Area served metabolomics Headquarters Innsbruck Number of employees 40 | Revenue 5-10 Mio. Euro Number of locations 1 | |
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Industry medical research, laboratory medicine, pharmaceutics Key people Wulf Fischer-Knuppertz, CEO Products targeted metabolomic kits Brands AbsoluteIDQ® p150 Kit, AbsoluteIDQ® p180 Kit, SteroIDQ® Kit, Biocrates® Bile Acids Kit | ||
Biocrates Life Sciences AG is an Austrian company, based in Innsbruck. The company is dedicated to further developing and harnessing a relatively young technology referred to as targeted metabolomics, offering mass spectrometric based standard kits and services, suited primarily for medical research, clinical research, preclinical research, translational research, pharmaceutical research and diagnostics.
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Foundation and early years
Founded in 2002 in Innsbruck Biocrates became operative in 2003. The founders were three university professors from Munich and Innsbruck (Günther Bonn, Hartmut Glossmann, Adelbert Roscher) as well as Bionorica, a German phytocompany. The company was equipped with seed grants from national and regional organizations. 2006 Biocrates established its analytical services lab. In 2006, the renowned German MIG Fonds completed a Series A financing, followed by a Series B financing in 2008. 2008 the world‘s first metabolomics kit was introduced on market.
The targeted metabolomics market
Epidemiological increase of metabolic symptoms and disorders are observed. The changes therein underline the necessity for new sensitive biomarkers and tools, capable to gather the corresponding data. The presence and abundance of molecules, proteins operate on —collectively called the metabolome—reflect and influence health, nutrition, the immune system and more. The development and establishment of mass spectrometry techniques for the identification and quantification of low molecular endogenous metabolites (< 1500 Daltons) in body fluids and tissues was a logical consequence. Metabolomics are differentiated into non-targetetd and targeted metabolomics. Non targeted metabolomics only show a restricted number of established protocols for the processing of raw data, dependency of instruments and the difficulty to obviously elucidate the chemical identity of the targeted metabolites in which one is interested. In contrast targeted metabolomics, the primary target market of Biocrates, have clear advantages in using preselected metabolites, which are identified and quantified via highly selective triple or quadruple mass spectrometry in "selected Ion monitoring" mode.
New kit products in the targeted metabolomics market represent a paradigm change in the laboratory medicine and enable a reliable early indication as well as personalised treatment of diseases. The possibility of measuring a steroid panel enables the monitoring of multiple steroid pathways; this is often necessary for clinical diagnosis as in the case of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). Biocrates is active in medical and pharmaceutical basic research, clinical and pharmaceutical industries and laboratories, nutrition and cosmetic companies.
Standard assays
Biocrates developed a standardised, mass spectrometric based targeted metabolomics platform enabling the quantification of more than 630 metabolites in different biological scenarios. Some of these assays are sold as commercial kit products for more than 200 metabolites. Actual applications and research fields are Diabetes mellitus type 2, cancer, neuroscience biomarker discovery, inflammation / immune response and many others.
In the research field of breast cancer 39 differentiating metabolites were identified by means of the Biocrates Absolute-IDQ P180 kit, including significantly lower levels of lysophosphatidylcholines and higher levels of sphingomyelins in the plasma samples obtained from breast cancer patients compared with healthy controls. Using logical regression, a diagnostic equation based on three metabolites successfully differentiated breast cancer patients from healthy controls, with a sensitivity of 98.1% and a specificity of 96.0%.
Targeted metabolomic analysis of plasma samples was performed using the Biocrates Absolute-IDQ P180 kit in a lipidomic approach to detecting preclinical Alzheimer's disease in a group of cognitively normal older adults. One discovered and validated a set of ten lipids from peripheral blood that predicted phenoconversion to either amnestic mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease within a 2–3 year timeframe with over 90% accuracy.
Another example are biomarker candidates for gastroenterological cancer. Here metabolome analysis-based disease diagnosis supported by a Biocrates standard kit was also performed. The Biocrates Absolute-IDQ P150 kit was used to proof a unique metabolomics signature in plasma for schizophrenia.
Metabolic phenotyping services
Biocrates contributes to identify relevant metabolic biomarkers, enhances the understanding of biochemical pathways and provides information of the metabolic state of a cell, tissue or living organism. Customized research assays to suit specific research requirements are developed and offered to interested parties in the form of contract research services.
Corporate overview
Wulf Fischer-Knuppertz is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of the Board since June 2013. The company employs about 40+ people in 2014.
Investors
In 2006, the renowned German MIG Fonds completed a Series A financing, followed by a Series B financing in 2008. In 2007, Biocrates progressed from a Limited Liability Company to a Joint Stock Company. Since its inception, Biocrates has been a strong participant in national and international funding projects. Current investors are ARAX Capital Partners GmbH, Bionorica AG, Global Asset Fund, Global Chance Fund and Global Chance Fund and private investors.
Recent news
The development of the worldwide first blood test for the indication of Alzheimer's disease by an US team in 2014 was supported by the AbsoluteIDQ(R) p180 Test-Kit of Biocrates. The results allowed to forecast the disease development for two to three years with high precision. In September 2014 Biocrates announced the launch of the first-ever bile acids kit based on targeted metabolite quantitation.