About Us
Our Story
We strive to develop clever tools that harness biological processes for the benefit of medicine. We allow the nature to improve people’s lives. Vectiopep grew from two decades of scientific research on drug delivery, and was founded by a team with world class expertise in nucleic acid therapeutics.
Our ambition is to revolutionize immunotherapy and allow it to fulfil its potential in cancer treatment. Whereas traditional treatments – such as chemotherapy – typically help prolong the patient’s life, their impact on overall survival is limited. With modern immunotherapy, we can for the first time save and completely cure people –at least some of the patients. We believe that with the next-generation immunotherapy, based on mRNA therapeutics and our precision mRNA delivery technology, such cure can be brought not only to some of the patients, but to all people suffering from cancer.
Biologics
Biologics are a diverse group of medicines that are produced not in the chemistry laboratory, but in the living cells or by using biosynthesis. Biologics are the fastest growing product segment within the global pharmaceutical industry, outpacing the growth of classical small-molecule drugs. Monoclonal antibodies are the most common biologic drugs, but a number of others, such as gene and cell therapies (including mRNA therapeutics) are currently under clinical trials.
mRNA vaccines - combination of several scientific discoveries
mRNA vaccines, although frequently presented as “a new technology”, actually combines several past technological breakthroughs and discoveries from various disciplines. Obviously, the mRNA component contains information about the produced protein. It is also important how to design or build the mRNA, as was accentuated by the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of nucleotide base modifications. One of the critical technological components of mRNA therapeutics is mRNA delivery technology that achieves the transport of mRNA into desired cells and tissues in the patient.
- Nucleic acid delivery
- Cell penetrating peptides
- Precise mRNA delivery
- Nanoparticles formulation
Our Expert Team
We already established a team with complementary research backgrounds in chemistry, cell biology, animal models, and clinical research. We have been developing nucleic acid delivery technologies for more than 10 years. Technical excellence is combined with business development and sales & marketing knowhow in research intensive sectors. The team members have worked for pharmaceutical companies and scaled businesses that sell to Big Pharma.
Kaido Kurrikoff, Ph.D.
Co-Founder & CEO
More than 10 years of experience in nucleic acid delivery systems for immunotherapeutic applications and preclinical models of nucleic acid based therapeutics delivery at University of Tartu (EE) and Stockholm University (SE).
Piret Arukuusk, Ph.D.
Co-Founder & CTO
More than10 years of experience in the development of nucleic acid delivery systems at University of Tartu (EE) and Stockholm University (SE), 10 years of experience as sales and marketing manager in packaging and food industries.
Toomas Silla, Ph.D., MBA
CBO
Business development and management experience in research-intensive companies and academic research experience. Has been employed as the Business Director of the Center of Food and Fermentation Technologies, and as a Development Manager at the Estonian State Agency of Medicines.
A seasoned life-sciences VC investor, a biotech/pharma-specialized management consultant (London, UK), an entrepreneur and an academic researcher in immuno-oncology (Cambridge, UK). Has been employed as a Senior Principal with Lundbeckfonden Ventures (Copenhagen, DK) and a Principal with Sound Bioventures (Copenhagen, DK).