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Even tumor cells can be infected by pathogens. In fact, they are especially vulnerable – a side effect of their ability to hide from the immune system. Dr. Jennifer Altomonte and her team at Fusix Biotech are making use of exactly that. The start-up founded by researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is developing virus-based cancer therapies that mobilize the body’s own immune defenses in the fight against the disease.
The Fusix virus wreaks havoc in tumor cells – with the goal of fighting cancer and saving lives. It does so by causing an infected tumor cell to produce large amounts of a protein that anchors itself to the cell’s surface. This sends a signal to neighboring cells to fuse with the infected one. They obey immediately: first one, then the next, and so on – until the entire structure literally bursts. The released cell contents trigger the immune system. Alerted immune cells clear the debris, attack intact cancer cells that had previously evaded immune detection, and help limit the virus’s further spread. This approach could one day help treat tumors that don’t respond to conventional therapies.
At the Clinic and Polyclinic for Internal Medicine II at the TUM University Hospital, Jennifer Altomonte is developing virus-mediated immunotherapies. She laid the scientific foundation for Fusix back in 2016. At the time, Altomonte was exploring ways to employ viruses to fight cancer.
Combination of two viruses
“Cancer isn’t a natural host for viruses, so finding the perfect therapeutic virus in nature was unlikely. That’s why we built one,” says Altomonte. Their starting material was two pathogens that infect animals. The first replicates rapidly in specific tissue types, while the second triggers the characteristic fusion mechanism. Altomonte and her team combined the beneficial properties of both viruses and addressed safety risks for patients.
In cell and animal studies, the researchers demonstrated that the therapeutic virus replicates exclusively in tumor cells. Even at relatively low doses, the cancer cells were destroyed with remarkable efficiency. Altomonte had the process patented.
Turning science into a start-up
“At that point, I had to decide whether to license the technology to an existing company or start my own,” she says. The decision came easily after she exchanged ideas with other founders in her network and took part in several entrepreneurship programs, including TUM Start-up Consulting and offerings from UnternehmerTUM, the center for innovation and business creation at TUM. “In the end, I was excited to expand my role as a scientist and learn something completely new.”
Initial funding came from an EXIST research transfer grant and the M4 Award for biomedical projects from the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs. Through TUM, she continued to have access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure. A crucial step was bringing in the right co-founders: Dr. Teresa Krabbe, who had worked on the topic as a doctoral student; Prof. Markus Gerhard, a microbiologist at TUM with start-up experience; and Dr. Marian Wiegand, who brought extensive expertise in viral vector production. The team also received support from the TUM Venture Lab Healthcare.
Ready for the clinical phase
Since Fusix Biotech was founded in 2022, the team has continued to advance the technology. The project’s preclinical phase is now nearly complete. In it, the team uses animal and cell models to verify that the approach works as intended. Once funding is secured, the team plans to produce the drug under GMP conditions – that is, under the strictly regulated pharmaceutical standards required for medications used in humans. They then plan to conduct initial clinical trials in patients with liver cancer.
On June 17, 2025, the team will present at HLTH Europe, a leading trade fair for health innovation, in Amsterdam. In the EIT Health Catapult competition, Fusix was one of three promising European life science start-ups to qualify for the final round, which will take place during the Amsterdam event. The winners will receive prize money and additional support from established companies.
Further information:
• As an established researcher, Dr. Jennifer Altomonte has received both a Starting Grant and a Proof of Concept Grant from the European Research Council (ERC).
• Find this news item on tum.de: https://www.tum.de/en/news-and-events/all-news/press-releases/details/a-therapeu...
Subject matter expert:
PD Dr. Jennifer Altomonte
Technical University of Munich
TUM University Hospital
Clinic and Polyclinic for Internal Medicine II
Tel.: +49 89 4140 - 69 33
jennifer.altomonte@tum.de
https://www.med2.mri.tum.de/de/forschung/grundlagenforschung/ag-altomonte.php
TUM Corporate Communications Center contact:
Paul Hellmich
Media Relations
Tel. +49 (0) 89 289 22731
presse@tum.de
PD Dr. Jennifer Altomonte
Technical University of Munich
TUM University Hospital
Clinic and Polyclinic for Internal Medicine II
Tel.: +49 89 4140 - 69 33
jennifer.altomonte@tum.de
https://www.med2.mri.tum.de/de/forschung/grundlagenforschung/ag-altomonte.php
At TUM University Hospital, Dr. Jennifer Altomonte studies oncolytic viruses – pathogens that target ...
Juli Eberle / TUM
Juli Eberle / TUM / Free for use in reporting on this news item with the copyright noted
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