SOTIO, a biotechnology company owned by the PPF Group, on 8 Jan 2020 announced the opening of offices of SOTIO Biotech AG at the Technology Park Basel, Switzerland. The SOTIO office will host the clinical development team, as well as other functions to progress its broad clinical development pipeline towards filing for marketing authorization and commercial launch. SOTIO is an international biotechnology company which has facilities in Europe, the United States, China and Russia.

“The opening of offices in Switzerland is part of our strategy of expanding our pipeline of new immuno-oncology products and strengthening our presence in globally-recognized biotech hubs,” says Dr. Radek Spisek, PhD., CEO of SOTIO. “We are growing internationally and running and preparing multiple clinical trials with various oncology treatments. Basel is well-known as a top center for life sciences with a global reach and reputation. It also complements our R&D activities in other European countries, the US and China. The Basel area has an outstanding biotechnology talent pool and a very attractive business environment. We plan to add top biotechnology professionals to our global multinational team.“

Investments in biotechnology and cancer research are one of the main pillars of PPF’s long-term strategy. Under the umbrella of the biotechnology company SOTIO, it concentrates activities aimed at developing and marketing new treatments that can help patients suffering from various types of severe oncological diseases.

SOTIO and PPF have built a biotechnology portfolio through in-house research and development, investments, acquisitions and in-licensing of innovative products with companies like NBE-Therapeutics (CH), Cellestia Biotech (CH), Cytune Pharma (F), Autolus Therapeutics (UK), MaveriX (US) or Lead Discovery Center (D). SOTIO is developing its proprietary dendritic cell-based cell therapy platform DCVAC and has significant manufacturing and regulatory expertise in autologous cellular therapies.  SOTIO also recently initiated a Phase I/Ib clinical trial with interleukin-15 superagonist SO-C101.