[LUM#17] Biotechnology made in Montpellier

Sys2Diag: a revolution in diagnostics

Effective, inexpensive, and easy-to-use diagnostic tests: that is the credo of the Sys2diag laboratory. "A historic laboratory for innovation in medical diagnostics in France and Europe," emphasizes its director, Franck Molina. A pioneer in innovation, but also a pioneer in public-private partnerships, the Modeling and Engineering of Complex Biological Systems for Diagnostics laboratory is the result of an alliance between the CNRS and the Alcen group." This configuration allows us to accelerate innovation by combining fundamental research with medical applications," emphasizes the winner of the 2020 CNRS Innovation Medal. And applications are flourishing at Sys2Diag. This is evidenced by the speed with which the company designed the EasyCov rapid saliva test for Covid-19, which is just the tip of the iceberg. Franck Molina has a whole bagful of diagnostic tests, each more revolutionary than the last. Starting with the first psychiatric blood test developed by Alcediag for bipolar disorder and depression, which can even help assess and anticipate the risk of suicide attempts in patients.

While this one requires a blood test, others are non-invasive. Their secret? Synthetic biology, which allows artificial cells to be designed and programmed like biomachines to perform unnatural tasks. The result: self-tests that can be performed anywhere without having to go to a laboratory for analysis. Sys2Diag has teamed up with Skillcell to develop the world's first urine test for insulin resistance, called IDIR. "It's the first pre-diabetes test, which means you can identify a risk of diabetes before it even occurs."

These tests will also be used at stadiums, thanks to a saliva-based concussion test that can be used in real time during a game. "It allows us to objectively assess the severity of the concussion in order to decide on the appropriate follow-up, whether for professional players, amateurs, or even children," explains Franck Molina, who successfully converted the try. The researcher is now working on a new test aimed at objectively assessing... well-being. "We have identified the markers involved, but we can't talk about them yet." To live happily, live hidden.

See also:

A first launch for EasyCov

Ciloa: packages full of therapeutic promise

These tiny natural vesicles could well revolutionize medicine, yet just a few years ago no one would have bet on them. "For a long time, exosomes were considered to be the trash cans of cells, " recalls Robert Mamoun. He sees them quite differently. "In fact, an exosome is more like a postal package." Why such an analogy? "We can modify both the proteins on its surface and those inside it, making it a package whose destination address and contents can be changed." The Inserm virologist recognized the full therapeutic potential of these properties as early as 2008. "Thanks to exosomes, we can, for example, mimic a virus that has no pathogenic power, which is the basis for an ideal, completely natural vaccine."

To explore this potential, Robert Mamoun founded Ciloa in 2011 with virologist Bernadette Trentin. The company was incubated at the University of Montpellier for eight years. And while Big Pharma has now realized the value of exosomes, the Montpellier-based company remains "the oldest and most experienced in the world in this field of research."

This research is not limited to vaccines, but also enables the development of therapeutic antibodies and new drugs, particularly in oncology. "We can attach a seeker head to the exosome, which is then used to deliver an anti-cancer drug directly to the tumor, enabling more targeted and therefore more effective treatment with fewer side effects, " explains Robert Mamoun. Another target for exosomes is diabetes. "Our technology makes it possible to deliver a protein that acts at the source of diabetes by preventing insulin resistance. It's very effective." With a patent filed in 2021, Ciloa is at the forefront of this research and hopes to begin clinical trials in humans in late 2023.

Biodol: relieving chronic pain

This offers hope for relief for the 7 to 9% of the population who suffer from chronic neuropathic pain, defined as "pain caused by nerve damage that lasts for more than three months and persists even after the underlying cause has been treated, " explains Jean Valmier. This "pain-disease" for which no medication is truly effective... for now. The researcher at the Montpellier Institute of Neuroscience (INM) has made a major breakthrough in understanding the mechanism responsible for this persistent pain. One of the keys to this advance is called FLT3, a receptor located on the neuron that is activated by a molecule called FL. "It is their encounter that triggers a chain reaction in the sensory system that causes chronic pain. If this receptor is inhibited, the pain disappears."

All that remained was to find this famous inhibitor to silence the pain... To achieve this, Jean Valmier founded Biodol Therapeutics in 2015 with Fabien Granier and Didier Rognan. Thousands of molecules tested and four patents later, the company, which now has six employees, is the only one in the world working on these drug candidates. "We are quite confident because we have two chemical series that are yielding very satisfactory results and at least one molecule that should be selected as a preclinical candidate before the end of 2022, which means that human studies could begin in 2024."

A horizon that is drawing closer for the nearly 4 million patients in France who live with pain every day. " This is a huge public health issue, " emphasizes Jean Valmier. "For patients, of course, but also for doctors who are desperate because there is little they can do, and finally for the pharmaceutical industry, because such a drug would be a blockbuster, as they say." A Montpellier blockbuster, coming soon to theaters.

See also:

A first launch for EasyCov

SeqOne Genomics: more targeted treatments thanks to personalized medicine

Understanding the specific characteristics of a disease in order to provide better patient care is the goal of personalized medicine. This type of medicine requires access to each individual's "personalized blueprint," or genome, and the ability to decode and interpret the thousands of mutations that dot our DNA sequences. This is where the startup SeqOne Genomics comes in, offering high-performance genomic data analysis solutions for personalized medicine. Its goal is to improve clinical care for patients with cancer and rare and hereditary diseases. The company, created in 2017 with the support of SATT AxLR, the University of Montpellier, and Inserm, has already won numerous awards, such as the iLab prize and the Hélène Starck prize—which rewards young researchers supported by the ARC Foundation—and can boast a strong position in the French market. This winning model for SeqOne Genomics has just reached a new milestone in early 2022 by raising €20 million to accelerate the deployment of genomic medicine. The company hopes to build on this success by investing in a new area of development: "the market for biopharmaceutical companies developing new therapies, " says Jean-Marc Holder, Head of Strategy and Innovation at SeqOne Genomics. The promise of more targeted treatments thanks to a better understanding of disease mechanisms is also what personalized medicine is all about.

See also:

• SeqOne Genomics sets its sights on the international market
• SeqOne Genomics: boosting Covid-19 testing capacity