Bordeaux, May 15^th, 2025 – On May 6–7, Bordeaux hosted the 10th edition of MEET2WIN, the European partnering convention dedicated to the fight against cancer. Organised by the French platform MATWIN (a 100% subsidiary of Unicancer), the event brought together more than 300 international stakeholders – researchers, major groups, biotechs, startups, investors, and support organizations – united by a shared ambition: to accelerate innovation in oncology.

A unique platform in Europe, MATWIN has been bringing together the academia, industrial, and entrepreneurial world for 15 years to accelerate the transformation of research projects into concrete clinical solutions. This model is powered by the commitment of 14 pharmaceutical company partners*, which directly involve their R&D World executive decision-makers to evaluate and support innovation with a high medical impact in the field.

‘As a key and valuable player in this innovation pipeline, our MATWIN subsidiary has already supported nearly 500 projects, enabled the creation of over 50 startups, trained almost 250 entrepreneurs, and contributed to launching numerous clinical trials over the past fifteen years. This is an outstanding achievement for such a small organization!’ — reports Jean-Yves Blay, President of Unicancer.

Fabrice Barlesi, President of MATWIN and CEO of Gustave Roussy comments: ‘MATWIN is a key driver of innovation in oncology, working in synergy with the recently established Paris Saclay Cancer Cluster. It is only by joining forces that the ecosystem will be able to truly transform research into concrete solutions for patients.’

MEET2WIN, a catalyst for innovation at the heart of the European ecosystem

The MEET2WIN convention, the high point of this dynamic, has established itself as a strategic crossroads between science, funding and technology transfer, a catalyst for added value and growth.

One of the event’s highlights was the selection of the three awarded 2025 projects by the prestigious MATWIN international board, uniting Oncology R&D decision-makers from the 14 partner pharma companies and academic experts from leading European cancer research centres.

• Best drug-based Innovation: Developed at the Lead Discovery Center (LDC) in Dortmund, Germany, Tim Bergbrede’s project has led to a novel inhibitor of POLRMT – a key enzyme in cancer cell proliferation. This first-in-class preclinical candidate compound, already patented by the LDC, has shown safety, selectivity, and efficacy in multiple animal models in mono and combination therapy. It offers promising potential for the treatment of breast cancer, lymphoma, and other currently untreatable cancers.
• Best Technological Innovation: Founded in 2024 and based in Saint-Mande, Brink Therapeutics is developing next-generation recombinase technology to revolutionize genome editing. Using an approach combining directed evolution, metagenomic exploration, and Artificial Intelligence, this TechBio designs enzymes capable of inserting, deleting or modifying DNA sequences with unprecedented precision, paving the way for safer and more effective gene therapies. Its main objectives is to enable the production of CAR-T cells directly in the body, making theses therapies more accessible on a large scale.
• Best Precision Medicine / Diagnostic Innovation: Co-founded in 2020 by Institut Curie and Home Biosciences, One Biosciences is developing a groundbreaking technology that analyzes cancer cells one by one, from patient samples. By combining single-cell technologies and artificial intelligence, it uncovers the molecular mechanisms driving each tumor’s behavior and resistance to treatment. This enables clinicians to make more informed therapeutic decisions and helps biopharma improve clinical trial outcomes – opening the door to more effective, personalized, and targeted precision medicine.

These three projects have all benefited from the MATWIN accelerator programme, a six-month strategic support package including mentoring/coaching, early due diligence and preparation for meetings with industry. A support which proved to be decisive for over 300 accompanied projects since the program was launched in 2009.

In addition to the MATWIN board, other panels also awarded a number of companies during the event:

• The OUI jury (Oncology Upward Investment) – composed of around 15 European investors –awarded two promising companies for their investment potential: Pan Cancer T (Netherlands) and Evariste (UK).
• The QUICK PITCH jury, composed of MATWIN board members and the full MEET2WIN audience, awarded two innovative projects led by Recobia Therapeutics (Strasbourg) and Pan Cancer T (Netherlands).

