BIO 2011 biotech profile: Patrys

Recently appointed CEO, Dr Marie Roskrow.

One of the costs of being a complex organism like us is that occasionally the odd cell misfires for some reason and either divides in abnormal ways or refuses to expire according to the protocols of programmed cell death. The result can be a precancerous cell, and at any one time we may have millions dwelling in our bodies.

But there’s no cause for alarm. Our bodies are equipped with a sophisticated tiered defence system that actively hunts down abnormal and precancerous cells, singling them out for elimination. As a result, the vast majority of these wayward cells never have the opportunity to develop to become a tumour.

In fact, it’s only in those rare occurrences when one does slip through the defences that we must resort to more extreme measures, such as chemotherapy. Yet often the treatment for cancer is a mixed blessing.

Lacking the nuance of our immune system, these treatments often catch a swathe of healthy cells in the crossfire, leading to the all-too familiar side effects of many anti-cancer drugs.

But what if we could co-opt our immune system and amplify it in a targeted way to give it a boost when it comes to tackling cancer cells? What if we could isolate the antibodies that zero in on the proteins that uniquely appear on the surface of cancer cells and have the body’s natural defences take the task of eliminating the cells from there?

That was the seed of an idea that inspired Dan Devine to establish Patrys using research that originated from Columbia University in the United States and coupling it with the technology of the German biotech OncoMab.

It was a radical approach at the time with some substantial hurdles to overcome before the principle could be applied in practice, but the potential of antibody therapies attracted quite a bit of attention.

One of those who watched with interest for some time, ultimately joining Patrys in August last year, is Marie Roskrow, who was first the Chief Medical Officer and President, and is now CEO of the aspiring biotech.

Roskrow is trained as a haematologist and oncologist, and has worked in Europe and the US in leukaemia research, transplantation, and spent time at the University of Munich as professor of T cell immunology.

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