„To translate Science into Product Candidates! “

Please use this image only in connection with this interview.

© HZI/Foto: Stefanie Lohde

In October 2022, Dr Klaus Schwamborn took over as Head of Vaccine Development in the Translational Project Management Office (TPMO) at DZIF. The TPMO supports product development, from active ingredients to vaccines, and advises or supports scientists, especially in translation from research to clinic, but also in operational and product-related aspects. In addition to vaccines, Klaus Schwamborn will also be involved in the development of therapeutic antibodies. We talked to him about his plans.

Dr Schwamborn, you moved with your whole family and bag and baggage from France to Germany for the DZIF. What attracted you to the new task as a "product developer"?

I have been with the French company Valneva, which mainly develops and markets vaccines, for almost ten years, and of course you ask yourself how you would like to develop further, what you would like to achieve and how you can best contribute your experience. What I've always been very interested in is translation, bringing science and innovation into a product candidate. That is an important point that attracted me to the DZIF: To advance these translation candidates, especially vaccines, into the clinic and further onto the market in collaboration with partners or spin-offs. To translate Science into Product Candidates! And that's where I bring a lot of experience from Valneva and other companies that I want to contribute at an early stage, so I can also influence the direction of the innovations. This is so interesting to me that I have accepted the move and everything that goes with it, also for my family. At the moment, I actually still feel a bit like a stranger in my own country after so many years abroad.

Which specific experiences from your work in various pharmaceutical companies would you like to bring to the DZIF?

I've been in industry for about twenty years now, and it's definitely another big challenge and change to move from industry to this non-profit sector. In industry, it's primarily about having commercial success. The DZIF, on the other hand, has the approach of positioning itself very broadly, also in terms of diseases and indications, and it has other opportunities to also work on things that do not necessarily lead to blockbusters. Nevertheless, this translational idea, i.e. the development towards a product, is an essential goal of the DZIF. Of course, I can bring in a lot from this product-oriented approach. In the Translational Project Management Office, we have the objective of pointing out to the scientists at an early stage how a product candidate is being developed. That starts very simply with what experiments need to be done, even in the preclinical setting, to be competitive. Translational research is very important and we should have the goal of getting candidates into the clinic. Ultimately, these product candidates should be brought to market with industrial partners. That's why I was brought in, to accompany the scientists with my industrial experience and, of course, to give new impulses.

At what stage are you the point of contact for the scientists?

In principle, I am always available for a brainstorming session. That can be very early on, when someone has an idea: We have identified a new viral vector, an antigen, what platform should we use, what immune response can we expect, what regulatory questions do we need to answer? But it can also be at a time when a market analysis becomes necessary. You have to try to bring those market analyses in early: Is the candidate needed, are there individuals who need such an antibody, a vaccine, who else is working on it? I am the contact person for all phases of the project, from the beginning to the end. I can only encourage all scientists in universities and other research institutions to contact me at an early stage.

Which projects in the DZIF currently have priority for you?

We have flagship projects that we are constantly monitoring. For vaccines, for example, I currently consider three projects to be very promising. One is the development of a vaccine against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a virus that causes a relatively harmless disease in young people but can later lead to chronic fatigue syndrome. In addition, EBV is associated with various cancers and there is evidence that the virus is linked to multiple sclerosis. A vaccine is therefore important and the candidate developed at DZIF by Wolfgang Hammerschmidt is very promising. It could enter the clinic in 2024. Another project, a therapeutic vaccine against chronic hepatitis B, is being developed by Ulrike Protzer. If that works out, it would be a real game changer. Also very interesting is a vaccine against the MERS coronavirus, which is currently still in Phase I, but preparations for Phase II within a consortium are underway. The Saudi Arabian authorities are very interested in this vaccine, because MERS is definitely a threat there. The virus is transmitted from dromedaries to humans but can also be transmitted from human to human.

How will you identify new product-oriented projects?

You have to evaluate projects very carefully and look closely at the criteria for funding. I see a lack of funds in some projects, applications for additional funding are time-consuming and involve a lot of bureaucracy. I think that the framework conditions for DZIF funding must become less bureaucratic in the future. On the other hand, we need to team up with other industries and venture capital at an early stage, because the DZIF can only take it as far as Phase I, or at most Phase II, with its funds—and this is usually only in conjunction with financing from outside.  We also need to think about the whole pipeline, the identification and prioritisation of new candidates, and related to that, the respectively needed budget. In any case, I would like to help ensure that the pipeline does not run dry.

Is the DZIF structurally well positioned to fulfill these goals?

The DZIF has done excellent work over the last ten years. However, some goals will probably be difficult to achieve with the current structure of the DZIF. The DZIF is set up as a network and we should consider, for example, which adapted structures we can use to implement stronger levers. In doing so, we can also learn from the development of other non-profit organisations.

Dare to look into the future: Where do you see the DZIF in ten years?

I already came with the idea of realising visions with all important stakeholders in the next five to ten years. The visions are there, the question is how bold we are. The DZIF should become even more international in the next few years. And you have to be very smart and focused. We must not try to do everything. The DZIF has to make strategic decisions to successfully advance the translational idea. My aspiration as head of vaccine development at DZIF: We want to get into the clinic and generate product candidates! Then the DZIF can establish itself further as a top address in Europe in the coming years.

About Dr Schwamborn:

After studying molecular and cellular biology in Cologne and Göttingen, Klaus Schwamborn moved to the Institut Pasteur in Paris as a postdoc.  He then joined Celgene (now BMS) in the United States as a scientist in 2001, where he gained first industrial experience. After additional postdoctoral studies at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, Klaus Schwamborn took over in 2007 the role as Director and Chief Developer at Pepscan Therapeutics (now BIOSYNTH) in the Netherlands. From 2013 until 2022 he worked for the French company Valneva in Nantes, where as Vice President he was mainly responsible for research, innovation and the scouting of new vaccines. In October 2022, the DZIF was able to win Klaus Schwamborn as Head of Vaccine Development.