BioNTech founders Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci announced on Mar. 10 that they will leave the company to start a new biotechnology venture focused on next-generation mRNA therapeutics.
The departure of Sahin and Türeci marks a significant change for BioNTech, which became widely known for its role in developing a COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic. Their move is seen as an effort to pursue further innovation in the field of mRNA technology.
“For us, this is the right time to prepare to hand over the baton,” Sahin said in a statement released Tuesday. “At the same time, Özlem and I are ready to become pioneers once again. Our vision has always been to translate our science into meaningful advances for patients, and we see extraordinary opportunities to unlock the next generation of transformative innovations.”
The new company, which has not yet been named, will use technology from BioNTech with plans to develop advanced mRNA therapies. This will be the third biotech founded by Sahin and Türeci, following Ganymed Pharmaceuticals in 2001 and BioNTech in 2008. Ganymed was sold to Astellas in 2016. Over their careers at BioNTech, Sahin served as CEO while Türeci was chief medical officer.
Helmut Jeggle, chairman of BioNTech’s board, said: “Over the course of their careers, Ugur and Özlem have established an outstanding track record of innovation. As BioNTech advances multiple late-stage product candidates towards commercialization, we support them in taking the opportunity to apply their strengths and undivided attention to a new venture, dedicated to enabling mRNA-based technologies to reach their full potential.”
BioNTech rose to prominence during the pandemic by quickly shifting from cancer research to develop an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19. The vaccine was developed with Pfizer and became the first COVID-19 shot authorized in the United States. According to a recent study published in JAMA, it helped prevent an estimated 2.5 million deaths between 2020 and 2024.
Following its success with COVID-19 vaccines, BioNTech has returned focus toward oncology therapies and is currently advancing several candidates through Phase 3 trials. The company plans future collaboration with Sahin and Türeci’s new venture on combination therapies.
BioNTech will transfer rights for certain unspecified mRNA technologies to the new company while retaining a minority stake along with eligibility for milestones and royalties. An official agreement is expected within the first half of this year.
