Research, Innovation / 05.01.2026
A spin-off targeting neuromuscular disorders

A team led by Mina Gouti has developed a stem cell-based model that enables researchers to test new drugs to treat neuromuscular diseases and to refine existing therapies. The project, called NMJCare, was named one of the top ten ideas in the national Science4Life start-up competition.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is one of the most severe genetically inherited neuromuscular disorders, affecting about one in 10,000 children. Despite therapeutic advances in recent years, the condition remains incurable. Researchers continue to rely on reliable, patient-specific models to test new treatments.

Dr. Mina Gouti, head of the Stem Cell Modeling of Development and Disease lab and her team at the Max Delbrück Center have developed just such a model. They have grown structures from patient-derived stem cells that closely mimic the functional interaction between nerve fibers, motor neurons, and muscle fibers in the human body. Dr. Ines Lahmann, a postdoctoral researcher in Gouti’s lab, now plans to transform this scientific innovation into a market-ready product. Her project, NMJCare, has been chosen as one of the ten best submissions out of more than 120 entries in the national Science4Life start-up competition.

The award gives Lahmann access to expert guidance on building a viable business model. NMJCare will also receive support through the GeneNovate Entrepreneurship Program, which offers strategic coaching in company formation, communication, and business planning. “These are all key building blocks for driving targeted technology transfer,” says Lahmann.

One model, many options

NMJCare marks the beginning of a new phase for Lahmann. In addition to scientific questions, her focus is now shifting to topics like patents, target audience analysis, and funding strategies. “Those are things I hardly had to think about before,” Lahmann says. “But now they determine whether our idea can truly become market-ready.” The potential of NMJCare is significant: the model allows high-throughput testing of thousands of potential drug compounds before moving into costly preclinical or clinical trials.

At the same time, the system makes it possible to better understand why patients respond differently to therapies. “That’s a crucial step toward more individualized treatment approaches,” Lahmann explains. Potential users of the model include pharmaceutical companies, academic research groups, and firms in the field of personalized medicine. NMJCare can be flexibly adapted to meet their needs – by selecting specific stem cell lines or investigating short-or long-term drug effects, for example.

“For an idea to become viable, it takes constant exchange – and also critical perspectives from the outside,” says Lahmann. Through the GeneNovate and Science4Life programs, she will be connecting with like-minded peers as well as mentors from business, law, and finance. With their support, she hopes that NMJCare will evolve from a lab-based project into a full-fledged spin-off.

 

Source: Max Delbrück Center
A spin-off targeting neuromuscular disorders