We recently had the opportunity to have an insightful conversation with Merle Fuchs, CEO and Co-founder of PRAMOMOLECULAR GmbH, an organization that develops gene silencing agents against cancer and heart diseases. With a highly experienced team, the organization addresses diseases with highest medical need. Apart from co-founding PRAMOMOLECULAR, Merle has helped to set up seven other high-tech start-ups, reflecting their expertise in the field. Alongside winning several innovation awards, Merle Fuchs is also a board member of biosaxony, a member of Rotary International, and loves urban gardening and backpacking.
Early Life And Academic Endeavors
We started the session by asking, “Could you share some background about yourself, including your early life and educational journey?”
Merle Fuchs shared, “I studied Biology, specializing in Microbiology, in Germany, the Netherlands, and the USA. Also, I completed my doctorate in the interdisciplinary working group of Nobel Prize winner Manfred Eigen at what is now the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Natural Sciences in Göttingen, and at the Technical University of Braunschweig in the field of Evolutionary Biotechnology.
After setting up BioRegion Halle-Leipzig Management GmbH and taking over the management of BioRegion Jena, I founded the consulting firm TechnologieContor in 2000 and have since, advised over 500 high-tech start-ups and growth companies from Germany and abroad, including numerous technology leaders, with a focus on business development and financing, as well as co-founding eight high-tech start-ups.
Since summer 2021, I have been a managing partner of PRAMOMOLECULAR GmbH in Berlin, which develops gene silencing agents against cancer and heart disease.”
More About PRAMOMOLECULAR And Its Regional Presence
We asked Merle Fuchs to share more about her company and its role in the region.
Merle Fuchs explained, “PRAMOMOLECULAR develops novel gene silencing agents that can be used to specifically treat diseases that cannot be addressed by conventional pharmaceutical agents because 85% of all disease-causing proteins cannot be treated by conventional pharmaceutical agents as they lack a binding pocket for the active ingredient.
PRAMOMOLECULAR can prevent the formation of many of these disease-causing proteins, as our siRNA active ingredients destroy the mRNA – i.e. the blueprint – for the disease-causing protein: no blueprint – no pathogenic protein! No pathogenic protein – no disease! We are initially developing active substances against particularly aggressive forms of lung and pancreatic cancer, which still kill far too many people.
PRAMOMOLECULAR is located at the BioCampus Berlin-Buch, one of the largest biotech campuses in Germany, with a strong focus on drug development. This means that we have important development partners within walking distance. The technology networks in which we are active cover the whole of Germany. But other co-operation partners are located in Europe, the MENA region, and Asia.”
Leading Successfully In The Industry
We further asked, “In your view, what qualities define a successful leader in your industry?”
“PRAMOMOLECULAR is one of the emerging biopharma companies. These are often characterized by disruptive technologies to develop innovative therapies with a new mode of action and low capital resources. We are, therefore, working in areas where there is a high market need, little experience, and a need to make rapid progress. Otherwise, we will run out of money.
I believe that in these types of companies, the CEO’s main task is to ensure that all problems are somehow solved as quickly as possible – by their own team, by external parties, or by dealing with them themselves. Small structures and lack of capital often leave little room for delegating core tasks,” Merle answered.
Adaptability Amidst Tech-Driven Innovations
Interested in learning how her organization adapts to the ongoing digital revolution and technological advancements, we requested Merle Fuchs to share the same.
“As we are highly innovative, AI already plays an important role in our day-to-day business – especially in the gaining, structuring and visualisation of key information. PRAMO is organized virtually in many areas, meaning that digital media are a constant companion in everyday life. However, it is still important to maintain sufficient personal dialogue,” she responded.
Message To Beginners
Addressing the beginners in her field, we posed the question to Merle Fuchs, “What advice would you offer to someone beginning their career in your field?”
Merle Fuchs shared, “I can only advise all young people interested in science to take this path, as natural sciences offer an outstanding opportunity to actively shape the future. Biotechnology, in particular, offers essential solutions to the key problems of our century: from energy and the environment to new materials or innovative manufacturing processes, nutrition, and health. But understanding life processes is also extremely important and still leaves many questions unanswered.”
Follow Merle Fuchs on LinkedIn.
Find more about PRAMOMOLECULAR on their website https://www.pramomolecular.com.
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