Orikine Bio is a biotechnology company developing a new generation of cytokine-based therapies for inflammatory, autoimmune and oncological diseases through its proprietary Foldkines™ platform. The company focuses on engineering entirely new therapeutic molecules by combining different cytokines into a single protein, with the aim of overcoming the limitations associated with conventional cytokine therapies and opening the door to new biological mechanisms with therapeutic potential.

“We are addressing a problem associated with cytokine therapies. These molecules are very difficult to fine-tune as therapeutics, and our approach is to combine two cytokines into a single new molecule, instead of optimizing just one. This allows us to overcome the limitations of natural cytokines and create entirely new biology that does not exist in nature, enabling us to tackle challenges that were previously inaccessible,” explains Christian Pangratz during his interview in the latest edition of the PCB’s Coffee Connection.

The company is currently advancing one of its lead programmes from research into preclinical development, targeting a specific inflammatory pathway involved in severe inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn’s disease. “We’re advancing a programme from research into preclinical development which addresses a special type of inflammation, which is the underlying driver for severe inflammatory diseases. The challenge we’re addressing is that a significant proportion of patients do not respond to the current standard of care and have no therapeutic options left,” adds Pangratz. According to the company, Foldkines™ could offer a safer and more effective alternative for these patients, potentially helping them avoid surgical interventions.