Institute of Microbiology Enters Biotech Company AffiPro

Institute of Microbiology of the CAS enters Biotech Company AffiPro to boost its applied research and to introduce new tools for development of biologicals and biosimilars.

The transfer of cutting-edge scientific results into practice, faster development of new products for earlier diagnostics, and research in biological drugs will be enabled by the new joint venture created between Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IMIC CAS) and the biotechnology company AffiPro s.r.o (LLC). Both partners own unique proprietary technologies and products for life science mass spectrometry. This strategic move opens up new opportunities for collaboration, especially in the field of personalized medicine.

By entering the joint venture, biotech start-up company AffiPro (Company Registration Number 03889173) is becoming a spin-off of the Institute of Microbiology, which now owns 13.75% of the new entity, while 86.25% remains in possession of the current owners of AffiPro. The change has already been registered in the Commercial Register by the Municipal Court in Prague on May 14, 2025.    

“Our goal is to significantly accelerate and streamline the development of biological drugs while also delivering innovations that simplify the work of scientific teams in structural biology, life science mass spectrometry and clinical diagnostics,” says Petr Pompach, managing director and co-founder of AffiPro.

“We use technologies such as immobilized enzyme reactors (IMERs), protein chips,  and robotic systems for automated sample processing. These tools enable detailed analysis of post-translational modifications of proteins or structural characterization of proteins and nucleic acids,” he adds.

According to Petr Novák, another AffiPro co-founder and head of the Laboratory of Structural Biology and Cell Signaling at the Institute of Microbiology CAS in the BIOCEV center, the company’s main objective is to contribute to the development of personalized medicine: “Our technologies are already being used for the analysis of proteins and biological drugs, as well as in clinical diagnostics. We are also developing tools for the detailed analysis of oligonucleotides, which will be useful in gene therapies and mRNA-based vaccines.”

MBU: Institute of Microbiology Enters Biotech Company AffiPro: From left: RNDr. Petr Novák, Ph.D. | Head of the Laboratory of Structural Biology and Cell Signaling, Institute of Microbiology CAS at BIOCEV; RNDr. Petr Pompach, Ph.D. | Managing Director of AffiPro; Ing. Jiří Hašek, CSc. | Director of the Institute of Microbiology CAS.

AffiPro has experienced fast organic growth of its protein reactors and protein chips product lines and is currently expanding its unique portfolio of products for basic research, healthcare, and the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. The combination of the Academy of Sciences’ strong research portfolio with the agility of a small start-up company creates a strong platform for innovation, future technology transfer, and industrial partnerships. AffiPro’s research, development, and production facilities are located in Vestec near Prague, within the STAR science and technology cluster.

“I would like to thank everyone involved in the commercialization of the outputs of our institute’s activities. This is the first time in its history that IMIC CAS owns a share in a spin-off company. The AffiPro’s successful development in recent years and unique plans provide a solid foundation for continued collaboration between our institute and the company. I believe this is a logical step that will benefit both parties and enhance the competitiveness of the Czech biotechnology industry,” says Jiří Hašek, Director of the Institute of Microbiology of the CAS.

MBU: Institute of Microbiology Enters Biotech Company AffiPro: AffiPro s.r.o. specializes in the development and distribution of enzymatic columns, robotic devices for hydrogen-deuterium exchange (pictured), and functionalized surfaces for clinical applications.

Source: Press Release of IMIC CAS

More information at: www.affipro.cz | www.mbu.cas.cz | www.biocev.eu | www.star-cluster.cz