DINAMIQS, a Siegfried company specialized in viral vector design and manufacturing, inaugurats its new state-of-the-art R&D laboratories in Zurich’s Bio-Technopark.
Somagenetix AG secures CHF 10 million in Series A to advance lentiviral gene therapy for Chronic Granulomatous Disease.
Boehringer Ingelheim acquires Saiba Animal Health, adding innovative technology platform to its pet therapeutics R&D portfolio. The laboratories of Saiba Animal Health are located in the Bio-Technopark.
ImmunOs Therapeutics AG raises $11 million and further strengthens investor base.
Valneva and LimmaTech enter into a strategic partnership to accelerate the development of the world’s most clinically advanced tetravalent shigella vaccine candidate. LimmaTech will receive an upfront payment of €10 million and be eligible to receive additional regulatory, development and sales-based milestone payments as well as low double-digit royalties on sales.
Topadur Pharma AG and Oshen Holdings SA agree partnership to develop a treatment for alopecia. The agreement includes equity and development costs totaling CHF 15 million.
Microcaps AG secures CHF 9.3 million in series a financing round to expand production capacity.
CUTISS announces first closing of CHF 25 million in Series C funding round.
Memo Therapeutics increases series C financing to CHF 45 million.
hemotune raises CHF 14 million Series B2 funding for clinical trials with the HemoSystem.
EraCal Therapeutics enters into a collaboration and license agreement with Novo Nordisk. EraCal is eligible to receive upfront, development, and commercial milestones of up to 235 million EURO and further royalties on sales of a marketed product.
Biognosys Expands US Footprint with New Proteomics CRO Facility in Massachusetts.
DISCO Pharmaceuticals launches with EUR 20 million in seed financing.
The City of Zurich joins the Bio-Technopark Schlieren-Zurich as a member.
GlycoEra AG announces Bristol Myers Squibb as new investor.
2023
Proteomedix acquired by Blue Water Biotech to form Onconetix Inc., a commercial stage men’s health pharma and diagnostics company.
Ferring and PharmaBiome enter into a new microbiome R&D collaboration and exclusive licensing agreement.
Memo Therapeutics AG raises CHF 25 million series C financing to complete phase 2 clinical development of AntiBKV for BKV infection in renal transplant patients.
Rejuveron raises USD 75 million in dual tranche Series B and convertible loan financing to support healthy aging and accelerate presence in the Middle East.
LimmaTech Biologics raises $37 million series A to advance its pipeline of vaccines against multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.
Luciole Medical AG acquires Spiegelberg GmbH & Co. KG to create a leading global brain monitoring developer and provider.
Siegfried acquires 95% of DiNAMIQS, a subsidiary of DiNAQOR, which retains 5% stake. Siegfried intends to establish DiNAMIQS as a best-in-class biotech CDMO for medical cell and gene therapies by building a state-of-the-art GMP-compliant production facility in the Bio-Technopark.
ETH Zurich strengthens medical research with new site at Bio-Technopark.
CUTISS announces positive results from phase 2 clinical trial with denovoSkin™ in adolescent and adult burn patients and from phase 1 study in children.
InSphero receives an eight-digit amount from ZEISS Ventures in a financing round to commercialize 3D microtissue technology and to build a biobank.
Biognosys and Bruker form partnership, in which Bruker has made a majority-ownership investment in Biognosys.
2022
ETH Zurich becomes a member of the Bio-Technopark and is represented locally with ETH Entrepreneurship and the technology platform NEXUS.
ImmunOs Therapeutics raises CHF 71 million in Series B Financing, led by top investor syndicate to advance cancer immunotherapy agent into human trials.
CDR-Life raises US$76 million in a series A funding. Proceeds support advancement of the M-gager® platform technology and lead product candidate CDR404.
Memo Therapeutics closes series B financing at CHF 37 million following oversubscribed CHF 23 million extension. Proceeds will be used to advance antibody against BK virus through Phase 2 clinical development.
Neurimmune enters into an exclusive global collaboration and license agreement with Alexion, AstraZeneca’s Rare Disease group, to develop NI006 for the treatment of cardiomyopathy. Neurimmune receives an upfront payment of US$30 million with the potential for additional contingent milestone payments of up to US$730 million.
Endogena completes series A with total funding of $29 million to progress treatments for degenerative diseases of the eye.
