GENEGUT 3rd General Assembly meeting

Last week, the GENEGUT consortium, where CarboHyde is a full partner, gathered for the project’s 3rd General Assembly meeting. This time again in-person, hosted by CarboHyde in Budapest, Hungary. The two-day meeting was a great opportunity to discuss the significant progress of GENEGUT’s first year and prepare for the next steps towards the development of an RNA-based therapy for Crohn’s Disease.

Just over 30 attendees from all 9 GENEGUT partners got together to hold this General Assembly meeting. Joined also by one of the project’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) members, Prof. Katie Whitehead (CMU). Prof. Dr. Csóka Ildikó from the University of Szeged, Hungary joined also as a guest lecturer and held an interesting session focusing on regulatory basics for nucleic acid APIs.

After kicking-off the day with a team-building activity, day one was dedicated to updates from the management side of the project and all its scientific work packages. The WP leads and early-career researchers presented their progress, interaction with other WPs, challenges and next steps. I think we have made significant progress over our first year and I am confident we can build on this over the coming months.” – concluded GENEGUT coordinator Prof. Caitriona O’Driscoll (UCC).

CarboHyde’s main responsibility in the project is to create a library of cyclodextrin-based compounds. Our colleague, Milo Malanga presented the progress CarboHyde’s team has achieved in the past year along the main results as well as the challenges this work involved.

Besides the focused work this workshop required from all the participants, we had the opportunity to visit some of the main attractions of Budapest, such as the Parliament and the Kossuth square and also enjoyed the local cousine. 

GENEGUT meets for 3rd General Assembly

Captions of EuroCD 2023

A week ago, we were bathing in cyclodextrin science in Budapest at the 7th European Cyclodextrin Symposium. As usual, the well-organized event was mainly dominated by European attendees, yet we also met fellows from Japan and the United States too.

Cyclodextrin manufacturers were represented by RoquetteWACKERLigand Pharmaceuticals and Cyclolab R&D Ltd. (the organizer, of course) and I was happy to see several companies focusing on developing cyclodextrin-based therapeutics, such as Beren Therapeutics, Cyclarity TherapeuticsASDERA and CarboHyde.

During the 2,5 days we enjoyed 9 sessions of various topics:

  1. Cyclodextrin production & enzymology
  2. Synthesis of CD derivatives
  3. Cyclodextrin complexes and self-assembly
  4. CDs in drug delivery
  5. Biological effects of CDs
  6. CDs in gene delivery
  7. Environmental applications
  8. Analysis, application in sensing and imaging
  9. Agri-food applications

We had sessions for short presentations and could enjoy 67 posters during the breaks.

Personally, the presentations I found most interesting from academia were

At CarboHyde, we contributed to 6 oral talks and several posters highlighting our active involvement in both industrial and academic cyclodextrin research.

My takeaway is that the event was fantastic, especially due to the great conversations we could enjoy during discussions, breaks, and social events via the joint contribution to our community.

See you all in Dunkerque on the 10th June, 2014 at the International event!

I am really excited already, as Sophie Fourmentin showed great effort to invite CD cyclodextrins from all over the world, so this will truly be a global event. I would be extremely happy if not only global academia, but global pharma with all the several dozen CD users would be present to set good directions for the future of cyclodextrin research.

Northwestern University and CarboHyde in arms against water contamination

It’s our pleasure to share that Will Dichtel’s lab at Northwestern University and CarboHyde just entered into a long-term research collaboration aiming to explore better Dr. Dichtel’s current research on the potential use of cyclodextrins as PFAS removers from drinking water.

Dr. Dichtel has been successfully working on various strategies to remove pollutants from drinking and wastewater. Now his expertise and concept will be supported by the cyclodextrin chemistry know-how of CarboHyde to create even more potent tools in this challenging application.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/carbohyde_cyclodextrin-pfas-waterpurification-activity-7087002686151176193-6wJp?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Recording of the webinar Cyclodextrins in Biopharma available

Dear Colleagues,

We are happy to share the recording of the first Roquette-CarboHyde joint webinar, Cyclodextrins in Biopharma is available on Youtube.

