The recently created biotech SOM Biotec, dedicated to "drug reprofiling" or the discovery of new therapeutic applications of drugs that are already commercialised or about to be authorised, has just set up headquarters at the PCB-Santander Bioincubator located at the Barcelona Science Park. In order to carry out this task, the company will initially use the HELIOS chemical-computational technological platform. This platform has been developed by Intelligent Pharma, another young company located at the Bioincubator that is specialised in bioinformatics, and with whom SOM Biotec has reached a strategic agreement of semi-exclusivity for its exploitation.

SOM’s business model, led by Raul Insa, is based on identifying compounds for new clinical indications and experimentally demonstrating, “in vitro” and “in vivo”, the effect observed at a computational level, as well as protecting this application by means of an international patent.

At present the company is conducting six projects, four or which are already in the “in vitro” experimental testing phase, two in cardiovascular, two in viral infections, one in cancer and another in antibiotherapy. “The objective for next year –explains Raul Insa- is to carry out 25 development projects diversified by therapeutic area, and 48 in 2011”. This task is part of the process, given that the challenge is to obtain solid intellectual property rights in order to sell or provide patent licenses to pharmaceutical companies with the ability to carry out clinical development and commercialisation. In this respect, the company aims to have at least six patents and to reach a couple of licensing agreements in 2010.

Som Biotech is supported by private capital of its founders, but over the course of the first trimester of next year it forecasts the performance of a first round of funding in order to reach sustainable organic growth during 2011, the year where it aims to obtain 15 patents.

Most of SOM’s scientific activity will be outsourced, and for this reason the company already has signed agreements with the IRB Barcelona and Leitat’s Biomedicine Division, its aim being to gradually increase the network of collaborators. Additionally, and in order to facilitate participation in this drug reprofiling process, it has designed an Open Innovation system that provides ideas and assesses its feasibility via a virtual network on the internet and a committee of scientific, technical and entrepreneurial consultants.

Raúl Insa, the primary founder of SOM, is a doctor and cum laude PhD in Clinical Neurology, has received an MBA from ESADE and a General Management Programme certification from IESE and has performed courses at an international level at the Harvard Business School. His professional trajectory includes over 20 years of experience in research activity and management of several multinational companies, such as Parke-Davis (later known as Pfizer), UCB Pharma, Uriach Group (now known as Palau Pharma) and ISDIN.