2021
Molecular Partners collaborates with Novartis to develop DARPin-conjugated radioligand therapeutic candidates for oncology. Novartis will pay US$ 20 million upfront to Molecular Partners, total potential development, regulatory and commercialization milestone payments of up to US$ 560 million, and up to low double-digit percent of royalties.
Memo Therapeutics receives CHF 10.5 million from the federal COVID-19 drug grant program.
GlycoEra AG raises CHF 45 million (US$ 49 million) series A financing to develop novel biologics based on innovative glycoengineering platform.
Anjarium Biosciences Raises CHF 55.5 million ($61 million) Series A Financing to Develop Next-Generation Non-viral Gene Therapies.
Atlas Antibodies acquires evitria, a world leader in transient recombinant antibody expression in CHO cells.
Novartis signs a collaboration agreement and an option to acquire Cellerys. The start-up develops an innovative therapy against multiple sclerosis (MS).
Kuros to receive $7 million up front and potentially $166.5 million in future revenues under a royalty purchase agreement with XOMA related to Kuros’s license agreement with Checkmate Pharmaceuticals.
FDA Approval of Aducanumab (ADUHELM), Neurimmune’s antibody treatment addressing the main pathology of Alzheimer’s disease.
2020
Boehringer Ingelheim and CDR-Life enter into a collaboration and licensing agreement to research and develop antibody fragment-based therapeutics for geographic atrophy (GA). CDR-Life will be eligible to receive up to CHF 474.5 million in upfront and success-based milestone payments, as well as research funding and royalties on sales.
Collagen Matrix, Inc., a global leader in regenerative, collagen-based, xenograft-derived medical devices, acquires Sunstar’s Degradable Solutions division.
Memo raises CHF 14 million Series B financing to bring COVID-19 asset to the clinics.
Molecular Partners collaborates with Novartis to develop two DARPin® therapies designed for potential use against COVID-19. Molecular Partners will receive a cash payment of CHF 20 million, CHF 40 million in equity, a future milestone payment of CHF 150 million and 22% royalty on sales.
Kuros raises CHF 18.6 million in a capital increase.
Cutiss leads the ranking of the Top 100 Swiss Startup Award.
Virometix has successfully completed a CHF 7.5 million Series B equity financing round enabling
the preclinical development of its vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2.
Molecular Partners successfully completes Private Placement of 5,528,089 Shares amounting to approximately CHF 80.2 million.
Cutiss secures more than CHF 20 million in a Series B financing round.
Proteomedix launches Proclarix® in Europe, a blood-based test for prostate cancer diagnosis.
Swissmedic appoval (FDA approval 2019) of Brolucizumab (Novartis: Beovu®) against wet AMD, developed at ESBATech in the Bio-Technopark.
2019
SpineWelding receives U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for its Elaris Pedicle Screw System, which uses the patent protected BoneWelding process.
ImmunOs Therapeutics closes a Series A financing round of CHF 15 million led by Pfizer Ventures, Biomed Partners, Redalpine, Schroder Adveq, Wille Finance und Bernina Bioinvest.
Kuros announces final result of capital increase – total gross proceeds of CHF 12.5 million raised.
Cutiss wins Swiss Technology Award 2019 in the category startup.
Cantonal Pharmacy receives The Facility of the Year (FOYA) Award for the most innovative pharmaceutical infrastructure worldwide.
Appointment of Mario Jenni, Bio-Technopark, as Greater Zurich Honorary Ambassador.
NovaGo Therapeutics closes a Series A financing round of CHF 10 million led by Pureos Bioventures and the strategic partner Neurimmune.
2018
Molecular Partners and Amgen announce strategic collaboration in immuno-oncology.
Molecular Partners will receive an upfront payment of $50 million and is eligible to receive up to $497 million in development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, as well as double-digit, tiered royalties up to the high teens.
Kuros announces final result of capital increase – total gross proceeds of CHF 16.1 million raised.
ProteoMediX raises CHF 5.2 million in financing round.
InSphero receives additional $10 million for organ-on-a-chip disease models. The latest funding round with additional financing, secured from internal and external investors, bringing its total funding to date to $35 million.
Neurimmune receives a one-time $50 million payment from its collaboration partner Biogen in exchange for a 5% reduction in the previously negotiated royalty rates on aducanumab.
The University Hospital Zurich (USZ), in cooperation with Roche Pharma (Schweiz) AG and Foundation Medicine Inc, Cambridge USA (FMI), offers a tumor test in the field of personalized cancer medicine. A specialized laboratory was set up in the Bio-Technopark to make the tumor test available to all cancer patients in Switzerland.
