Spin-out launched
Biofusion plc announced the launch of a new portfolio company, Medella Therapeutics, a specialist in monoclonal antibody drugs for treating cancer.
Biofusion has committed to invest an initial £320,000 in Medella and owns 60 per cent of the company at its inception.
Medella was founded to exploit the intellectual property stemming from the research of Tim Skerry and his team at Sheffield University. The technology focuses on the use of monoclonal antibodies to inhibit the action of adrenomedullin, a molecule found in 80 per cent of cancer cells.
The molecule is known to encourage the growth of the new blood vessels, which are necessary for the growth of cancer cells. It also inhibits the body’s immune response, so the body’s natural defences stop fighting the cancer, and interferes with a cell’s natural suicide mechanism, allowing cancer cells to survive for longer.
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