You can find the recording here: https://youtu.be/mHr-cc_JVEU

After watching the video, we would be grateful for your feedback about the event:

You will find the questionnaire here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfnsqlhqZDbjMvqqwhNGCU0Vgdl6APTbrKVL4tyXsKNChXOhA/viewform

the CarboHyde team

CarboHyde appoints Tamas Sohajda as CEO of the company

CarboHyde, a pharmaceutical company specializing in carbohydrate chemistry and innovative carbohydrate applications, today announced the appointment of its new CEO Tamas Sohajda, replacing the founder and former CEO, József Tóth. The reasons for the decision are captured in József’s personal memorandum below.

Dear colleagues, friends, and valued partners,

Today, I am writing to share an important announcement that marks a significant turning point in my life’s journey. After an incredible adventure at the helm of our beloved biotech startup CarboHyde, I have made the decision to retire from my role as CEO. I am stepping down from this position but will stay in the company as Chief Medical Officer.

It has become clear that dedicating myself both to a full-time consultant position at Semmelweis University and, meanwhile, leading CarboHyde is simply not feasible at the same time, as the expansion and development of the company demand an increasing amount of time, effort, and focus. As a result, I have come to the difficult decision to retire from my position as CEO in order to ensure that the company continues to thrive and reach its full potential under new leadership.

Words cannot express the deep gratitude and immense pride I feel as I reflect upon the extraordinary experiences we have shared throughout this incredible voyage. It has been an honor and a privilege to work alongside such remarkable individuals who have inspired me every single day.

Additionally, I would like to take a moment to express my utmost confidence in the capabilities of our incoming CEO. Tamás Sohajda, a brilliant and accomplished leader, will undoubtedly bring a fresh perspective and a wealth of expertise to guide our company into its next phase of growth. I have had the pleasure of working closely with Tamás and have witnessed firsthand his exceptional leadership qualities and strategic acumen. His deep understanding of the biotech industry, combined with his visionary thinking, will be invaluable assets as we steer CarboHyde toward new horizons. I have no doubt that Tamás will continue to drive our company towards even greater success.

In conclusion, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to each and every one of you.

With warm regards,

József Tóth

Founder and former CEO of CarboHyde

Carbohydrate Chronicles – A podcast about glycoscientists

We are happy to present Carbohydrate Chronicles, a podcast about Glycoscience and glycoscientists. In this show, via a series of interviews, we explore the world of carbohydrate science and innovation from the personal point of view hosted by Tamas Sohajda, a member of CarboHyde’s scientific team.

We find it important and essential to get familiar with the research and the researcher itself. In our series, we invite key opinion leaders of the glycoscience field both from academia and industry, to work on various angles of carbohydrates. Over 16 weeks, we will publish a new episode of 16 interviews altogether as part of our first season. All recordings will be available online at Apple Podcast, Spotify, YouTube, and Google Podcasts.

Learn more about the episodes here!

Carbohydrate Chronicles

Cyclodextrins in Biopharma on June 21, 2023

This free webinar series explores the present and future applications of cyclodextrins in biopharma through a series of educative sessions. It focuses on cyclodextrin uses in protein formulations (monoclonal antibodies), gene therapy, vaccines, and other biotech applications. The webinar includes an overview of the current market, three concise lectures by experts from Roquette and CarboHyde, and concludes with a moderated panel discussion featuring the speakers and key opinion leaders.

The audience can ask questions and participate in an open discussion about the challenges and possibilities of these innovative applications.

You can register here: Cyclodextrin in Biopharma (and more details about the program and experts)

Program

  • BioPharma Market Insights (15 min)
    Elham Blouet, Regional Head Bio Pharma Technology, Roquette
  • Revolutionizing Gene Therapy: The Dynamic Duo of Cyclodextrins and Gene Delivery (40 min*)
    Milo Malanga, CarboHyde
  • Unlock the potential of KLEPTOSE® Hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin in biologics downstream process and formulation development (40 min*)
    Peng Tao, BioPharma Research Manager, Roquette
  • Polysorbates versus KLEPTOSE® HPB Hydroxypropyl Beta-Cyclodextrin: Comparative Study on Stability & Antibody Stabilization (40  min*)
    Hailong Zhang, Research Analytical Manager, Roquette
  • Panel discussion (45 min): Cyclodextrins-based formulations in Biopharma – current and future applications, advantages, and challenges

See more details here: Webinar: Cyclodextrins in Biopharma | Roquette