BioAhead – an innovative optimization algorithm for amino acid chain analytics

Project Information

BioAhead

Grant agreement ID: 790142

DOI

10.3030/790142

Project closed

EC signature date 19 November 2017

Start date 1 December 2017

End date 31 May 2018

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

GLOBOSOFT GMBH
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BioAhead (BioAhead – an innovative optimization algorithm for amino acid chain analytics)

Reporting period: 2017-12-01 to 2018-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Globosoft GmbH aims to optimize the drug development process of drug manufacturers, enabling the faster and more effective development of drugs in Europe and worldwide.
For this purpose, Globosoft GmbH has developed the innovative optimization algorithm called BioAhead to optimize the amino acid chain analysis, which is part of the protein structure modeling field.
Through BioAhead, pharmaceutical companies can compare experimental results much faster. However, it is much more relevant to be able to broadly replace the experimental solutions and to represent the amino acid chain analysis primarily by means of the BioAhead algorithm solution. In addition, the algorithm offers the possibility to analyze significantly more amino acid chains in a shorter period of time with less risk.
BioAhead offers customers the opportunity to optimize their processes during the research and development phase, allowing users to concentrate more intensively on the other phases of the process and set themselves apart from competitors.
The innovation will create growth in terms of income and job creation and have a high return on investment. The proposed model has a high potential for a fast up-take by the market, considering the savings in time and money.
BioAhead adequately addresses issues related to the benefit of society. With faster and more accurate drug development processes, societies in Europe and world-wide can benefit from low-priced medicines, faster drug development and highly specialized medicines, which are currently too expensive.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Several tasks were successfully performed: In sum, legal and economic viability has been proven via analyzing the legal framework and developing a detailed business plan including in-depth market research, finance planning, and risk assessment.

Technical viability of BioAhead model
The technical viability of the innovative solution for providing amino acid chain analytics has been tested in several pretests and pilot studies. Here, the focus was on general amino acid chain analyses and a special case in the drug development process, the docking analysis.
We designed the analyzing process in direct connection with the workflow process of the pilot partners. Thereby, we tested on the one hand the quality of the algorithm and on the other hand the integrability in the process of our future customers.
Both test series confirm the technical viability of BioAhead.
The results have been disseminated through our network with a press release to specific target groups. Additionally, we presented the results to highly relevant target groups at several workshops (e.g. Medical Valley Erlangen)

Legal viability of BioAhead model
Analysis of regulatory frameworks: We conducted an in-depth analysis of the European regulatory framework and the US regulatory framework for the development and dissemination of medical drugs and/or devices (DADs).

Intellectual Property Strategy: BioAhead mapped out possible strategies to protect the intellectual property of our invention. As a result, we decided to protect our invention as a trade secret.

Intellectual Property Management Plan: To protect BioAhead as a trade secret but also to collaborate with institutions, (pilot-) partners and other important stakeholders, we mapped out an intellectual property management plan.

Freedom to operate analyses: An intensive Freedom to Operate analysis has shown that BioAhead does not violate any potential third-party property rights.


Economical viability of BioAhead model
A detailed business plan including in-depth market research, finance planning, and risk assessment has been developed.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Despite positive growth rates, the pharmaceutical market is struggling with steadily rising costs in all phases of drug development. Causes are on the one hand rising regulatory requirements and on the other higher research intensity also due to rising societal expectations. Due to these developments, research-based pharmaceutical companies are seeking new approaches to make their development processes more efficient and gain competitive advantages. In particular, procedures that reduce the default risk of the entire development process are in demand.
Today’s software applications for amino acid chain modeling analysis are mainly used for the documentation of experimental analyses. Reasons for this are missing mathematical analysis possibilities. If BioAhead establishes itself in the market, a strong substitution potential from previously experimental analyses to BioAhead is to be expected.
The positive development of BioAhead can make a major contribution to the improvement of drug delivery by reducing costs in drug development. First, our product can improve the affordable supply of essential drugs to the population and second, it would help to develop drugs that are too complicated or too expensive to develop with existing technology.
In a nutshell, the societies Europe and world-wide can benefit through BioAhead from low-priced medicines, faster drug development and highly specialized medicines.

BioAhead calculation compared with experimental structure