How can researchers tell whether a medicine will actually work? A new Leiden-based company called Omivera is developing a technology aimed at giving clearer answers and it has just received a seed investment from the investment fund UNIIQ to help do that.
Omivera is building a new research technology called CellEKT for drug development. Using a technique called kinome profiling, the technology gives scientists a functional overview of what is happening inside a living cell.
The technology was developed by Leiden researcher Joel Rüegger and colleagues in Mario van der Stelt’s lab, together with the pharmaceutical company Roche, with support from the Oncode Institute and Oncode Accelerator. Leiden University’s Knowledge Exchange Office (LURIS) helped guide the process and set up a long-term collaboration with Roche.
What the investment supports
UNIIQ is a regional investment fund that helps young tech-driven companies develop and bring their innovations to market. With UNIIQ’s backing, Omivera can further build its platform and expand its commercial activities.
Omivera is now operating as a Contract Research Organization (CRO), offering its technology to pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The company is based at Leiden Bio Science Park and is a spin-off from Leiden University.
Why this technology matters
The CellEKT platform focuses on kinases, proteins that play key roles in cell growth, metabolism, and other processes important for drug action. While kinases are major drug targets, they are hard to study with traditional lab tests.
In studies with Roche, the Leiden researchers found that conventional lab results don’t always reflect what happens inside living cells. According to Rüegger, measuring kinase activity with CellEKT gives a more reliable picture of how drugs behave in real cells, helping scientists make better decisions earlier in drug development.
From academic research to impact
The news highlights how fundamental academic research can lead to technologies with real societal and medical impact. Thanks to support from research partners and now the UNIIQ investment, Omivera is taking an important step toward helping improve how new medicines are developed and tested.
