Introducing the Langerhans Cell Targeted Delivery System
LC-TDS
Contributing to precision medicine.
LC-TDS
LC-TDS: The Langerhans Cell Targeted Delivery System
Easy-to-use, without injuries and highly specific – a minimal-invasive application of targeted nanoparticles.
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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 will harness the role of DCs to provide therapies for allergies, autoimmune diseases and cancer as well as vaccines against infectious diseases.
We use a system called LC-TDS, which presents antigens to the immune system through only one specific DC type: Langerhans cells (LCs). Depending on the state of the LCs, the immune response can induce tolerance or provide vaccination effects. Through our targeted delivery approach, we aim for safe immune profiles and significant dose sparing. The LC-TDS differs from other immunomodulating technologies due to a modular design allowing adaptation for different applications and high compatibility with other technologies. Another major advantage is the injury-free administration via the skin, increasing application safety and patients‘ compliance.
Why are Langerhans Cells special amongst other Dendritic cells?
- Reside in the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin
- Express specific surface markers and receptors that enable them to recognize and respond to a wide range of antigens
- Ability to induce tolerance to self-antigens
- Regulate T cell responses (can either activate or suppress T cell responses)
What makes LCs promising targets for Immune therapies?
- Accessible through the skin
- Ideal for targeted drug delivery due to their unique properties and ability to recognize specific antigens
- Can be manipulated to induce tolerance in autoimmune diseases and allergies, or to enhance immune responses against cancer and infectious diseases
- High potential for developing vaccines and immunotherapies that are safe and effective with minimal side effects
HOW IT WORKS
HOW IT WORKS
or how a small molecule ligand brings the system 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.
FIRST OF ITS KIND
FIRST OF ITS KIND
Providing exclusive access to immune cells in the epidermis
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Cutanos achieves direct and minimally invasive antigen delivery to Langerhans cells via the skin – No complex and cost-intensive ex vivo loading of dendritic cells (DCs) is required!
Our LC-TDS technology also avoids the disadvantages of antibody-based targeting approaches (e.g. side effects, high production costs and blocking of the receptor for continuous antigen uptake): Due to its design, the LC-TDS mimics a natural pathogen and is processed as such by the Langerhans cells. It can be flexibly combined with various antigens and nanoparticles – often a bottleneck in non-modularly constructed drugs. This gives the LC-TDS a decisive advantage especially in vaccine development against seasonal viral pathogens (e.g. influenza or corona viruses).
WHO WE ARE
WHO WE ARE
THE FOUNDERS AND MANAGEMENT
THE SCIENTISTS
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.
Ulrich Platte, MBA
CFO/CBO & Managing Director
Executive C-level manager with proven record of establishing cross functional partnerships to deliver results. Innovative, agile, global strategic leader driving operations within marketing sales and business development. Ensure customer focus and profound expertise in life science industry.
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
Head of Tolerance and Autoimmune Diseases
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.
Dr. Litty Johnson
Scientist
Material Scientist and Pharmacist with expertise in nanoparticle-based formulation development. She obtained her Master of Research degree from University of Nottingham and Doctoral degree in Molecular Biology from University of Salzburg. She has published 14 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Litty has researched on bio-nano interactions, allergen-specific immunotherapy and protein drug delivery. At Cutanos, she is responsible for preparation and analysis of novel, innovative LC-TDS formulations.
Ramona Rîca, MSc.
Scientist
Biologist, specialized in Molecular Biology and Immunology with a longstanding interest in T cell biology and T cell-driven immunity. Ramona is experienced in in vivo disease models and analysis of multi-organ immune cell. She will soon hold a PhD from the Medical University of Vienna.
NEWS
NEWS & MEDIA
To get the latest on Cutanos development please refer to our press releases and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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