Protellix launches as a new CIC bioGUNE spin-off combining artificial intelligence and molecular simulation for protein design

The new company integrates advanced computational tools and experimental validation to develop proteins and enzymes with applications across the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and industrial sectors.

Driven by researchers specialising in computational chemistry and molecular biology at CIC bioGUNE, and supported by the SPRI Group’s Basque Tek Ventures programme, Protellix represents a new initiative in the transfer of scientific knowledge to industry, moving beyond the traditional trial-and-error model in protein and enzyme engineering.

The Basque scientific ecosystem has gained a new champion of technology transfer. Protellix has been established as a spin-off from CIC bioGUNE, a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence and a member of BRTA, with the aim of radically transforming the way proteins and enzymes are conceived and optimised for industrial and pharmaceutical applications. The company has been launched with the support of the SPRI Group’s Basque Tek Ventures programme.

The company was created to address a long-standing limitation within the biotechnology sector: protein development has traditionally relied on probabilistic exploration, forcing laboratories and companies to screen thousands of variants through costly trial-and-error processes. Protellix moves the discipline away from chance and towards a rational approach through a predictive molecular engineering workflow structured around three phases: Define, Model and Validate.

Beyond artificial intelligence: the rigour of molecular physics

While many initiatives focus exclusively on algorithmic models, Protellix’s distinctive approach is built on more than two decades of academic and industrial expertise in computational chemistry and molecular simulation.

Its technological core functions as an operational engine that combines deep learning predictions, structural simulation and atomic-scale dynamics. In this framework, artificial intelligence is not an end in itself but an accelerator that enables the resolution of complex structural constraints and helps anticipate how molecules will behave under real operating conditions.

A direct bridge between simulation and the laboratory

One of Protellix’s key differentiating features and strategic assets is its direct connection with CIC bioGUNE’s state-of-the-art laboratories. The company iteratively validates its in silico designs within the research centre’s facilities, an internationally recognised environment that brings together more than 200 scientists and cutting-edge technology platforms.

This integrated workflow enables the company to address critical challenges in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, industrial biocatalysis, food technology and advanced biotechnology, covering key areas including:

• Enzyme engineering for industrial applications, through the optimisation of properties such as thermal stability, solvent resistance, catalytic activity and robustness under demanding operating conditions.
• Design and optimisation of proteins of biomedical interest, including therapeutic proteins, peptides and single-domain antibodies (VHHs), with particular attention to properties such as stability, expression and solubility.
• Design of novel binding proteins, using de novo design strategies aimed at recognising specific molecular targets.

Scientific leadership and market vision

The company’s management team combines cutting-edge research expertise with commercial experience. Protellix was founded by Gonzalo Jiménez-Osés, an Ikerbasque Research Professor and head of the Computational Chemistry Laboratory at CIC bioGUNE, together with Juan Pablo de Giacomi, an entrepreneur with extensive experience in the creation and development of biotechnology companies.

Gonzalo Jiménez-Osés, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), has built an international career in computational chemistry, molecular simulation and protein engineering, with almost 200 scientific publications. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with internationally renowned researchers, including David Baker and Frances Arnold, Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry for their respective contributions to computational protein design and the directed evolution of enzymes.

Juan Pablo de Giacomi, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), brings more than eight years of experience in the development of science-based businesses. His previous ventures include Innomy Biotech, a food technology company of which he was co-founder and CEO.

A new technology transfer initiative from CIC bioGUNE

The creation of Protellix forms part of CIC bioGUNE’s strategy to promote the transfer of scientific knowledge generated within its laboratories and to encourage its application in the development of new technologies, products and services.

The company provides a clear example of how research in computational chemistry and molecular biology can lead to new business ventures, connecting advanced scientific capabilities with specific needs across industry.

“The creation of Protellix reflects our commitment to transferring the scientific knowledge generated at CIC bioGUNE into practical applications. It is an excellent example of how world-class research in computational chemistry and molecular biology can drive new business initiatives, connecting our scientific capabilities with the needs of industry,” said José M. Mato, Director General of CIC bioGUNE, and Jesús Jiménez-Barbero, Scientific Director of the centre.

With this new spin-off, CIC bioGUNE continues to advance its commitment to research excellence, technology transfer and the development of a biotechnology ecosystem capable of generating knowledge, innovation and economic activity.