Developing Next-Generation Therapies to Break Efficacy Ceilings in Inflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases

Salvina Therapeutics was founded on the vision of its scientific founder and CSO, Dr. Helmut Sparrer, who worked on cytokine signalling and the biology of innate and adaptive immunity during his time as a researcher and labhead at Novartis. Drawing on his experience, he conceived an antibody discovery platform designed to unlock novel epitopes for selectively targeting TNF and members of the TNF superfamily. This approach enables the development of antibodies with highly innovative modes of action that have the potential to significantly improve the benefit–risk profile of TNF-targeted therapies and enable bispecific approaches that have not been developable to date.

Besides Helmut Sparrer, the founding team includes Dr. Mattias Ivarsson (CEO), Dr. Tamas Schweighoffer, and renowned immunology experts Prof. Mihai Netea and Prof. Leo Joosten as scientific advisors. Together, they combine deep academic, clinical, and industry expertise with a strong track record of building successful biotech companies.

When first approached by Helmut and Tamas, BaseLaunch and its Partners immediately recognized the potential of the platform, while being mindful of the scientific challenges involved — as one of the pharma partners ‘scientist noted at the time: “If they have truly found a highly selective antibody, that would be VERY interesting. One can only wish them lots of luck  – that is a tough nut to crack.” BaseLaunch thus supported them for several months prior to funding the company to help refine the discovery program and shape the early development strategy. To generate the first proof of concept, Helmut then invested his own capital to identify initial antibody hits with the envisioned properties. Based on this early validation, BaseLaunch subsequently financed (the now founded company) Salvina and intensified its collaboration with the team to further develop and optimize the antibodies toward in vitro and in vivo proof of concept. In parallel, BaseLaunch brought in experienced biotech entrepreneur Mattias Ivarsson as CEO, under whose leadership Salvina continued to make significant progress in advancing the pipeline. These efforts ultimately culminated in the successful closing of a significant venture financing round led by local and international blue-chip investors.