The French biotechnology start up VECT-HORUS, a European leader in the design of vectors that facilitate the delivery of drugs into the brain and other organs, has just received the Frost & Sullivan 2016 Leadership award for its VECTrans® innovative technology.
This award, granted by the prestigious global consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, independently recognizes companies for demonstrating excellence in developing innovative technologies and best practices within an industry. This is a new international recognition for VECT-HORUS — one of the 15 success stories of medical research identified by the CNRS among 1,000 spinoffs from its laboratories.
VECTrans®: a true disruptive technology to cross the blood-brain barrier
The brain is endowed with a specific vascular system, called the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which drastically limits the passage of drugs from the blood to nervous tissue. Only 2% of drugs developed by the pharmaceutical industry cross this barrier, limiting the effectiveness of treatments for brain pathologies including neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., epilepsy, stroke, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, and multiple sclerosis).
With its patented VECTrans® technology, unique in Europe, VECT-HORUS is raising the BBB technological bolt by developing vectors, which improve the transport of therapeutic molecules to the brain or to tumors. These vectors target different receptors that are involved in a process known as Receptor-Mediated Transport, considered to be the safest and most effective for drug delivery to the brain.
“We are very honored to receive this award for our technological leadership in drug transport via peptide vectors. It is a new international recognition of our VECTrans® technology for the transport of drugs to the brain and other organs, and a great reward for our research teams,” said Alexandre TOKAY, Chairman of VECT-HORUS.
Frost & Sullivan industry analyst Krishna VENKATARAMANI lauded the accomplishments of VECTHORUS. “Beginning operations 9 years ago, VECT-HORUS definitely became the first company in Europe to develop and patent a technology platform in this area, thereby initiating the launch of groundbreaking ideas while contributing to the betterment of the entire pharmaceutical industry,” said Frost & Sullivan industry analyst Krishna VENKATARAMANI.
PRESS RELEASE Research programs to address significant unmet medical needs VECT-HORUS offers pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies access to its innovative technology platform to promote transport of their drugs into the brain. The company recently signed research collaboration agreements with SANOFI for the treatment of a neurodegenerative disease, and with Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA), a European leader in the field of molecular and nuclear imaging. In addition, the company develops vector molecules dedicated to significant unmet medical needs, for instance to reduce brain damage following cardiac arrest or neonatal hypoxia or to treat various cancers including pancreatic cancer or rare genetic disorders such as lysosomal storage diseases.
About VECT-HORUS
VECT-HORUS is a French biotechnology company that designs and develops vectors to facilitate the delivery of drugs or imaging agents into the brain and other organs. VECT-HORUS developed highly specific and stable vectors protected by several families of patents and patent applications. By combining pharmaceutical agents to its vectors, VECT-HORUS enables their transport across the BBB, which significantly impedes brain delivery of most drugs. The company has demonstrated proof of concept of the technology in animal models by developing different vectorized molecules, among them the endogenous neuropeptide neurotensin, which is in regulatory preclinical studies. The technology has also enabled the signing of a scientific collaboration agreement with SANOFI in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. Founded in 2005, VECT-HORUS is a spin-off from the CNRS-Aix Marseille University NICN laboratory directed by Dr. Michel Khrestchatisky. Its founders are Alexandre Tokay, Chairman, and Michel Khrestchatisky, Scientific Counsel. VECT-HORUS has 18 employees, mostly in R&D, including Dr. Jamal Temsamani, head of Development and Corporate. More information: www.vect-horus.com
About Frost & Sullivan and Best Practices Award
Founded in 1961, Frost & Sullivan employs 1,800 consultants and analysts spread across 40 offices on six continents. Frost & Sullivan analyses cover a wide range of industries and technologies to offer its customers the most innovative ideas. With over 45 years of experience, Frost & Sullivan offers its services to companies listed in the Global 1000, to emerging companies, and to the investment community. The Frost & Sullivan “Best Practices Award” recognizes companies that demonstrate innovation and outperform their competitors in the development of innovative technologies. Winners are selected after a rigorous and independent industry analysis.
