GO-Bio Next: Four New Projects Launched

Four teams, four innovations, one goal: putting research into practice. The second funding round of the GO-Bio next start-up initiative, run by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), has launched four new projects: BioLung, TauSafe, MemStacks and PearNet3. These projects are developing solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in medicine and biotechnology, ranging from new therapeutic approaches to Alzheimer’s disease and innovative medical technology to platform technologies for drug development.

As a flagship initiative of the High-Tech Agenda Germany (HTAD), GO-Bio next supports the transfer of outstanding life science innovations into practical applications. The programme is aimed at potential founders whose projects build on existing scientific results and who are now taking the next step towards market readiness, clinical application, or setting up a company.

Funding is provided in two phases, each lasting up to three years. Phase I supports teams with advanced research approaches in setting up their companies, while Phase II focuses on strengthening the sustainable establishment and scaling up of the business.

With the current funding round now underway, four new GO-Bio next projects will commence their work and receive around 12 million euros in funding.

Below is an overview of the new GO-Bio next projects:

• BioLung: This project is developing an artificial lung with a three-dimensional capillary structure that mimics the natural architecture of blood vessels. Operating outside the body, it is designed to support the lungs more gently than previous methods and is intended for long-term use. This opens up new treatment options for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• TauSafe: This project involves the development of a novel active substance designed to prevent the misfolding of the tau protein, thereby addressing an early disease-relevant mechanism of Alzheimer’s disease. In its normal state, this protein stabilises important structures within nerve cells. However, when it misfolds, this can lead to harmful deposits associated with the progression of the disease.
• MemStacks: The project uses a platform technology based on artificial cell structures to efficiently produce membrane proteins that were previously difficult to manufacture. This will enable biotechnologists to better understand the function of these proteins and develop new medicines more quickly.
• The PearNet3 project is working on a multimodal body sensor network that combines an ear EEG (electroencephalography) with other biosensors to detect epileptic seizures more reliably and enable continuous monitoring in everyday life.