Mosaic Biomedicals is a drug discovery and development company located in Barcelona. Mosaic is focused on the development of personalized cancer treatments with a dual mechanism of action to eliminate cancer stem cells (CSC) and reactivate the tumor’s immune system.

On the one hand, CSCs are believed to be responsible for tumour relapse, metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. CSCs are, thus, critical therapeutic targets. On the other hand, the immune system plays a critical role in cancer. The genomic and epigenomic alterations of tumours generate immunogenic antigens that engage an immune response. However, many tumours develop mechanisms to escape the immune system normally by co-opting immune-checkpoint pathways to generate immunosuppression. As a consequence, treatments designed to block the cancer-induced immunotolerance lead to tumour eradication.

Taking these evidences together, treatments with this dual mechanism of action targeting CSCs and the immune check-point should lead to safer and more effective therapies for cancer patients. In addition, a companion diagnostic test will complement each new therapeutic agent in order to identify those patients that would benefit from the therapy, giving rise to the personalized medicine. This approach increases the success rate for oncology drugs and decreases development time and associated costs.

Mosaic Biomedicals was generated as a result of the European Research Council Proof of Concept, ERC PoC “Glioma” and a PROVA’T (CERCA and FEDER) grants. Mosaic has established collaborative projects with leading international academic laboratories and is the coordinator of a National project with VHIO awarded with the Retos de Colaboración initiative (Ministry of Science and Innovation). Mosaic has been granted with an Empresa Nacional de Innovación S.A. (ENISA) public funding instrument and has received the support of the private investors Versant Ventures, a prestigious Life Sciences Venture Capital firm with headquartes in Silicon Valley (CA, US) along with the largest venture capital firm in Spain, La Caixa Capital Risc, and local Business Angels.

In 2017, Mosaic has signed a transformative deal with Celgene and Northern Biologics that accelerates clinical trials of our lead candidate MSC-1. In recognition of this outstanding achievement, Mosaic was awarded with the Bioèxit award 2017 granted by CataloniaBio, the association of companies in the health and life sciences arena in Catalonia.

In addition, Mosaic was recognized in 2012 as the “Biosciences Start-up with the Greatest Growth Potential” voted by 25 experts from the biotech industry and venture capital as the “Best Biotech Project in Spain 2012” by the Spanish Association of Biocompanies (ASEBIO), The Science and Technology Spanish Foundation (FECyT), the Spanish Association of Biotechnology (SEBiot) and the Spanish Association of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SEBBM). 

Omnia Molecular SL (Omnia) is a drug discovery
company focused on the development of new
antibiotics, antifungals, or anti-parasitic drugs.
The company was founded in 2005, and started
laboratory operations in 2008. Since that time
Omnia has raised over 4 M€ to finance its
operations, and has employed over 15 scientists
at its laboratories in the Barcelona Science Park.
Today the company continues its search for a
new drug to fight antibiotic-resistant infections,
particularly those caused by gram (-) bacteria in
hospitalized patients.
Omnia’s proprietary platform for new drug
selection represents a powerful tool for the
discovery of new anti-infective compounds.
Omnia’s approach depends on an innovative use
of the human protein synthesis machinery that
allows fast screening for active, non-toxic
molecules that inhibit the growth of pathogens.
The company actively pursues joint projects
with other drug discovery companies and
academic groups, and has good experience in
the coordination of European projects. From
2010-2014 Omnia is the coordinator of three
successful applications for European projects,
involving seven partners from five different
countries. Similarly, the company pursues and
develops collaborative projects with large
pharmaceutical companies that share our same
interests.

“ICREA’s commitment to the support of
intellectual property transfer by its scientists
was instrumental in the birth of Omnia. From its
inception the company was determined to allow
the societal forces that supported its preliminary
research to participate in its potential
commercial gains. This attitude, however, needs
to be matched by the willingness from public
institutions to remove hurdles and facilitate the
complicated circumstances that a new start-up
will always encounter. The legal support and the
motivation provided by ICREA contributed, for
example, to our success in raising a first round of
investment and the recruitment of our major
investing partner”. Lluís Ribas de Pouplana.