Alithea Biotechnology GmbH: Targeted immunotherapies thanks to HLA-Compass

The Freiburg-based start-up Alithea Biotechnology GmbH is tackling one of the biggest challenges in cancer treatment: currently, 80 per cent of cancer patients do not receive the immunotherapy that is most effective for them. The reason for this is the inability to precisely identify the target structures (HLA peptides) on the cancer cells.

With its innovative solution, the HLA-Compass, Alithea Biotechnology has created a unique SaaS platform. This combines proprietary mass spectrometry with AI and big data to identify these crucial peptides in tumour and healthy tissue with high sensitivity. This has resulted in the world’s largest HLA peptidome database.

By using the HLA-Compass, pharmaceutical companies, diagnostics firms and research institutions can not only develop new therapeutic approaches with unprecedented precision, but also predict potential side effects at an early stage using an integrated AI function. Founded in 2023, the company is thus revolutionising the development of safe, effective and personalised cancer therapies – a valuable contribution to medicine and to Freiburg as a centre of excellence.