This was another successful operation for MATWIN for this 10th anniversary edition of MEET2WIN which confirmed the growing impact of the event, with nearly 300 European participants, over 1,000 business meetings, around 30 speakers, and high-level conferences on immuno-oncology, Artificial Intelligence, paediatric oncology, innovation business models, and pathways to translating research into real solutions for patients.

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About MATWIN

MATWIN, a 100% subsidiary of Unicancer, is a French open-innovation platform dedicated exclusively to oncology. For the past 16 years, the platform has offered various support actions (expertise, accelerator programs, events, etc.) to boost the development of innovative cancer-related projects. Its activities are backed by a longstanding partnership with 14 global pharma companies committed to advancing impactful innovation in oncology* (Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, Exact Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, insitro, MSD, Pierre Fabre, Pfizer, Sanofi, Servier, and Takeda). Since 2021, MATWIN also coordinates the OncoSTART consortium dedicated to oncology entrepreneurship, which brings together 14 expert organizations in cancer research and innovation.

MATWIN press contact: Lucia Robert – lucia.robert@matwin.fr

About LDC

Lead Discovery Center GmbH (LDC) was established in 2008 by the technology transfer organization Max Planck Innovation, as a novel approach to capitalize on the potential of excellent basic research for the discovery of new therapies for diseases with high medical need. LDC takes on promising early-stage projects from academia and transforms them into innovative pharmaceutical leads and antibodies that reach initial proof-of-concept in animals as well as candidate nomination. In close collaboration with high-profile partners from research and industry, LDC is building a strong and growing portfolio of small molecule and antibody leads with exceptional medical and commercial potential.

LDC sustains a long-term partnership with the Max Planck Society and its institutes as well as with KHAN-I and KHAN-II, and has formed alliances with AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck KGaA, Daiichi Sankyo, Qurient, InvIOS, Novo Nordisk, Cumulus Oncology, Nodus Oncology, JT Pharmaceuticals, KinSea Lead Discovery AS, HLB Pharma, the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, e.g. In addition, LDC also works with leading translational drug discovery centers and with various investors to provide its assets for company creation.

Further information available at: www.lead-discovery.de

About KHAN-I

KHAN Technology Transfer Fund I GmbH & Co KG (KHAN-I) is an early-stage life sciences venture fund with € 70 million under management. Their mission is to create value through cooperative drug development partnerships with academic innovators in Europe. KHAN-I focuses on first-in-class therapies for attractive markets with a high unmet medical need. The fund is managed by Khanu Management GmbH, an experienced team of professionals with proven track records in early-stage drug development and academic spin-offs as well as pharma licensing and partnering. KHAN-I received an investment from the European Investment Fund (EIF) with the support of InnovFin Equity, and with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) under the Investment Plan for Europe.

KHAN-I is also supported by Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (AWS with funds provided by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs and the Austrian Foundation for Research, Technology, and Development), Max Planck Foundation, and Thyssen’sche Handelsgesellschaft mbH. In addition, KHAN-I sustains a preferred partnership with the Max Planck Society (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft e.V.).

Further information available at: www.khanu.de

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Contact: pr@lead-discovery.de

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Cardiac Ca2+/Calmodulin-dependent Kinase II (CaMKII) plays a central role in maladaptive processes in the diseased heart. The partners aim to develop a new class of CaMKII modulators by using an innovative strategy, expected to block the aberrant effects of CaMKII while preserving physiological CaMKII functions.

The approach was discovered and validated by Prof. Johannes Backs and his team at the Heidelberg University Hospital, and further advanced together with the LDC. During this phase, Prof. Backs´ research was supported by the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) with a programme that promotes the translation of approaches from basic research into clinical application. In their year of collaboration, the partners succeeded in generating a range of promising hit compounds.

