AU start-up receives support for the development of a new medical spin-out
DANDRITE researchers are among the 12 selected for a prestigious entrepreneurship program aimed at advancing their groundbreaking research on cellular calcium balance into a life-changing therapy for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
DANDRITE may soon add a biotech spin-out to the list of achievements stemming from the institute’s research.
Synuca Therapeutics is the name of a new AU-based start-up that has just been accepted into the renowned development program from the BioInnovation Institute (BII). The program acts as an incubator for early-stage companies within health technology, bioindustry, and therapeutic solutions, providing them with essential resources—including access to experts, networks, and mentors—to accelerate growth.
With support from BII, Synuca Therapeutics can now accelerate the development of its groundbreaking research focused on designing so-called calcium modulators. These play a central role in cellular function and may be the key to creating new disease-modifying therapies for patients with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders.
“We are, first and foremost, incredibly grateful and proud to be selected as part of BII Venture Lab 2025. This confirms to us that our therapeutic strategy holds great potential, and we are excited to become part of the BII environment, which has fostered and trained countless successful biotech start-ups over the years,” says Lasse Reimer, assistant professor and CEO of Synuca Therapeutics.
Previous start-ups from Aarhus University that have received support from BII include Teitur Trophics, Commit Biologics, and Draupnir Bio—companies that are now working on groundbreaking solutions within biotechnology and healthcare.
This is why there are high expectations that Synuca Therapeutics will follow a similar positive trajectory:
“Our goal is to use the program to bring our therapy closer to clinical testing and, ultimately, to the patients who stand to benefit from it,” explains Lasse Reimer.
In addition to Lasse Reimer, Synuca Therapeutics consists of co-founders Poul Henning Jensen and Claus Olesen, both professors at the Department of Biomedicine at Aarhus University, as well as William Dalby-Brown, an external consultant.
The program will commence in March 2025 and run for one year.
For more information, contact:
Lasse Reimer, lasse.reimer@biomed.au.dk
Facts about the Spin-Out Company Synuca Therapeutics:
- Name and Contact Information: Lasse Reimer, lr@synuca.com, +45 42 72 84 51, Poul Henning Jensen, phj@biomed.au.dk, Claus Olesen, ceo@biomed.au.dk, William Dalby-Brown, au728346@biomed.au.dk
- Name and Contact Information of the Head of the Institute from Which the Research Originates: Thomas G. Jensen, thomas@biomed.au.dk
- Ownership Structure: Holding companies owned by Lasse Reimer, Poul Henning Jensen, Claus Olesen, and William Dalby Brown collectively own Synuca Therapeutics ApS. Lasse, Poul Henning, and Claus are all still affiliated with AU, while William is external.
- Inventors: Poul Henning Jensen, Claus Olesen, and William Dalby Brown
- Board of Directors: None yet
- Who Has Provided Capital for the Company? The company will receive a convertible loan of 4M DKK from BII as of March 1st. Until then, all funding has come from academic soft funding.
- What is the Agreement Between AU and the Spin-Out? A licensing agreement is currently being negotiated.
- Brief Description of the Research Underpinning the Spin-Out: The spin-out company is based on research from Poul Henning Jensen’s group in neuroscience and synucleinopathies, as well as Claus Olesen’s research on P-type ATPases.