Drug Response Dx

Drug Response Dx (DRDx) GmbH was a diagnostics company focused on personalized medicine for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Founded in Hennigsdorf, Germany, in February 2012, the firm aimed to address a critical gap in RA treatment by predicting patient response to expensive TNF-alpha inhibitor therapies before they were administered. This targeted approach was designed to help physicians select effective treatments earlier, avoiding months of ineffective therapy and significant costs for treatments that range from €12,000 to €20,000 per patient annually.

The company's core technology was a biomarker-based test kit. This diagnostic tool, developed as an antibody-based ELISA test, analyzed a set of protein biomarkers from patient serum to stratify individuals as likely responders or non-responders to TNF-alpha inhibitors. The intellectual property was built on a patent platform exclusively in-licensed from the Max Planck Society, which also supported the spin-off's creation. The founding team included Dr. Zoltán Konthur and Dr. Karl Skriner, who brought scientific expertise from respected institutions like the Max Planck Society and Charité, alongside Dr. Jörg-M. Hollidt, an experienced entrepreneur in the in-vitro diagnostics sector.

In January 2013, Drug Response Dx successfully closed its first round of financing, securing an undisclosed amount from High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and the diagnostics company QIAGEN. This seed investment was intended to fund the development and preparation of the biomarker test kit for routine clinical use. The company's business model centered on the research, development, production, and distribution of healthcare products, specifically within human diagnostics. Despite its promising start and the backing of notable investors, the company eventually ceased operations. A liquidation process was initiated in October 2015, and the company was officially terminated in April 2019.

Keywords: companion diagnostics, rheumatoid arthritis, biomarker test, TNF-alpha inhibitors, personalized medicine, in-vitro diagnostics, patient stratification, protein biomarkers, ELISA test, Max Planck Society spin-off, High-Tech Gründerfonds, QIAGEN, predictive diagnostics, autoimmune disease, therapy guidance, serological testing, drug response prediction, diagnostic equipment, biotechnology, life sciences