Successes 2014 – 2017
2017
Neurimmune receives a one-time $150 million payment from its collaboration partner Biogen in exchange for a 15% reduction in the previously negotiated royalty rates on aducanumab. Moreover, Neurimmune will receive an additional one-time $50 million payment subject to Biogen’s exercise of an option for an additional 5% royalty buy-down.
2016
Heptares acquires G7 Therapeutics for CHF 12 million.
Kuros to acquire Xpand in an all-share strategic transaction to create a leading commercial stage orthobiologics company.
Topadur Pharma AG wins Swiss Technology Award 2016 in the category Start-up.
Aducanumab, the antibody developed jointly by the University of Zurich, Neurimmune und Biogen, leads to a considerable reduction in harmful beta-amyloid plaques in patients with early forms of Alzheimer’s. As part of a clinical phase Ib trial, treatment with the antibody over a one-year period made the beta-amyloid plaques in the patients’ brains disappear almost completely. The results were published in the prestigious journal Nature.
Cell Medica, a leader in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of cellular therapeutics to treat cancer and viral infections, acquires Delenex Therapeutics.
In Stockholm, NeMoDevices AG receives the Eurostars Innovation Award for the project “Opto-Brain”, which is deemed to be the best of a thousand Eurostar projects.
Cytos Biotechnology AG merges with the Zurich-based company, Kuros Biosurgery Holding AG, and is renamed Kuros Biosciences AG.
2015
Neurimmune receives major US$60 million development milestone upon initiation of global phase 3 studies with Aducanumab for early Alzheimer’s disease.
InSphero AG secures CHF 20 million series C financing.
GSK, who was already a minority shareholder in GlycoVaxyn, acquires the company and its biological conjugation platform which may help it to develop a new generation of prophylactic vaccines against bacterial infections. GSK has today paid $190 million to purchase the remaining stake in the company, which is valued at $212 million in total.
Pfizer acquires Redvax GmbH, a Swiss biopharmaceutical company that is a spin-off from Redbiotec AG.
2014
Total offer size of Molecular Partner’s IPO reaches CHF 106.2 million after partial exercise of IPO over-allotment option.
FierceBiotech names Molecular Partners as one of 2014’s Fierce 15 biotechnology companies, designating it as one of the most promising private biotechnology companies in the industry.
100 experts vote for InSphero as the best Swiss Start-up.
Cilag GmbH International, an affiliate of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson acquires Covagen AG, an ETH spin-off specializing in the development of multi-specific protein therapeutics through the FynomAb® technology platform.
Thermo Fisher Scientific expands animal diagnostics business through acquisition of Prionics AG.
Successes 2011 – 2013
2013
Covagen secures CHF 42 million in a tranched Series B financing with an option to obtain an additional CHF 14 million that would increase the total amount of the financing round to CHF 56 million. This is one of the largest private financing rounds for a preclinical-stage biotech company in Europe.
Roche and Molecular Partners enter into alliance to develop new cancer treatment. Partnership will combine novel biologics (DARPins) with Roche drug-conjugate technology. Molecular Partners is entitled to receive upfront and initiation payments up to CHF 55 million. Furthermore, Molecular Partners will receive research funding and can earn more than CHF 1 billion if all development and sales milestones are met for all potential products. In addition Molecular Partners will receive tiered royalties on any future product sales into the double-digit percentage range.
Roche gains FDA approval with breakthrough therapy designation for its chronic lymphocytic leukemia agent Obinutuzumab which was discovered at Roche Glycart in Schlieren.
InSphero ranks no. 5 of the 100 best start-ups in Switzerland.
The University of Zurich opens new research facilities in the Bio-Technopark.
The University Hospital commissions an innovative integrated PET/MRI scanner for state-of-the-art imaging in the fields of oncology, neurology, and cardiac diagnostics.
The first of four planned 11-story buildings is inaugurated.
2012
ProteoMediX AG has been awarded the Swiss Technology Award 2012 in the category start-up.
