Mission / Vision
Reprogramming leukemic cells in vivo
Modiblast is a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing proprietary cell reprogramming regimens aimed at turning cancer cells into antigen-presenting cells following the “Trojan horse” motif. Our lead program, MB101, combines cytokine and prostaglandin pathway modulation, to elicit a comprehensive and sustained antitumor immune response.
We concentrate our efforts on achieving an ambitious goal: to make the best possible use of our mightiest ally in the fight against blood cancer, the immune system. We strongly believe in its potential to control the disease with minimal side effects, which will greatly improve the lives of many patients. Ultimately, we strive to offer new therapy options which are both easy-to-use and benefit patients by extending the remission phase/stopping further progress of the disease.
We are open to any meaningful cooperation, partnership, or joint venture that will allow us to accelerate the further development of this in vivo immunotherapy and bring it to patients as soon as possible. Their well-being is central to everything we do.
Leadership Team
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Helga Schmetzer
Founder, Managing Director and CEO / CSO
Helga Schmetzer brings in more than 30 years of experimental research on immune escape, reactivation, modulation, and leukemia diagnostics. She invented the concept of the Modiblast therapy and is the driving force behind the Modiblast project.
In her role as Professor of Experimental Hematology at LMU Munich, she is our stronghold in academia. Helga has educated numerous PhD and master students, published more than 200 peer reviewed papers, established a vast network of experts in the field. She has a diploma and a PhD in biology, both from LMU.
Dr. rer. nat. Octavian Schatz
Co-Founder, Managing Director and CBO
Octavian Schatz is a serial biotech entrepreneur by passion. He founded, co-founded, and advised numerous life science startups and acted as CEO of his own companies (virus diagnostics, automated gene synthesis). At Modiblast, he oversees licensing affairs and business development.
Octavian holds a PhD in Molecular Biology (Univ. of Zurich). As postdoc (Roche, Ciba) and group leader (SRI, LMU) he led numerous projects in HIV research, (co-)authored 30 peer-reviewed papers with 1,800+ citations. His inventions led to 5 patents.
Dr.-Ing. Nikolaus Schaller
Co-Founder, Managing Director and CFO, COO, CIO
Nikolaus Schaller is an IT expert and entrepreneur. His job is to keep the Modiblast organization running and growing. He is an organizational talent with broad skills gained from various positions as senior product, innovation and marketing manager at Siemens AG.
Before his industrial career, he was Scientific Assistant at TUM in artificial neural network research. He holds a Dr.-Ing. in Electrical Engineering & Information Technology. During his civilian service in a neurological clinic in Essen, he developed a keen interest in medicine.
PD Dr. med. Behrouz Mansouri
Medical Director
Behrouz Mansouri is a renowned expert in Transfusion Medicine and Hematology and has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles in the field. He previously led the Transfusion Medicine and Therapeutic Apheresis unit at the Inselspital Bern and continues to advise the Inselspital as a Senior Counsultant.
He also previously served as Director of the National Blood Transfusion Service at the Swiss Red Cross. Behrouz Mansouri has been awarded the “Volkmar Sachs Medal” by the German Society for Transfusion Medicine (DGTI) and holds an Honorary Membership of the Schweizerische Vereinigung für Transfusionsmedizin – SVTM.
Advisors
Dr. rer. nat. Bernhard Huber
Co-Founder
Bernhard Huber has more than 30 years experience in pharma development, manufacturing and supply chain management. He held positions at Astellas, SCM Medac and ITM Medical Isotopes. He has a PhD in Pharmaceutics (LMU Munich).
Sabine Kaiser
Co-Founder
Sabine Kaiser brings in more than 25 years of experience from venture capital and technology transfer as well as consulting and investment advisory, focusing on life science, deep tech and impact. She holds a M.Sc. in Biomedical Science and M.P.P. from Harvard Kennedy School.
Network
Designated Study Centers
To accomplish our goals, we work together with physicians at top institutions as well as patient interest groups. Modiblast has established a clinical network with currently four clinical centers ready to support the upcoming clinical study: