HTGF backs Drug Response Dx
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) has backed German biotechnology start-up Drug Response Dx (DRDx), in what marks the company's first round of funding.
HTGF typically invests up to €500,000 in first rounds. DRDx will proceed to clinically validate its diagnostics and conduct further research before entering the market.
The company hopes to be able to benefit from the increased demand for personalised medicine and from the growing pharmaceuticals market. QIAGEN, an LP in HTGF's fund, invested in the business alongside the VC.
Company
DRDx has developed biomarkers that predict the individual effectiveness of TNF-alpha inhibitors for rheumatoid arthritis patients before medication is given. DRDx was founded by Zoltán Konthur, Jörg-M Hollidt, Karl Skriner and Joachim Rautter in Hennigsdorf in February 2012.
The company was supported at inception by the Max Planck Innovation GmbH, a technology transfer organisation.
To date, DRDx has pre-validated its biomarker and established the proof of concept in serums from rheumatoid arthritis patients.
People
Martin Pfister is an investment manager at HTGF.
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