“It is a great pleasure for us to continue working with the excellent team around Prof. Backs and to welcome Novo Nordisk on board for the second phase of our collaboration, focusing on hit-to-lead development. We very much appreciate their early involvement and look forward to their input which will be extremely valuable in guiding project progress”, says Bert Klebl, CEO & CSO of the LDC. “Heart failure is one of the most prevalent and deadly diagnoses upon hospital admission, and despite therapeutic progress we still see high rates of mortality and morbidity”, adds Prof. Johannes Backs. “Our approach has the potential to offer a new, effective and safe treatment, and we are thrilled to be working with the LDC and Novo Nordisk to advance it towards application”.

“We are very excited to enter this collaboration leveraging on decades of research supporting CaMKII as a target in heart failure. This is a unique opportunity to enter a partnership with deep biological understanding and excellent technical skills aiming at discovering novel treatments for patients living with heart failure. This in addition, supports the ambition of Novo Nordisk to deliver disease modifying treatments for patients suffering from this condition”, says Karin Conde-Knape,
SVP of Global Drug Discovery at Novo Nordisk.

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>> Contact
PR Lead Discovery Center
+49 (0)231-97 42 70 00
pr@lead-discovery.de
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About LDC
Lead Discovery Center GmbH (LDC) was established in 2008 by the technology transfer organization Max Planck Innovation, as a novel approach to capitalize on the potential of excellent basic research for the discovery of new therapies for diseases with high medical need. The LDC takes on promising early-stage projects from academia and transforms them into innovative pharmaceutical leads and antibodies that reach robust proof-of-concept in animals. In close collaboration with high-profile partners from academia and industry, the LDC is building a strong and growing portfolio of drug candidate compounds with exceptional medical and commercial potential. The LDC has formed alliances with e.g. AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck KGaA, Daiichi Sankyo, Qurient, and sustains a long-term partnership with the Max Planck Society and KHAN-I GmbH & Co.KG. In addition, LDC also works with leading translational drug discovery centers and with various investors to provide its assets for company creation.
For more information, please visit: www.lead-discovery.de

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The collaboration builds on the complementary expertise of both organisations. LDC contributes a proven track record in drug discovery and a team of scientists with the expertise and the deep insights necessary to develop assets modulating a range of oncology targets derived from its large academic network. Cumulus Oncology brings a team of successful life science entrepreneurs with a recognised track record in translational oncology drug development, as well as oncologists, scientists and pharma sector business professionals.

This collaboration is based around the reciprocal contribution of each group and the motivation to develop a growing portfolio of small molecule and biological assets with exceptional medical and commercial potential. Each party provides targets and assets in the oncology area for collaboration and potential future company co-creation as well as bringing a wider access to funding partners and collaborators globally.

“We anticipate that joining forces with Cumulus Oncology will leverage early-stage novel oncology approaches from our research networks, turning these early-stage assets into true innovations in cancer research and therapies”, stated Bert Klebl, CEO and CSO of the LDC. “This strategic partnership with one of the leading drug discovery centres in Europe provides a unique opportunity for Cumulus Oncology to fuel its pipeline of next generation novel oncology assets” said Alan Wise, Chairman of Cumulus Oncology.
“We are very much looking forward to working with our colleagues at LDC to the mutual benefit of both our organisations and ultimately to the benefit of the cancer research community, most especially, the patients dealing with a cancer diagnosis” added Clare Wareing, Founder and CEO of Cumulus Oncology.

