EMC was founded in 1996 and is classified as a biotech company focused on the generation of chemical diversity, peptide chemistry, immunochemistry and early stages of drug discovery. Synthetic efforts are based on solution phase chemistry and proprietary procedures in solid phase chemistry. With its strong background in peptide and peptide-mimetic synthesis and synthetic ligand optimisation EMC will contribute to the project in preparing chemical tools for immunochemistry and of functional peptides and screening peptides and peptide libraries. EMC will provide its experience and equipment for modern and efficient combinatorial peptide chemistry on solid phase and in solution, for cyclopeptide and immunomodulator chemistry, for automated solid phase chemistry, parallel high resolution chromatography and analytics with on-line HPLC/ESI-MS. EMC has proprietary knowledge in lipopeptide synthesis and is world market leader in the field of lipopeptides, used as activators of toll like receptors 1/2/6 and gained unique knowledge and chemical tools for biocompatible peptide hydrogels in biomedicine. Research at EMC is focused on immunochemistry, immunmodulation, drug development, biomedicine, and nanobiotechnology.

Main tasks attributed in the project

Partner EMC will participate in WPs 01, 04 and 05. Karl-Heinz Wiesmüller will be member of the Innovation and Exploitation Advisory Panel (IEAP).

Main personnel involved in the project

Dr. Renate Spohn, the local PI, is Senior Vice President of EMC. She joined EMC from the beginning and has more than 20 years experience in biopolymer and adjuvant chemistry, expertise in immunochemistry and assay development. Prior to her assignment at EMC she was Head of Production for Immunodiagnostics (ELISA and Western Blot kits) at Immuno GmbH, Heidelberg. Renate holds a PhD from the University of Tübingen and has a degree in biology and chemistry.

Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Wiesmüller, co-founder of EMC, is experienced in scientific as well as industry co-operations, project management, and coordination. He has more than 30 years expertise in peptide and lipopeptide synthesis as well as in development of synthetic vaccines and immunochemistry, documented by more than 180 original publications in peer-reviewed journals. Prior to his assignment at EMC he was Head of Libraries and Screening at EVOTEC BioSystems GmbH, Hamburg and Leader of the Department of Bio­chemistry at the Natural & Medical Science Institute in Reutlingen. He holds a Habilitation degree in bioche­mistry and a PhD from the University of Tübingen where he is currently teaching.

Dr. Ute Wank is Head of Analytical Chemistry. She is expert in high resolution analytics of peptides and organic compounds and has experience in physical chemistry. Ute is closely involved in EMC’s IP- and project management. Prior to working at EMC she was Laboratory Manager for pharmaceutical analysis at TECHPharm GmbH, Bruchsal and Laboratory Head for environmental analysis at INNOVENT e.V. Ute holds a PhD and a degree in chemistry from the University of Jena.

Dr. Holger Eickhoff is Head of Combinatorial Chemistry. He is expert in analytics and medicinal chemistry and in the generation of drug-like molecules by solid phase and solution organic chemistry. Prior to working at EMC he held a research position at the University of Tübingen. Holger holds a PhD form the University of Tübingen and has a degree in chemistry from the University of Hamburg.