Zaluvida: The “Tesla” of pharmaceutical companies becomes a new collaborative partner of ATMOS

The international reports about ATMOS also drew the attention of the life-science group Zaluvida. Together with its subsidiary Neem Biotech, the Switzerland-based company visited Linz. Chris Müller, who is the father of a child with mucoviscidosis, was not the only one to feel very positive about the scientists’ forecasts.

“We have now opted for an innovative approach which has never been seen before in traditional medicine. These bacteria communicate with each other and attack jointly. We disrupt this and basically take away their cell phones, preventing them from constructing the biofilm. This doesn’t mean that we are repairing the genetic defect, but we are reducing its effects, because by using our active substance, the often severe and sometimes even fatal lung infections of mucoviscidosis patients can be treated much more effectively.”

Dr. Michael Graz, Managing Director of Neem Biotech, adds: “The communication of the bacteria is chemical. We are interfering with this signal. To this end, we are working with a molecule which also occurs in garlic preparations and which can now, with a special technology from Neem Biotech, also be produced in a commercial scope. Presumably this will first appear on the European and American market as a powder for inhalation. We have to get directly into the lung and inhalation is a good method which mucoviscidosis patients are used to. We are working on the development of three generations of our medication. But what I can already promise: less infections, less inflammations in the lung and fewer hospital stays.”

Matthias Miller, Chief Scientific Officer, explains how the approval process will continue: “The next step is to bring this product into the clinical phase. We networked around the globe with mucoviscidosis associations, medical specialists, practitioners, focus centers, affected persons, etc. It’s important to make the authorities aware of the importance and urgency in a joint effort. This often happens much faster in the United States; they are more optimistic. In Europe, you first see difficulties, which is why it is very important to be in a constant dialog with the political level as well. We have a first approach here, which doesn’t fit into the traditional check lists and is therefore more difficult for the authorities to handle.”

“Here a dark illness is countered with a brightly radiant, positive and colorful vision. These people have spent enough time in a hospital and the immediately relevant topics are well-covered. The really grandiose plan – which is how I see ATMOS – was still missing. This inspires me and motivates me to take it up another notch,” says Staeuble. He firmly believes that the future lies in ecologies such as they are envisioned for ATMOS. “They attract like-minded spirits and can inspire technologies far beyond the traditional areas.” Dr. Graz was also surprised by the approach: “As a scientist in a lab, you constantly think of the patient, but he isn’t physically there. ATMOS merges research with the social aspect, which often doesn’t go together. I find this idea extraordinarily inspiring! I think it will become reality very soon and hope that we can participate!”

“The ecology you find at ATMOS is the prototype of new economic practices. This is how we are creating a positive design for an increasingly massive erosion of the boundaries of personal environments. Working, living, thinking, building, starting families, having leisure time – the worlds start to blur and boundaries become worn out – through new communication tools, various concepts of life, other production methods and supply chains. Compatibility is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, which has been boosted even further by digitization. ATMOS merges things that didn’t fit together in the old patterns of thinking. What was considered separately is combined in a new way, which is the breeding ground for innovation and makes ATMOS the headwaters of inspiration.”

Further information about Zaluvida: www.zaluvida.com