The medical need for personalised and targeted cholesterol-lowering drug therapy is great. Cholesterol-lowering drugs are the most widely prescribed medicines in the world, and it is estimated that more than half of Europeans and North Americans have high cholesterol. However, there is currently no effective way for healthcare professionals to determine which patients need more effective drug therapies to lower their cholesterol. As a result, most patients with high cholesterol do not reach their target cholesterol levels.
An innovative method to reach individual target values
Moncyte’s innovation is significantly different from other existing diagnostic tests that measure blood cholesterol concentration. It is based on a unique, patented technology solution that offers information about the cellular mechanisms that influence the effectiveness of cholesterol-lowering drugs in individual patients. While it sheds light on the biological variability of individuals, it helps facilitate the planning and implementation of personalised drug therapies in the treatment of high cholesterol.
With Moncyte’s technology, there will be fewer instances of trial and error, leading to more patients receiving effective drug treatment. This will enable patients to reach their personal cholesterol goals faster and reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, ultimately saving lives and money.
From research to biotech company: Moncyte’s journey
Moncyte enters a new market segment, and its technology can be applied in the clinic, health centres, clinical studies, and research centres.
“The journey of developing Moncyte from a university research project into a biotech company has been exciting, and we believe that our unique test can make a real difference in bringing more health to patients with high cholesterol,” says the company CEO, Tamara Alagirova, and continues:
“Our invention is based on how cholesterol is transported and processed in human cells, and since the most important cholesterol-lowering treatments function at the cellular level, this type of research is essential to identifying opportunities for developing novel drugs and personalised therapies for high cholesterol.”
“It has been inspiring to support Moncyte team transforming their science-based invention into commercially potential novel technology and finally into a spinout company. We are eager to follow this ambitious team's path towards the markets and wish the company the best of luck on their business journey,” says Helsinki Innovation Services Ltd, Interim CEO, Kajsa Kajander.
Experience, industry expertise and partners to support commercialisation
The new spinout company, Moncyte from the University of Helsinki has been launched by Simon Pfisterer, CSO, research group leader at the Department of Anatomy at the University of Helsinki, and Tamara Alagirova, CEO, who has wide experience in pharma, medical devices, surgical implants, and diagnostics and who led the preparation of commercialisation of the Moncyte project prior to establishing the spinout. The company was established in January 2024.
Helsinki University Funds is one of the cofounders of Moncyte and has worked closely with Helsinki Innovation Services Ltd., university’s technology transfer company, to establish this new spinout. Helsinki University Funds, together with the founding team and one angel investor, provided the first pre-seed round for the company. With Moncyte, 24 spinout companies have been established at the University of Helsinki since 2015.
Further information:
Tamara Alagirova, CEO, Moncyte Oy, ta@moncyte.com