leads a major co-development Project with one of our pharma partners.
NEWS
NEWS & MEDIA
To get the latest on Cutanos development please refer to our press releases and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Research Paper Release
Langerhans Cell-targeted Protein Delivery Enhances Antigen-Specific Cellular Immune Response
Targeted antigen delivery to immune cells, particularly dendritic cells, has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance therapeutic efficacy of vaccines, while minimizing adverse effects associated with conventional immunization. In this study, we use our previously described small glycomimetic molecule that selectively recognizes the Langerhans cell (LC)-specific surface receptor Langerin and demonstrate specific delivery of protein antigens to these specialized dendritic cells. Our results show that Langerin-mediated antigen delivery significantly enhances the immune response in vivo, resulting in increased expansion and activation of antigen-specific T cells, compared to immunization with unmodified antigen. We demonstrate the feasibility of our LC-targeted platform for immune cell-specific immunization with protein antigen and underscore the potential of LCs as an access point for next-generation vaccines and immunotherapies.
More information
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BARDA VITAL Symposium in Berlin
Cutanos Wins BARDA VITAL Prize Challenge for Innovative Vaccine Technology!
Vienna, Austria (July 1, 2024) – Cutanos GmbH, a biotechnology company based in Vienna, Austria, was awarded first place in the BARDA VITAL Prize (BVP) Challenge, endowed with USD 20,000 by the BARDA Accelerator Network (BAN), at the BARDA VITAL Symposium in Berlin, Germany. Established by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the BARDA Accelerator Network (BAN) fosters the growth of health security innovation ecosystems globally and accelerates the development and commercialization of next-generation health security solutions. The BARDA VITAL Prize Challenge awards innovative startups and their groundbreaking solutions to potentially make a significant impact on public health.
Cutanos is dedicated to developing next-generation vaccines incorporating its proprietary Langerhans Cell Targeting (LC-TDS) Technology. Looking ahead, the company will increase its efforts towards infectious diseases, capitalizing on the advantages of its technology to boost the efficacy and stability of mRNA vaccines as well as high patient compliance due to pain-free skin administration.
„We are incredibly honored to receive this recognition from BARDA,“ said Robert Wawrzinek, CEO of Cutanos. „This award validates our commitment to develop innovative vaccine technologies that can make a real difference in the fight against infectious diseases. We believe that minimally invasive vaccination will improve vaccine acceptance and accessibility worldwide.“
More information:
BARDA Vital Prize: https://vitalhubhealth.com/prize-challenge/
Photo above by VITALHub
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New Team Member
Welcome Ramona Rîca and Litty Johnson, the latest additions to Cutanos‘ science Team!
With pleasure we welcome Ramona and Litty and are excited to add even more expertise in immunology and material science to our projects!
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New Team Member
We welcome our new
Scientist and Project Lead
Klara Klein
We are proud to welcome Klara to our team. With her vast expertise in immunology she is going to lead her own research project and will give valuable impacts in all of Cutanos‘ scientific endeavours!
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New Team Member
We welcome our new CFO/CBO Ulrich Platte
The whole team is thrilled to announce Ulrich as our new CFO & CBO. We are beyond confident he will be a major asset to Cutanos and our next business development steps.
Welcome, Ulrich!
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Cutanos and Pfizer team up
Cutanos and Pfizer team up to apply LC-TDS technology to autoimmune diseases
Thanks to Pfizer’s Emerging Science Fund, Cutanos will explore its immune cell-specific drug delivery system as a potential therapy platform for autoimmune disorders. In the next two years, this joint project aims to show induction of tolerance against self-antigens. Innovative therapeutic solutions in autoimmunity are one of the biggest unmet medical needs worldwide.
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New Team Members!
We Welcome our Newest Team Members!
We are very happy to announce our latest additions to the team: Alexandra Sykora (Office Manager), Mirza Sarcevic and Gabriele Carta (Technical Assistants)! Welcome aboard!
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Green Labs Austria
Cutanos joins Green Labs Austria Initiative
As a biotechnology lab Cutanos feels responsible to not only contribute to science but also carrying out experiments in a more sustainable fashion. Hence, we want to participate in Green Labs Austria vision to reduce plastic waste and our carbon footprint.
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ABA Podcast
ABA Podcast „𝗪𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝗺 ¾ 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝘁“
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Doris Dobida talks with Cutanos‘ Co-Founder Robert Wawrzinek about starting a biotech company in Austria.
Publication – Frontiers in Immunology
Specific Protein Antigen Delivery to Human Langerhans Cells in Intact Skin
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Mareike Rentzsch, Robert Wawrzinek, Claudia Zelle-Rieser, Helen Strandt, Lydia Bellmann, Felix F. Fuchsberger, Jessica Schulze, Jil Busmann, Juliane Rademacher, Stephan Sigl, Barbara Del Frari, Patrizia Stoitzner and Christoph Rademacher
Frontiers in Immunology (2021), doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.732298
Webinar Series
Precision NanoSystems Teatime Webinar Series
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Robert Wawrzinek talks about: „Small Molecule-Based Targeted Delivery of Nanoparticles to Langerhans Cells in Human Skin“
Publication – ACS central science
A Specific, Glycomimetic Langerin Ligand for Human Langerhans Cell Targeting
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Eike-Christian Wamhoff, Jessica Schulze, Lydia Bellmann, Mareike Rentzsch, Gunnar Bachem, Felix F. Fuchsberger, Juliane Rademacher, Martin Hermann, Barbara Del Frari, Rob van Dalen, David Hartmann, Nina van Sorge, Oliver Seitz, Patrizia Stoitzner, Christoph Rademacher
ACS Central Science (2019), doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.9b00093
Publication – Biochemistry
A Liposomal Platform for Delivery of a Protein Antigen to Langerin-Expressing Cells
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Jessica Schulze, Mareike Rentzsch, Donyoon Kim, Lydia Bellmann, Patrizia Stoitzner, Christoph Rademacher
Biochemistry (2019), doi.org/10.1021/acs.biochem.9b0040
Press Coverage
what the media says about Cutanos (selection)
