beeldscherm schreef op 2 november 2018 12:46:
Fibriant
Fibriant is startup developing products based on recombinant human fibrinogen that initially targets hemostasis, host-defense and regenerative medicine applications. Presenting on behalf of the company was Jaap Koopman, the company’s founder and CEO. “Fibrinogen [a soluble protein present in blood plasma] is an extra ordinary protein,” he begins. “It is really big, actually twice the size of an antibody, and made of three polypeptide chains instead of two.” Koopman notes having been working as a biochemist on this particular protein for around 35 years. “What I love about fibrinogen is it is perfectly symmetrical, which isn’t the case with many proteins,” he grins. It is a very versatile molecule. For example, it can change its form from soluble, to insoluble, and back to soluble. “This is triggered by injury, which results in active thrombin,” he states. “Thrombin turns the soluble fibrinogen molecule into the insoluble fibrin polymer, which forms a network.” That network can be degraded again, as the lifespan of a fibrin network can be anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. “It gets degraded by plasma into soluble fibrin degradation products.”
There are other reasons why Koopman is so excited about this protein. For starters, it plays an important role in four biological processes triggered by injury.
Hemostasis (i.e., blood clotting)
Tissue repair (following hemostasis)
Inflammation
Host defense against bacteria
But the most important reason is that fibrinogen is not one molecule. “In the blood of every healthy individual, it is a mixture of about 12 different variants that matter,” he explains. “Nowadays we [biopharma] make a lot of monoclonal antibodies, which is done by recombinant production. This is what Fibriant does for fibrinogen. We make monoclonal fibrinogen variants.” Koopman sees a variety of product applications, including surgery, tissue repair, inflammatory diseases and bacterial infections. The company’s current therapeutic product development activities are focused on fibrin as a flexible, biodegradable extra-vascular support matrix to prevent early and late state vein graft failure after bypass surgery. Koopman suggests that the market potential for products developed from fibrinogen could be comparable (if not greater) to the current market for monoclonal antibodies (i.e., $100 billion), providing for a bright future for his company.
de Jan die werkzaam was bij Pharming..
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Background
Dr. Jaap Koopman, Ph.D., founded Fibriant B.V. in July 2015 and also has been its Chief Executive Officer since July 2015. Dr. Koopman has been Chief Scientific Officer at ProFibrix B.V. since May 2011. Dr. Koopman founded Profibrix B.V. in 2004 and served as its Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Koopman has over 17 years experience in bio medical research focusing on various aspects of fibrinogen and fibrin formation. As scientific director and project manager at Pharming, ...