About

Ksilink is a French German translational center

We span integrated therapy from bed to bench and back to the bed. Our focus is finding therapeutic solutions for patients with unmet medical needs. We operate as a program-specific investment fund with a dedicated development platform poised at the cutting edge of French and German development know-how.

ACCELERATING INNOVATION FOR PATIENTS

We are at a transformational time in biomedical research. Disruptive technologies have made human disease models a reality. Patient-derived material lies at the heart of this effort, which we at Ksilink access through our clinical programs. The models we are creating recapitulate the actual disease mechanisms in patients. Drug development, has been vertically accelerated as a result. Costs are lessened and chances of success bolstered. During this paradigm shift access to patient material and modeling know how is becoming a competitive game changer. Ksilink is designed to be at the forefront of this new development

Integrated approach Technologies Financial de-risking

Integrated approach

Connecting meaningful endpoints:

Ksilink provides seamlessly integrated programs with the patient at the forefront. We align unmet medical needs and the most advanced models and feasible commercialization strategies.
Our platform encompasses disease modeling and assay adaptation, screening and hit to lead optimization, lead development, preclinical research, and beyond.

Ksilink reliably and effectively delivers on all these fronts. We provide a direct link between patient needs and market expectations, allowing to position programs towards a commercial exit from the very start.

See the figure

Technologies

SCIENTIFIC DE-RISKING

We de-risk drug development. Patient iPSC based cell differentiation and gene editing are instrumental in building relevant disease models that directly reflect human disease,. Stratifying patient populations that share common disease characteristics at a molecular level is now possible.

We are using these models in conjunction with imaging, robotic, and computational technologies to generate new and innovative drugs faster and with a higher chance of success.

We offer:

Patient iPSC based disease modeling
3D spheroid/organoid high throughput screening
Customized, deep learning imaging strategies
Visual target free screening
Combinatorial target ID approaches
Target free hit to lead optimization
Proven lead to candidate expertise
Clinical development strategies

Financial de-risking

TRANSLATIONAL CAPABILITIES

For the translation of research to flow, there must be financial opportunities and incentives for partners to engage. Ksilink has therefore created an enabling environment beyond the technology dimension.

We offer three key elements to foster translation in the business context:

Ksilink’s programs are subject to financial incentives. Public co-investment can account for up to 50% of the development cost, decreasing the burden for clients, with no strings attached.
Ksilink can engage as a program-specific co-investor. Beyond the public co-investment, Ksilink’s risk-sharing engagement can effectively reduce cash-in-hand needs for the client
Ksilink fosters innovation by assigning IP-rights to the client. In cases of risk sharing engagement, fair compensation for Ksilink can be back loaded for Biotech and Academic clients.

Team

Ulf Nehrbass

Chief Executive Officer

A graduate of Cambridge University Ulf worked at the Rockefeller University, N.Y.C. and as Section Head of the Institut Pasteur, Paris, before moving into drug development as founder and CEO of Institut Pasteur Korea as well as QurientTherapeutics.

Yong-Jun Kwon

High Content Screening and Technology Development

Obtained a PhD in Functional Genomics from Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea. Young-Jun has gathered 11 years of experience in translational research at the Institut Pasteur Korea and the Samsung Medical Center implementing functional and chemical high-content screening platforms for therapy development and precision medicine. He is responsible for Ksilink’s high-content screening and technology development.

Carole Neves

Chief Operating Officer and Head of Business Development

Graduated from Ecole Polytechnique and with PhD in Biochemistry, Carole spent more than 15 years in Sanofi at various positions.

Antoine de Lacombe

Chief Financial Officer

After graduating from Université Paris-Dauphine in management and Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris in corporate finance, Antoine started with Ernst & Young Audit. He then joined a privately-owned investment fund where he gained experience in corporate finance and restructuring. He is now Chief financial officer for Ksilink.

Peter Sommer

R&D portfolio management and Competitive Intelligence

Obtained a PhD in Virology from the University of the Saarland, Peter has gathered 15 years of experience in translational research in Pasteur Institutes in Europe and Asia. He is responsible for Ksilink’s R&D portfolio management and Competitive Intelligence.

François Kien

Administrative Coordinator

Graduated with a PhD in Virology from the University of Strasbourg, François spent 9 years in the International Network of Institut Pasteur as scientist and PR officer. At Ksilink he is Administrative Coordinator.

Partners

An integrated bed to bench to bed effort goes far beyond the capacities of a single player. It requires a concerted effort by many sectors of the biomedical enterprise in France and Germany. Ksilink has secured partners across a wide spectrum from both the private and public sectors. They stand for experience and excellence. Each has made groundbreaking therapeutic innovations. Together, Ksilink and partners span the full range of development competence, and effectively link patient needs to scientific excellence and back again, in a bed–to-bench-to-bed cycle that is truly unique.

In the new era of ‘next-generation drug development’ with its patient-based disease models, our network of partners across France and Germany is a critical asset. It allows Ksilink’s clients to be first when it comes to accessing academic and clinical development opportunities, and the most ready to implement concrete solutions.