Vaxxilon named "Science Start-Up of the Year 2016"
Falling Walls is an international conference on pioneering developments in society and science and has been held annually in Berlin since 2009. A highlight of the programme is the Falling Walls Venture science competition. By conferring this prize to Vaxxilon, the jury is recognizing the high innovation and positive social effects of the technology developed by the company. The basis for the technology is a new class of fully synthetic agents created by the group headed by Peter Seeberger at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces. Vaxxilon’s goal is to develop synthetic carbohydrate-based vaccines that are less sensitive to temperature thanks to a new carrier protein. This paves the way for high-quality vaccinations which are more economical to develop, easier to transport and easier to store, as refrigeration is not necessary. This means that more people can be reached and better services provided.
Vaxxilon was founded in 2015 by the Max Planck Society together with the Swiss biotech company Actelion Ltd., the ultimate goal being to advance research and to translate this research into marketable products. For their commercialization, Vaxxilon has acquired the exclusive rights for various pre-clinical vaccine candidates and methods from Max-Planck-Innovation GmbH, the technology transfer company of the Max Planck Society. Vaxxilon plans to conduct the first human trials with the new vaccines within the next two years.
We congratulate Vaxxilon on winning the Falling Walls Venture and for being named the "Science Start-Up of the Year 2016". With its carbohydrate-based vaccine candidates, Vaxxilon opens up new possibilities in combating numerous bacterial pathogens and improving medical services for people in developing countries.
Ulrich Mahr
Member of the General Management
Max Planck Innovation
About Max Planck Innovation
Max Planck Innovation is responsible for the technology transfer of the Max Planck Society and, as such, the link between industry and basic research. With our interdisciplinary team we advise and support scientists of the Max Planck Institutes in evaluating their inventions, filing patents and founding companies. We offer industry a unique access to the innovations of the Max Planck Institutes. Thus we perform an important task: the transfer of basic research results into products, which contribute to the economic and social progress.
www.max-planck-innovation.de
About Vaxxilon
Vaxxilon AG specializes in the research, development and marketing of new types of carbohydrate-based vaccines, primarily as protection against bacterial infections. Vaxxilon holds the rights for various pre-clinical vaccine candidates for pathogens for which there are no approved vaccines or for which existing vaccines do not fulfil medical requirements. Vaxxilon was founded in 2015 by Actelion Ltd. and the Max Planck Society. The work of the company is based on the scientific and innovative findings of Professor Peter Seeberger from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces and Professor Gennaro de Libero from University Hospital Basel.
www.vaxxilon.com
About Falling Walls Venture
Falling Walls Venture is an international forum for excellent science-based start-ups, venture capital companies and investors. At the event, 20 leading scientific institutions and venture capital companies each give 5-minute presentations of their best science-based start-ups before a high-calibre international jury and a wide audience.
www.falling-walls.com/venture
Marketing & Public Relations
Markus Berninger
Diplom-Kaufmann, certified graphic designer
Phone: +49 89 / 29 09 19-30
Email:
berninger@max-planck-innovation.de