Gate2Brain: the startup that delivers drugs to the brain to treat childhood cancer with no cure

Gate2Brain developed with its technology three families of peptides, small proteins or ‘tractors’, capable of overcoming the blood-brain barrier and transporting drugs to the brain.

Gate2Brain is a Spanish biotechnology company located in the Barcelona science park and focused on developing therapies that cross biological barriers such as the blood-brain barrier. These barriers not only prevent many bacteria from entering the brain, but unfortunately, they also block the entry of other substances, such as anti-cancer drugs.

Gate2Brain was established in 2020 to exploit the technology developed for more than fifteen years at IRB Barcelona, ​​in the peptide and protein laboratory, where the company’s current CEO, Meritxell Teixidó, was an associate researcher. The line of research developed in those more than fifteen years led to the development of three families of shuttle peptides capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and delivering therapeutic molecules to the brain that cannot cross alone.

In 2020, Teixidó decided to face the challenge of being the CEO of Gate2Brain with the aim of advancing the development of this new technology that allows the transport of drugs to the brain. «We had been researching for 15 years and discovered three families of peptides, small proteins, ‘tractors’ that go to the brain and that in tow carry medications that do not know how to go anywhere. We do not discover drugs but rather we are a tractor company,” explains Teixidó.

Preclinical testing

Gate2Brain’s first product targets the treatment of intact barrier pediatric brain tumors, a disease currently without a cure. The project is currently undergoing regulatory preclinical testing necessary to begin the clinical phase with pediatric patients. «We were looking for the first disease that could benefit from our technology and be able to validate it. At the San Joan de Déu hospital in Barcelona they had very well identified a type of childhood brain tumor with a short life expectancy and that did not respond to chemo because it lacked a tractor. We started to work on it, on applying our tractors to this type of tumors, which does not mean that our technology is only useful for children or oncology, but we have started here,” clarifies Teixidó.

The company hopes to reach clinical trials in 2026 with ten children at the San Joan de Déu hospital. “Technology can help break barriers, and one of the advantages of ours is that it does not need cold, so we could transfer it to developing countries,” explains Teixidó. Gate2Brain is the spin-off of the Barcelona Biomedical Research Institute (IRB Barcelona), the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute of the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital (SJD).

The initial push for the project was obtained from the Mind The Gap program created by the Botín Foundation in 2011 with the objective of covering the gap between science and society, thus enabling biotechnology-based products and services with commercial potential to reach the market and economic development and social. Since its creation, Mind the Gap has invested 6.26 million euros and has managed to attract another 20 million in private capital. Gate2Brain received a grant of 500,000 euros from the Botín Foundation and another contribution from BStartup Health of Banco Sabadell.

On the other hand, last year the European Commission granted this biotech company 2.5 million euros to advance its trials. «We need an investment of five million euros to reach the clinical trial. We are looking for VCs and Family Offices that invest in health. Then the logical thing is that a large pharmaceutical company wants to use our technology for some of its drugs and develop more effective medications that are aimed at the brain. This is the normal route we expect,” explains Teixidó.

Gate2Brain’s founding team includes three women. There have been many awards and recognitions that this biotechnology company has received for its innovation. Among them, the Senén Vilaró Award from the Social Council of the UB and the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation for the best innovative company of the year. He has also received the EIT Health Wild Card Finalist Award. Another award awarded with the Frontiers of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FIE) program held at MIT Sloan School of Management. To them we must add the New Frontiers Portugal Biotechnology Award and last year they obtained the SME Statute according to the European Medicines Agency.

Meritxell Teixidó has also been awarded in the 1st edition of the Women Startup Awards 2022, in the Inspiration category, awards created by the #WomeninTechSpain ecosystem and the Spanish Startup Association, with the aim of promoting and making visible female talent in our country. in the world of entrepreneurship.

Article by La Razón