OUR MISSION
CARTemis Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company founded as a spin-off from the Max Delbrück Center in Berlin and pioneers next-generation CAR T-cell therapies for treating a broad range of hematologic malignancies and autoimmune diseases.
Our first-in-class lead asset targets CXCR5, a novel and superior antigen with a dual mode of action. By addressing both tumor cells and their niches, the anti-CXCR5 CAR is designed to achieve deeper, longer-lasting remissions where current CAR T-cells fail.
Backed by proprietary IP, impressive preclinical data, and a leadership team that combines a strong scientific foundation with biotech expertise, CARTemis is positioned to build a scalable therapeutic platform.
Our goal is to transform patient outcomes and deliver sustainable value while reducing healthcare costs.
MANAGEMENT
Dr. Anthea Wirges
CEO & Co-Founder
Cartemis deAnthea is the CEO and has co-founded CARTemis Therapeutics together with PD Dr. Uta E. Höpken and Dr. med. Armin Rehm. She has studied Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at the Universities of Jena and Lund and obtained a PhD in Biochemistry. For the past 10 years, she has studied CAR T-cells and their therapeutic application scientifically as a researcher. Her work resulted in several publications and patents in the field of adaptive immunotherapy of cancer. Helmholtz Enterprise and the EIC Women Leadership Programme supported her transition to entrepreneurship. Very recently, she belongs to the winners of the first Women TechEU call.
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Dr. Thomas Klaue
CFO
Cartemis deThomas served as Chief Financial Officer and deputy Chief Executive Officer at several, in part publicly listed companies including MK AG, Medigene AG and sterna biologics. Thomas was an Assistant Professor at the University of Mannheim in Germany and a Research Fellow at the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management in Boston, where his research focused on innovation management and organizational changes in industrial corporations.
Thomas holds a Ph.D. in Business Economics (Mannheim) and a M. Eng. (K.I.T.) and is a Harvard Business School graduate.
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PD Dr. Uta Höpken
CDO & Co-Founder
Cartemis deUta is a Senior Group Leader at the Max Delbrück Center (MDC) and has more than 25 years research experience in immunology and tumor immunology. Today, her research focuses on the development of cellular immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. She and her team developed novel in-house monoclonal antibodies and Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T cell products to target B cell malignancies and disorders, and is currently testing these CAR-T products in academic clinical phase I/II trials. She is on the Board of Directors for Cellular Therapies at the National Center of Tumor Diseases (NCT)-Berlin site and Member of the Operative Board of the Berlin Center of Advanced Therapies (BeCAT) of the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
Uta holds a Diploma in Biology (Marburg) and obtained her PhD in Immunology (Göttingen). After several years of post-doctoral research in the U.S. (Harvard Medical School, Boston), she became a principal investigator at the MDC (Berlin). In 2008 she habilitated in Immunology at the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin and in 2015 she became Senior Group Leader at the MDC. Uta has published over 75 peer reviewed papers in (tumor) immunology and cellular immunotherapy, and she is inventor of 5 granted and pending patents in the field of CAR-T cell technology.
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Dr. med. Armin Rehm
CMO & Co-Founder
Cartemis deArmin is a is a senior group leader at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlina. He is an internist with many years of experience in hematology and oncology at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin. His scientific expertise lies in the cell and molecular biological characterization of immune cells, as well as in the elucidation of disrupted intracellular vesicle trafficking pathways in tumor cells. His group employs multimodal technologies, including all omics technologies such as scRNAseq, state-of-the-art flow cytometry, and immunohistology. In collaboration with the Höpken research group, his group has produced and functionally validated CARs and developed a semi-automated Prodigy bioreactor process for CAR T cell production. He brings regulatory experience gained through applications for manufacturing licenses, consultations with the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), and the initiation of Phase I/II (IIT) clinical trials. He is a member of the steering committee for the Phase I/IIa CARLOTTA trial and the TICARIS trial (CXCR5 CAR).
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Christian Kaps
COO
Cartemis deChristian studied Cell Biology and Genetics, he earned his PhD from Technical University Braunschweig, Germany. Christian has more than 20 years experience in the Cell & Gene Therapy space and has worked in the biotech-biopharmaceutical industry for the development of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP). He has held various leadership positions in Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Research and Quality Affairs, including Good Manufacturing Practice – GMP. He has a strong scientific background and is author and co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in the field of Cell and Gene Therapy. Christian and his team successfully achieved European-wide marketing authorization of the first German ATMP in 2017.
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SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
Dr. Peter Heinrich
Chairman
Cartemis dePeter has over 25 years of experience in research & development, drug development & commercialization, licensing, business & corporate development as well as general management. He has been directly involved in start-up ventures, publicly-held entities, strategic transactions, improving shareholder value, and mergers and acquisitions. Peter is a co-founder of Sinfonie LSM GmbH and a co-founder and previous CEO of MediGene AG and of MagForce AG. He has an educational background in biology and chemistry and received a PhD in biochemistry. After that he was a post-doc scientist for two years at Harvard University. Peter is a co-founder of BIO Deutschland, Germany´s Biotech industry organization and has been its Chairman from 2004-2020. He also serves on the Board of EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, which is Europe’s largest and most influential biotech industry group. He was a previous member of the Board of the European Emerging Biopharmaceutical Enterprises (EBE), serving from 2003 – 2006 as EBE’s President. From 2014-2020 he served as a Member of the Scientific Panel for Health (SPH) of the European Commission for Horizon 2020. From 2016-2020 he was also member of the board of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), the voice of the German industry. Peter is a serial entrepreneur (MediGene, MediGenomix, Immunocor, Adaptimmune, Syntab) and acts as Board member of some Biotech companies.
Prof. Dr. Dimitrios L. Wagner
Scientific Advisor
Cartemis deProf. Dimitrios Laurin Wagner, M.D., Ph.D., is a physician-scientist specializing in genome editing and cell therapies. He serves as an Assistant Professor at the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine and leads liaison research groups at the Berlin Institute of Health and the Berlin Center for Advanced Therapies at Charité, Berlin. Dr. Wagner completed his medical and doctoral degrees at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, with a focus on immunology and genome engineering. His research aims to develop non-viral genome editing platforms for innovative immune cell therapies for cancer, autoimmune diseases, and transplant rejection.
Prof. Dr. Henrich Abken
Scientific Advisor
Cartemis deDr. Hinrich Abken is a Professor at the University of Regensburg and the Chair for Genetic Immunotherapy. In addition, he is Director of the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT) where he focuses on the development of adoptive cell therapy of malignant diseases using engineered T cells. Dr. Abken is regarded as one of the pioneering figures in the cell therapy and CAR-T field since the 1990s when he and his team published their first paper on chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) in T cells.
Dr. Abken studied medicine at Essen University, completed his doctoral thesis at the Institute for Molecular Biology, and performed his post-doctorate research at the Institute for Cell Biology (Professor Rajewsky). He received his venia legendi in Genetics and Immunology from the Faculty of Science of the Rheinische Wilhelms Universität Bonn where he was group leader at the Institute for Genetics. In 1993, he became C3 University Professor for Tumor Genetics at the Medical Faculty of the University of Cologne and was member of the CMMC with an Independent Research Group. In June 2018, Dr. Abken joined the University Regensburg. Dr. Abken is a recipient of the Johann-Georg-Zimmermann Medal, one of the most prestigious awards in medicine in Germany, particularly in oncology.
