• Modag GmbH
  • Am Klopferspitz 19
  • 82152 Planegg/Martinsried
  • Germany
  • ten.gadom@ofni

Modag

Dr. Torsten Matthias, CEO; Prof. Dr. Armin Giese, Wissenschaftlicher Geschäftsführer / Scientific Director; Prof. Dr. Johannes Levin, CMO

About Modag

MODAG focuses on research and development of therapeutics and diagnostics for neurodegenerative diseases. It is a privately held company located in Wendelsheim, Germany with additional Research & Development facilities in Munich and Göttingen. MODAG’s innovative approach offers a unique combination of early diagnosis and targeted disease-modifying therapies for severe neurological disorders. MODAG’s collaborations with top-tier US and European research institutions, combined with the interdisciplinary research and development expertise of the founder’s and the management team, provide ideal conditions for the accelerated implementation into clinical applications. Built upon an extensive portfolio of patented active compounds, MODAG is developing a new oligomer modulator for Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) and other synucleinopathies such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) with the potential to deliver novel disease-odifying, first-in-class drugs with the potential to halt progression.

What is your motivation?

MODAG aims to provide a novel approach for treating neurodegenerative diseases by combining targeted small molecule therapeutics with the right diagnostic tools. Our first objective is to demonstrate clinical proof-of-concept with our lead compound anle138b in Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) seeking to halt the progression and provide a first disease-modifying therapeutic. This success will allow us to apply our technology to similar diseases such as Parkinson’s and other synucleinopathies with the goal of dissolving disease-related intra-cellular oligomers, thereby reducing their toxic properties. MODAG is comprised of experts in the clinical research and neurodegenerative disease space and supported by grants from leading patient organizations including the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Cure Parkinson’s Trust and Parkinson’s UK.

“The IZB provides the perfect infrastructure for MODAG, immediate vicinity to the high-tech campus Großhadern / Martinsried and outstanding networking opportunities.”

Dr. Torsten Matthias, CEO; Prof. Dr. Armin Giese, Wissenschaftlicher Geschäftsführer / Scientific Director; Prof. Dr. Johannes Levin, CMO

MODAG GmbH was founded out of the Center for Neuropathology at LMU Munich (Prof. Dr. Armin Giese) and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry Göttingen (Prof. Dr. Christian Griesinger).

The company develops small molecule therapeutics that specifically inhibit pathological oligomeric protein aggregates that are central to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The great advantage of this small molecule approach over antibodies is the oral bioavailability, the very good brain movement and the effect in the cytoplasm of nerve cells in which these oligomers are formed. Last year (2019), MODAG successfully closed a financing round of EUR 12 million. The MODAG active ingredient anle138b has been in a clinical phase 1 study since the end of 2019. In addition, on the basis of its patented substance portfolio, MODAG develops synuclein-specific PET tracers as well as the highly sensitive qRT-QuIC method for the diagnostic detection of disease-specific synuclein aggregates in the brain and CSF of patients. Nachweis krankheitsspezifischer Synuclein-Aggregate im Hirn und Liquor von Patienten.