Covagen announced that it has entered into a strategic research collaboration and license agreement with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (Osaka, Japan) and its fully owned subsidiary Tanabe Research Laboratories U.S.A., Inc. of San Diego Calif. (TRL). For the global, exclusive rights to bispecific FynomAbs against one target pair, Mitsubishi Tanabe will pay to Covagen EUR 4.0 million upfront. Under the agreement, Mitsubishi Tanabe will fund all research activities and be solely responsible for the development, manufacturing and global commercialization activities. Upon achievement of certain research, development and regulatory milestones, Covagen will be entitled to receive payments of up to EUR 108.25 million for FynomAbs against the first target pair as well as tiered royalties on worldwide net sales of products resulting from the collaboration.
Business Acquisition: Scanco Medical AG to acquire b-cube AG Scanco Medical AG and b-cube AG are pleased to announce that the two companies have entered negotiations for Scanco Medical to acquire b-cube in mutual agreement.
Allergan, Inc. (NYSE: AGN) and Molecular Partners AG announced that they have significantly expanded their existing relationship by entering into two separate agreements to discover, develop, and commercialize proprietary therapeutic DARPin® products for the treatment of serious ophthalmic diseases. Molecular Partners will receive combined upfront payments of USD 62.5 million under the two agreements and is eligible to receive additional success-based payments, including up to USD 1.4 billion in aggregate development, regulatory and sales milestones, and tiered royalties up into the low double-digits for future product sales.
Cytos to raise up to CHF 37 million from international and strategic investors to advance asthma clinical program.
2011
Molecular Partners enters into a strategic research collaboration and option agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc. in immunology to develop multispecific DARPins®. Molecular Partners will receive significant upfront fees, license payments and research funding as part of an innovative agreement, as well as development and sales milestones of up to USD 200 million for each option. Upon commercialization, Molecular Partners will be entitled to a tiered and up to double-digit royalty on worldwide net sales.
Sunstar Suisse SA acquires ETH spin-off Degradable Solutions.
BiognoSYS, Covagen, NemoDevices, Neurimmune und Redbiotec belong to the Top 100 Start-ups in Switzerland.
Allergan and Molecular Partners enter into an exclusive license agreement for MP0112 for the treatment of retinal disease. Molecular Partners will receive an up-front payment of USD 45 million and is further entitled to receive additional payments of up to an aggregate of USD 375 million upon meeting certain development, regulatory and sales milestones. In addition, Molecular Partners will receive tiered double-digit royalties on any future sales of MP0112.
Successes 2008 – 2010
2010
Biogen Idec and Neurimmune announce agreement on three neurodegenerative disease programs. Biogen Idec will make an initial payment of USD 32.5 million and up to USD 395 million in contingent payments.
Molecular Partners has been selected as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer 2011.
The Biotech Center Zurich becomes a member of the Technopark Alliance, and its name is changed to Bio-Technopark Schlieren-Zurich.
2009
Molecular Partners secures CHF 46 million in Series B financing.
US company Alcon acquires ESBATech AG for USD 150 million in cash and up to USD 439 million based upon achievement of future milestones. The rights to the technology and products for application outside of ophtalmology will be retained by the previous shareholders of ESBATech and spun off into a separate new company, Delenex Therapeutics AG.
Merger of biotop Life Science Incubator Schlieren and Biotech Center Zurich, and the setting up of a branch office.
2008
Series B financing round amounting to more than CHF 73 million by ESBATech AG.
CHF 150 million collaboration between Cytos Biotechnology AG and Pfizer Inc.
Successes 1984 – 2007
2007
CHF 600 million collaboration between Cytos Biotechnology AG and Novartis AG.
USD 380 million collaboration between Neurimmune Therapeutics AG and Biogen Idec Inc.
2005
Roche acquires Glycart Biotechnology AG for CHF 235 million.
2004
Prionics AG wins the BioTechnica Award and Cytos Biotechnology AG ranks third.
2003
Biotech Center Zurich is established, and the Swiss Federal Councilor at the time, Kaspar Villiger, pays a visit.
Inauguration of life science business incubator biotop.
2002
Inauguration of the Biotech Center Zurich by Swiss Federal Councilor at the time, Pascal Couchepin
Notation on the stock market of Cytos Biotechnology AG
2000
Dr. Jörg Mayer has the first concrete plans for the creation of a life science park in Schlieren.
1998
Cytos Biotechnology AG moves into a former ETH laboratory.
1986
Laboratories are put into operation on Wagistrasse for the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) institutes.
1984
The company Schweizerische Wagons- und Aufzügefabrik AG closes down and a large part of the “Wagi” site is taken over by the company Gewerbe- und Handelszentrum Schlieren AG.
