SciRhom GmbH is a pioneering biotech enterprise with the vision to translate advanced scientific findings into game-changing therapies for autoimmune diseases. Building on a detailed understanding of how a major cell-surface protease controls inflammation, SciRhom has worked closely with Prof. Carl Blobel of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City (USA) to develop first-in-class humanized antibodies against iRhom2. iRhom2 controls the enzyme TACE, a key node in several disease-causing signaling pathways. Tested in vitro and in mouse models of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), these antibodies potently and selectively inhibit TACE in immune cells, thereby protecting against RA and IBD. By targeting iRhom2/TACE, the SciRhom antibodies simultaneously block several established signaling pathways that are currently targeted individually by drugs approved for autoimmune disorders, including TNF-alpha and IL-6R signaling. Superior efficacy, as demonstrated in preclinical proof-of-principle studies, and an expected favorable safety profile make anti-iRhom2 antibodies prime candidates to outperform standard of care. Four patent families secure exclusivity for anti-iRhom2 inhibitors and provide broad protection against follow-on drugs. Current leading indications in the company’s development pipeline are RA, IBD, and lupus nephritis.

Dr. Jens Ruhe
Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer
T +49 (0)89 614 2412-31
Ruhe@SciRhom.com

Jens co-founded SciRhom GmbH, formerly SciMab GmbH, in late 2016. He has a longtime experience in signal transduction biology and therapeutic antibody development. As co-founder of U3 Pharma GmbH, Jens was involved in new drug target identification, before he joined Prof. Dr. Axel Ullrich to establish a laboratory and cancer genome project at the Institute of Medical Biology (IMB), Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore. After the acquisition of U3 Pharma by Daiichi Sankyo, Jens served as Authorized Officer and Director Research & Development. In global teams, he was in charge of preclinical development of early to clinical stage antibody projects, including U3 Pharma’s Patritumab lead program. Jens was trained in genetics and immunology at the University of Konstanz, and obtained his PhD in Molecular Biology from Prof. Dr. Axel Ullrich at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried.

Dr. Jürgen Reeß, MD, PhD
Chief Medical Officer
T +49 (0)89 614 2412-30
Reess@SciRhom.com

Jürgen joined the management team of SciRhom GmbH in 2021. He brings over 20 years of experience in operative and strategic clinical development, most recently as Corporate Senior Vice President of International Project Management at Boehringer Ingelheim Human Pharma. A trained physician and expert leader in the pharmaceutical industry, Jürgen supervised the development, approval, and launch of numerous blockbuster therapies for autoimmune diseases, interstitial lung diseases, central nervous system disorders, and cancer. That success hinged upon Jürgen’s proficiency in fostering productivity and creativity in multidisciplinary teams to meet milestones in nearly 100 projects across several therapy areas. Jürgen holds a medical and doctorate degree from the University of Ulm (Germany), is a board-certified neurologist, and has a strong publication record.

Decades of cutting-edge research and clinical leadership in rheumatology and inflammation distinguish the members of SciRhom’s Clinical Advisory Board. In concert with our Management Team, the Board guides the continued development of SciRhom’s therapeutic concept, steering its path from bench to bedside.

Prof. Carl Blobel, Chairman of the Arthritis and Tissue Degeneration Program at the Hospital for Special Surgery and Professor of Medicine and Physiology, Biophysics, and Systems Biology at Weill Cornell Medicine. An authority on the enzyme TACE and its signaling pathways, Dr. Blobel was a driving force in establishing the knowledge foundation for SciRhom’s anti-iRhom2 antibodies and continues to guide the company’s scientific evolution.

Prof. Iain McInnes, Professor of Medicine and Vice Principal and Head of the College of Medical, Veterinary, and Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow. Dr. McInnes leads a research program investigating inflammatory synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis and is involved in multi-center clinical trials evaluating novel biologic agents in inflammatory arthritis. He is also actively engaged in several international rheumatology consortia.

Prof. Jane Salmon, Collette Kean Research Chair and Director of the Lupus and Antiphospholipid Syndrome Center of Excellence at the Hospital for Special Surgery and Professor of Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Salmon’s decades of clinical research have led to key insights into the causative role of inflammation in lupus-associated tissue damage and defined new treatment targets.

Prof. Georg Schett, Chair of the Department of Medicine III Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology and Vice President of Research at the Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen-Nuremberg. Dr. Schett is a globally renowned expert in rheumatology and serves as principal investigator on several research projects examining the molecular basis of immune-inflammatory diseases with rapid translation into clinical practice.

Prof. Michael Weinblatt, Co-Director of Clinical Rheumatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and John R. Riedman Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Weinblatt has worked on the development of treatments for rheumatoid arthritis for over 40 years. He has evaluated numerous biologics used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and helped establish methotrexate as a standard of care.

Founded in 2016 at the Innovation and Startup Center (IZB) in Martinsried, Germany, SciRhom builds on the cutting-edge research of Professors Carl Blobel and Axel Ullrich.

Prof. Blobel’s pioneering work on membrane-anchored metalloproteases (ADAMs) revealed iRhoms 1 and 2 as key upstream regulators of ADAM17 (also referred to as TACE), an enzyme that mediates pro-inflammatory signaling via TNF-alpha, IL6-R, and EGFR. That crucial piece to the complex puzzle of immune responses is the Achilles heel that SciRhom leverages to suppress autoimmune disease mechanisms. His research and vision advance the company’s development efforts at the forefront of this novel therapeutic opportunity. Prof. Blobel continues to play an essential role at SciRhom both as a collaborating partner and member of the Board of Directors.

Prof. Ullrich is a world-renowned innovator and catalyst of groundbreaking medications. His extraordinary research track record includes meticulous insights into human signal transduction that underscore the translation of iRhom2 into a novel strategy to tackle autoimmunity and cancer. He contributed to the development of genetically engineered human insulin and the first targeted antibody-based cancer therapy, Herceptin. A lifetime dedicated to science produced one of the most cited bodies of scientific literature in the past 25 years, the establishment of six biotech companies, and numerous awards.

Today, SciRhom has demonstrated the therapeutic potential of iRhom2 inhibitors, expanding the scientific foundation laid by Professors Blobel and Ullrich into a rapidly advancing drug development pipeline on track to bring a promising new therapy to market.