Successful Finance Round for LipoFIT
LipoFIT Analytic GmbH was founded in 2004 as a “spin off” at the University of Regensburg from the Institute for Biophysics and Physical Biochemistry. The company develops and markets innovative applications of so-called NMR spectroscopy for the medical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a modern spectroscopic method, based on the measurable magnetic interaction of atomic nuclei and the electron shell of a molecule with magnetic fields. Know as magnetic resonance tomography, nuclear spin resonance is already used successfully as an imaging procedure in medicine.
Cholesterol is a naturally occurring substance belonging to the lipids (fats). The name is derived from the Greek "chole" (gall) and "stereos" (solid), as it had already been found in the 18th century in gallstones. Cholesterol is essential for life, forming the main component of cell membranes and is active in cell growth and mitosis. Furthermore cholesterol is a precursor of bile acids, various hormones (e.g. cortisone, testosterone, estradiol) and of vitamin D.
In the western industrialised countries cardiovascular disease is one of the most important causes of mortality. The cause of almost all of these diseases is due to depositions in the circulatory system (atherosclerosis). These depositions, as demonstrated in numerous studies, are strongly influenced by the concentration of certain types of lipoproteins in the blood. As we know today, the risk of atherosclerosis for a person is significantly predicted by the proportion of so-called LDL particles in the blood. Tests to date only measure the total LDL cholesterol proportion, which is not an accurate predictor of risk. Latest studies demonstrate that the risk predominantly is due to LDL particles, which are smaller than ca. 22nm, as these are in the position to force their way into human arterial walls and deposit there. The presence of and increased occurrence of small LDL particles (doctors call this small dense LDL) increases the risk of developing atherosclerotic disease.
The patented process developed by LipoFIT for the analysis of lipoprotein distribution (cholesterol distribution), is now able to make a prediction of atherosclerotic disease using 0.5 ml plasma or serum in only 3 minutes. The company is currently constructing a high throughput analysis platform at BioPark to make the test accessible to the wider population in Europe. For this purpose a deal for cooperation for development with BRUKER Biospin GmbH, the world market leader in the field of high resolution NMR spectrometers, has been sealed. Financially this is being realised (total volume over 4 million Euro) by KfW Bankengruppe (German’s largest Investment Bank) and BayernKapital (Bavarian Venture Capital), and by promotion by the BMBF (Ministry for Education and Research) within the framework of the BioChance Plus Program. In addition to the tests for risk assessment, LipoFIT also offers various services for the pharmaceutical industry. For example, urine and blood samples are analysed to allow assessment of the efficacy and side effects of medicines in development. Alnylam Europe AG and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH&Co.KG have already been acquired as clients. At the beginning of 2007 the company will have a 600MHz high field spectrometer with fully automated sample handling operating on their premises at BioPark in Regensburg.
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