Dendrogenix I
A new family of molecules that fight deafness and cancer
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Created in 2018 by a syndicate of Business Angels, the Dendrogenix spin-off develops drug candidates to treat deafness and cancer. After the first wave of funding of €4M, in 2019-2020, it intends to proceed with the second wave of between €8M and €10M and to triple its staff (it currently has 7 employees) within 3 years.
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Thanks to these excellent prospects, Dendrogenix has been selected by the InvestHorizon accelerator based in Brussels. This European Commission initiative will allow the spin-off to achieve visibility at a European level and arouse investors’ interest for its second wave of funding. At present, Dendrogenix has already received substantial backing from the Walloon Region. It has been granted €2.4M for the Deafness program and €700k for its activities’ oncology aspect. Besides, Dendrogenix has been given €670k by Noshaq (formerly Meusinvest) in the form of a loan convertible into shares. This is a sure-fire sign of trust!
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aving acquired patents from French company Biotech and having transferred its team to Belgium, Dendrogenix has become a specialist in hearing loss as a result of oncology-related neurological disorders. The young spin-off has brought together cutting-edge know-how in the fields of organic and analytical chemistry, in vitro and in vivo biology, clinical expertise, production, toxicology and regulatory issues in order to develop Dendrogenins, molecules derived from cholesterol synthesis and which play a crucial role in neuronal and hearing mechanisms.
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Currently, Dendrogenix is working alongside the team of Prof. Brigitte Malgrange at GIGA (ULiege) for the R&D section of its DX243 preclinical development program. DX243 is the lead compound of the Dendrogenin family when it comes to hearing prevention and restoration. Its efficiency has been validated in vivo on a robust chemotherapy-induced deafness model designed to test cochlear implants and in a model of noise-induced hearing loss. It has a competitive advantage over known neurotrophic factors, and its chemical synthesis guarantees the product’s biological safety. Regulatory preclinical studies for clinical evaluation of DX 243 on deaf patients will be launched as of 2021 by Prof. Lefebvre, head of the ENT department at the CHU of Liege and, member of the spin-off.
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The fruit of a strategic partnership with Drs Marc Poirot and Sandrine Poirot of the Toulouse Cancerology Research Centre (CRCT), DX 101 is set to be a disruptive cancer treatment. DX101 displays promising in vitro and in vivo preclinical efficiency for acute myeloid leukemia and melanoma. It has also obtained proof of concept for breast cancer. Its mechanism of action is original: it reprograms tumor cells that are consequently recognized by the immune system, stimulating its capacity to activate cells with antigens and lymphocytes. Moreover, identifying the DX 101 target receptor allows Dendrogenix to have the first predictive tool to assess the therapeutic response to DX 101, which also shows promise regarding its possible use to treat other cancers. An R&D program is dedicated to this drug candidate’s preclinical development and one of its derivatives, which is even more powerful, to optimize this family of Dendrogenins.
The Dendrogenix team has grown to 7 people.
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Dendrogenix 11, avenue de l'Hôpital - 4000 Liège Tel.: +32 (0)492 781 781 Email: contact@dendrogenix.com https://www.dendrogenix.com/
