Icosagen (formerly Quattromed AS) is an Estonian biotechnology companies providing custom research programs and services to the

Biopharmaceutical A biopharmaceutical, also known as a biological medical product, or biologic, is any pharmaceutical drug product manufactured in, extracted from, or semisynthesized from biological sources. Different from totally synthesized pharmaceuticals, t ...

industry, including antibody discovery,

protein production Protein production is the biotechnological process of generating a specific protein. It is typically achieved by the manipulation of gene expression in an organism such that it expresses large amounts of a recombinant gene. This includes the ...

, and GMP manufacturing. Formed in 1999 as Quattromed AS, it was renamed Icosagen in 2009.

Profile

Icosagen, based in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

, is a biotechnology company that focuses on providing antibody discovery, protein production, GMP manufacturing, and related services. The company employs over 200 full-time staff. Icosagen's activities are divided into several key branches: antibody discovery, protein production, GMP manufacturing, and cell line development. Antibody discovery, development and production, particularly in targeting challenging membrane proteins such as G protein-coupled receptors ( GPCRs) and solute carrier (SLC) transporters are key services. The company also develops stable CHO cell lines for the production of therapeutic proteins and antibodies, supporting clients from research and development through to clinical stages.

History

Icosagen AS was originally established as Quattromed by Marika Mikelsaar, Helme Raukas, Ain Laving, and Mart Ustav in 1999. The company focus was developing molecular genetic methods for detecting infectious diseases, including papillomavirus, herpes, and hepatitis. By 2008, Quattromed had become the largest diagnostics company in Estonia, employing 80 people. That year, the diagnostics division was sold, leading to the formation of Synlab Eesti OÜ. The remaining biotechnology segment was rebranded as Icosagen, shifting its core business to contract work for the development of biopharmaceuticals. In 2015, Icosagen Technologies Inc. was established in a U.S. expansion. By 2022, Icosagen's turnover had risen to €20 million. In February 2023, Icosagen secured an €18 million loan from the

European Investment Bank The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the European Union's investment bank and is owned by the 27 member states. It is the largest multilateral financial institution in the world. The EIB finances and invests both through equity and debt sol ...

, backed by the

InvestEU The InvestEU Programme, until 2021 known as the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), also called the Juncker Plan, is an initiative of EIB Group and the European Commission aimed at boosting the economy through mobilising private financi ...

program, to enhance its R&D capabilities and construct a new cGMP production facility. The 1,600 m² plant, expected to become operational in 2024, aims to bolster the biological drug industry in Estonia. In March 2023, Icosagen acquired the Carterra LSA platform to enhance its high-throughput antibody screening capabilities, facilitating the discovery and development of new therapeutic and diagnostic antibodies. In October 2023, Icosagen entered into a multi-target antibody research agreement with Salipro Biotech to advance drug discovery programs against challenging membrane proteins, including

G protein-coupled receptor G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), also known as seven-(pass)-transmembrane domain receptors, 7TM receptors, heptahelical receptors, serpentine receptors, and G protein-linked receptors (GPLR), form a large group of evolutionarily related ...

s (GPCRs) and solute carrier (SLC) transporters. In May 2024, Icosagen announced a strategic partnership with Lead Discovery Center GmbH to discover novel monoclonal antibodies, leveraging both organizations' expertise in antibody research and development. In July 2024, research involving Icosagen demonstrated that anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in a nasal spray efficiently blocked viral transmission between

Ferret The ferret (''Mustela furo'') is a small, domesticated species belonging to the family Mustelidae. The ferret is most likely a domesticated form of the wild European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), as evidenced by the ferret's ability to inter ...

s, indicating potential for preventing COVID-19 spread.

References

{{Reflist Contract research organizations Biotechnology companies of Estonia Pharmaceutical companies established in 1999 1999 establishments in Estonia Privately held companies Technology companies of Estonia Estonian brands Tartu