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> Contact
PR Lead Discovery Center
+49 (0)231-97 42 70 00
pr@lead-discovery.de
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About Cumulus Oncology
Founded in 2017, Cumulus sources novel oncology assets from academic institutes, commercial drug discovery groups and biopharmaceutical companies. The company also identifies novel targets for drug discovery programmes which it supports and collaborates on. Following rigorous due diligence and market assessment activities, negotiations on deal terms and in-depth feasibility on the investment case, selected assets are spun out into newly created companies. These NewCos are managed to key value inflection points by Cumulus which also takes responsibility for further investment into each Newco via its network of VC partners. The founding team consists of successful life science entrepreneurs, oncologists, scientists and other oncology drug development and pharma sector business professionals. Asset classes of interest include small molecules and biologics which target known and novel pathways in cancer, where there is a clear path forward into clinical development, often in molecularly selected sub-groups.
For more information, please visit: www.cumulusoncology.com

About LDC
Lead Discovery Center GmbH (LDC) was established in 2008 by the technology transfer organization Max Planck Innovation, as a novel approach to capitalize on the potential of excellent basic research for the discovery of new therapies for diseases with high medical need. The LDC takes on promising early-stage projects from academia and transforms them into innovative pharmaceutical leads and antibodies that reach initial proof-of-concept in animals as well as candidate nomination. In close> collaboration with high-profile partners from research and industry, the LDC is building a strong and growing portfolio of small molecule and antibody leads with exceptional medical and commercial potential. The LDC sustains a long-term partnership with the Max Planck Society, KHAN-I GmbH & Co.KG and has formed alliances with AstraZeneca, Apeiron, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck KGaA, Daiichi Sankyo, Qurient, e.g. In addition, LDC also works with leading translational drug discovery centers and with various investors to provide its assets for company creation.
For more information, please visit: www.lead-discovery.de

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Q702 is an orally available triple kinase inhibitor targeting Axl, Mer and CSF1R. It was discovered at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry and further developed at the LDC, before it was licensed to Qurient for further optimization and preclinical and clinical development. The candidate was shown to boost immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and to raise tumor visibility to the immune system. It may provide new options to patients for whom available therapies are ineffective.

For the original press releases, see:

Qurient’s latest press release from January 26th, 2021
Qurient’s and LDC’s press release on IND approval from May 2020

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>> Contact
PR Lead Discovery Center
+49 (0)231-97 42 70 00
pr@lead-discovery.de
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About Qurient
Qurient is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company listed in Korea Exchange (KRX 115180). Qurient mainly focuses on development of novel therapeutics from discovery to human proof of concept stages through virtual R&D project management platform. Qurient currently has three programs in clinical development: Q301, a topical leukotriene inhibitor for atopic dermatitis, completed Phase 2b study; telacebec (Q203), a first-in-class orally available cytochrome bc1 inhibitor for tuberculosis, completed Phase 2 study; and Q702, entering Phase 1/2 study. Qurient recently nominated Q901, a selective CDK7 inhibitor, as a preclinical candidate for solid tumors, which is expected to enter the clinic in 2021. For more info, please visit www.qurient.com.

About LDC
Lead Discovery Center GmbH was established in 2008 by the technology transfer organization Max Planck Innovation, as a novel approach to capitalize on the potential of excellent basic research for the discovery of new therapies for diseases with high medical need. The Lead Discovery Center takes on promising early-stage projects from academia and transforms them into innovative pharmaceutical leads and antibodies that reach initial proof-of-concept in animals. In close collaboration with high-profile partners from academia and industry, the Lead Discovery Center is building a strong and growing portfolio of small molecule leads with exceptional medical and commercial potential. The Lead Discovery Center sustains a long-term partnership with the Max Planck Society, KHAN-I GmbH & Co.KG and has formed alliances with AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck KGaA, Daiichi Sankyo, Qurient, e.g. In addition,LDC also works with leading translational drug discovery centers and with various investors to provide its assets for company creation. Further information at: www.lead-discovery.de.

About Max Planck Innovation
Max Planck Innovation (MI) is responsible for the technology transfer of the Max Planck Society and, as such, the link between industry and basic research. With an interdisciplinary team, MI advises and supports scientists at Max Planck Institutes in evaluating their inventions, filing patents and founding companies. MI offers industry unique access to the innovations of the Max Planck Institutes. Thus, MI performs an important task: the transfer of basic research results into products that contribute to economic and social progress. Further information at: www.max-planck-innovation.com.

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