Experimentica-led NeoVasculoStop© Consortium Awarded 3 M€ European Innovation Council Pathfinder Grant

Summary: Focus is to develop innovative oral treatments for retinal diseases caused by neovascularization and to improve the safety of anti-angiogenic therapies for patients.

KUOPIO, FINLAND, AND VILNIUS, LITHUANIA – JUNE 16, 2022 | Experimentica Ltd. (“Experimentica” or the “Company”), a leading contract research organization (CRO) in preclinical ophthalmic drug discovery services, today announces a consortium led by its headquarters, Experimentica Oy, has been approved to receive a grant of 3 million euros, under the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder Open Program, supporting cutting-edge science and technology to create new market opportunities. The grant is aimed at developing a novel strategy of drug targeting that can enrich the therapeutic molecules selectively in retinal tissue, thereby increasing the drug’s safety profile. The research program is expected to generate a first-in-class oral medication that offers hope to patients of sustaining their vision for longer. The consortium members include Experimentica Oy, its subsidiary Experimentica UAB, Vichem Ltd. (“Vichem”), Semmelweis University, Emmes Biopharma Global s.r.o.(“Emmes”), and LC Innoconsult Ltd. (“LC Innoconsult”), with Experimentica Oy acting as the leading entity.

Giedrius Kalesnykas, Ph.D., President and CEO of Experimentica Ltd., declared, “It is truly an honor receiving this grant to advance the development of innovative drug candidates against ocular angiogenic diseases, including age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, which – if left untreated – could result in vision loss. We are proud that the EIC trusted the skills and expertise of our scientists and invested 1M € in Experimentica, testament to our almost decade-long investment into state-of-the-art technology and scientific excellence in ocular model and model development.“

Jenni J. Hakkarainen, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer of Experimentica Ltd., said, “With its high-risk/high-gain approach, the NeoVasculoStop© consortium aims at combating the ever-growing social and economic impact of these debilitating ocular diseases by developing novel oral medications.”

“The development of innovative and efficacious oral drugs that can readily reach retinal tissue bears great promise for the long-term management of retinopathies and related angiogenic ocular diseases by providing an alternative to invasive intraocular injections.”, Simon Kaja, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Vice-President, Americas commented.

Vichem is a Hungarian biotech research company performing advanced medicinal chemistry in the kinase inhibitory field based on its unique, in-house developed, Nested Chemical Library™ (NCL) technology. Vichem’s library is organized around 110 core structures and 600 scaffolds, and contains inhibitors against 160 kinases, providing the most diverse kinase inhibitory library available for drug research.

Semmelweis University is a leading institution of higher education in Hungary and the Central European region within the area of medicine, health sciences. With a tradition of more than 240 years, it has amassed an enormous amount of knowledge, and has granted diplomas to over 100,000 students, many of whom are now renowned specialists in their respective fields. The University’s eminent personalities and scientific results are recognized around the world. The University has grown into one of the largest health care institutions in Hungary.

Emmes is a global, full-service CRO dedicated to supporting the advancement of public health and biopharmaceutical innovation. Neox has the expertise necessary to conduct clinical research with a firm scientific basis that is fully compliant with national and international regulatory guidelines.

LC Innoconsult serves as a bridge between science and the business world, with the objective of accompanying customers from the innovation idea all the way to selling the intellectual product by providing complex innovation services.

About Experimentica Ltd.

Experimentica Ltd. is a global contract research organization (CRO) that specializes in preclinical models of ophthalmic disease. Our world-class scientists and technicians apply a comprehensive set of skills and industry experience to model ocular diseases using multiple experimental platforms, from cell culture-based systems to complex surgical techniques in preclinical models. With research laboratory operations in Kuopio (Finland), Vilnius (Lithuania), Fort Worth, Texas (USA), DeKalb, Illinois (USA), global representation and an industry-leading portfolio, Experimentica Ltd. delivers the highest quality science to clients around the globe by helping advance their ophthalmic drug discovery and drug development portfolio.

About the NeoVasculoStop© consortium

NeoVasculoStop© is a research consortium partly funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC) through its Pathfinder Open Program under grant agreement No. 101047120. The EIC receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program. The consortium aims at developing a paradigm shift treatment for age-related macular degeneration and proliferative diabetic retinopathy, resulting in a considerably more economically- and time-effective process.

Learn more about NeoVasculoStop© at neovasculostop.eu

Contact for media enquiries

Experimentica Ltd.

Guillaume Demarne, Pharm.D., Director, Business Development
Email: gd@experimentica.com
Phone: +33 (0) 7 83 55 69 52

Simon Kaja, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Vice-President, Americas
Email: kaja@experimentica.com
Phone: +1 (682) 234-4763

NeoVasculoStop© consortium

Jenni J. Hakkarainen, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer, Experimentica Ltd.
Email: jenni@experimentica.com
Phone: +358 40 512 1269