Consortium

Short description

Novaliq GmbH, based in Heidelberg, Germany, is an innovative drug delivery company developing a superior generation of ocular formulations for poorly soluble drugs. Since its establishment in 2007, Novaliq has obtained five rounds of funding totalling €32,1 million from its major shareholder, Dievini Hopp Biotech Holding, a venture capital company focusing on biopharmaceutical companies in Europe. Novaliq’s strategy is to establish a portfolio of consumer and prescription products in the field of ophthalmic diseases with high unmet medical need such as evaporative dry‐eye disease, uveitis and AMD. Novaliq‘s innovative proprietary ophthalmic drug delivery platform technology, EyeSol®, is based on highly purified semi‐fluorinated alkanes (SFAs). These biocompatible liquids can dissolve poorly soluble drugs and have excellent wetting properties. For the treatment of complicated retinal detachment, these compounds have been used in patients as intraocular temporary endotamponades for more than 10 years. They are well tolerated and have an excellent safety profile. SFAs are chemically and biologically inert and do not cause ocular tissue irritation. Their extraordinary spreading properties support the drug distribution on the corneal surface. In addition, their low viscosity and low surface tension result in much smaller eye droplet size compared with water leading to improved administration, superior kinetics and reduction of systemic side effects. Due to their amphiphilic nature, SFAs can dissolve poorly water‐soluble compounds or create stable ophthalmic suspensions. As a non‐aqueous system, they do not require preservatives and support the long-term stability of the formulation.

Main roles in the project

WP6: involved in
WP8: support exploitation activities

Key persons involved

Hartmut Voss (male) – PhD, Principal investigator

Dr Voss obtained his doctorate in Molecular Biology in 1991 from the University of Kaiserslautern. During his academic career at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) from 1986 to 1996 he was developing automated DNA sequencing technologies and participated in numerous EU genome projects. Hartmut co‐founded Lion Bioscience AG, a company for genome analyses, interpretation and data integration for the biotech and pharma industry in the upcoming genomic age, and Molecular Health GmbH, a company focusing on integration and interpretation of molecular and clinical data as basis for individualized decision support in oncology. Since 2004, as a member of the Dievini Hopp BioTech GmbH & Co KG team, Hartmut manages the content and scientific due diligence responsibilities associated with investment opportunities. He works with existing portfolio companies on various levels, including holding board or part‐time management positions with select companies and serving as a consultant on a per‐project basis. At Novaliq, he is currently supporting the strategic growth of the company and the commercial development of the EyeSol® drug delivery platform technology.

Markus Beier (male) – Deputy principal investigator

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LiU – AAE – NIIOS – UZA – UKK – UMH – AU – LBG – LinkoCare – OPMedT – Novaliq – LUMC – MLL