Personalised immunotherapy against melanoma, the objective of a UdL spin off

Developing a personalised immunotherapy against melanoma, a type of skin cancer, is the aim of the new spin-off company of the University of Lleida (UdL): Nema Health SL. The idea stems from the doctoral thesis developed at the UdL by the scientific director of this new company, Marta Corral. IRBLleida is one of the co-owners of the patent holder who has licensed the company. It is the third spin-off of the University of Lleida, with IPM Advice SL on weed control, and UniSCool, dedicated to reducing the power consumption of data centres by increasing the speed and reliability of processing advanced microelectronics systems.

Nema Health wants to develop an alternative to current immune checkpoint inhibitors for people with advanced melanoma who are unable to induce an immune response or have resistance to targeted therapies. Before bringing it to market, by selling the product licence to a third party, the company has to complete pre-clinical regulatory and clinical phases, which is a minimum of 10 years.

OncoNeoVac is based on the use of tumour neoantigens and DIF peptides, derived from a protein called periferin that we all have in our bodies. The business idea from which this spin-off arose was awarded one of the Exolum Emprèn awards by Campus Iberus.

In addition to Corral, other members of the new spin-off include Joan Verdaguer, professor of immunology at the UdL and researcher at IRBLleida; Jordi Barquinero, researcher at the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR); and Olga Rué, an expert in biotech business management. The UdL lecturers and doctors from the Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital, Rosa Maria Martí and Robert Montal, also act as advisors.

Text: Press UdL