SPIMA Therapeutics, a company incorporated in April 2024 to develop innovative peptide-based immunotherapies for difficult-to-reach targets, especially proteinprotein interactions, launches with a signed global exclusive license agreement with SATT AxLR for its lead drug candidate, SPM001. SPM001 is a stapled peptide designed to block the Myddosome complex with exceptional pharmacological properties and the potential to address severe immunological disorders and aggressive cancers characterized by MyD88 mutations.
“I co-founded SPIMA driven by my strong belief in the vast potential of peptide therapeutics, which uniquely blend the best qualities of small and large molecules and offer exceptional specificity, effectiveness, and promising drug-like properties. I am equally impressed by the exceptional scientific expertise and complementary strengths of the co-founding team, which positions SPIMA to lead significant advances in peptide-based therapies” said Mohamed Haitham Ayad, RPh, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of SPIMA Therapeutics. “Partnering with SATT AxLR marks a major milestone for SPIMA in advancing SPM001 towards clinical development.”
“We are thrilled to partner with SPIMA Therapeutics to bring this promising therapy to the forefront of medicine,” added Philippe Nérin, President of SATT AxLR. “This project has benefited from an investment of nearly €1 million from SATT AxLR and support from our incubator, the TTF Factory program. SPIMA’s highly competent co-founding team, combined with our financial and operational resources, has the potential to make a significant impact on patients’ lives and turn this academic innovation into a commercial success.”
SPIMA Therapeutics was co-founded by Prof. Christian Jorgensen, Prof. Jean Martinez, Dr. Florence Apparailly, Dr. Muriel Amblard, and Landmark BioVentures AG (LBV), an integrated and agile biotech huband-spoke company. SPIMA benefits from strong links with two institutes that support ongoing cudngedge research, namely the Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapy (IRMB), led by Prof. Christian Jorgensen, and the Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron (IBMM), founded by Prof. Jean Martinez. The company is based at the IHU Immun4cure, a University Hospital Center of Excellence specializing in systemic autoimmune diseases. This location provides SPIMA with access to world-class translational and clinical resources. SPIMA also collaborates with the laboratory of Dr. Florence Apparailly, a recognized expert in rheumatology and the development of targeted immunotherapies, at IRMB.
Additionally, SPIMA maintains close ties with the laboratory of Dr. Muriel Amblard, a leading expert in the design and synthesis of peptide-based drugs, at IBMM.
The creation of SPIMA Therapeutics is part of the Medvallée initiative, aiming to position Montpellier as the Capital of Global Health. It is also the first start-up to emerge from the Immun4Cure IHU, supported by the Montpellier University Hospital, the University of Montpellier, and INSERM.
“I’ve personally supported this program from the start and am glad to continue this journey with such a brilliant team of peptide and immunology researchers,” said Zaki Sellam, co-founder and CEO of Landmark BioVentures AG. “This is a major step in the expansion of our biotech start-up nexus and we believe that SPIMA Therapeutics has the potential to address undruggable targets with multiple applications in a very transformative and meaningful way.”