Cellular target-engagement reporters advancing discovery,validation and selection in drug development.

KinCon biolabs is a biotech startup based in Innsbruck, Austria. We develop a constantly expanding platform of unique live-cell activity biosensors.

Our Mission

Precision medicine
Reviving enzymes
KinCon biolabs advances the identification of the most efficient, mutation-specific drug candidates to accelerate drug development.
We are setting out to reactivate compartmentalized and mutated enzyme pathways to identify first in class treatments for neurodegenerative disorders.

platform

KinCon biolabs technology platform is geared towards well established as well as hard-to-drug targets.
Tap elements to view details
Kinases
Nuclear Receptors
p53
E3-Ligases
  • Conformation reporters for kinases and pseudokinases
  • Platform established for 100+ kinase variants
  • Determine drug efficacy and specificity in live-cell assays
  • First-in-cell readout for nuclear receptor target engagement
  • Benchmark agonists and antagonists in live-cell assays
  • Platform coverage for ~25% of all nuclear receptors
  • Mutation-specific validation of p53 modulators
  • Profile drug candidates across p53 mutations in live-cell assays
  • Analyze p53-MDM2 interaction dynamics
  • Live-cell tracking of E3 ligase conformational dynamics
  • Analyze targeted protein degradation (TPD) and molecular glue activity
  • Expandable to emerging and uncharacterized E3 ligases

Technology

The KinCon biosensor platform allows the tracking of drug-induced changes of the protein conformation under physiological relevant conditions.
  • Protein activity measurements in living cells

    Full-length biosensors for the protein of interest are expressed in the target cell-line of choice.
  • Simple integration of patient mutations for precision medicine

    Any mutation of interest can be integrated into the respective biosensor to determine mutation specific drug (candidate) efficacies and specificities.
  • Systematic analysis

    Our technology allows dose- and time-dependent drug profiling in a high content format.
Profiling Kinase Conformations
patient mutations
lead molecules
cancer drugs
> 500 human kinases
The luciferase based KinCon biosensor measures drug-driven effects on kinase-activity by reflecting changes of cellular kinase conformations.

Meet the KinCon biolabs Team

Eduard Stefan
Eduard Stefan
CEO | Co-Founder
Edi is the inventor of the KinCon technology, holds a PhD in genetics and brings more than 15 years of experience in studying the functions of various kinases. He is a group-leader in the institute of molecular biology at the University of Innsbruck.
Philipp Tschaikner
Philipp Tschaikner
CSO | Co-Founder
Philipp holds a PhD in molecular cell-biology. He is responsible for steering the development of the biosensor platform and implementing our customer-projects.
Andreas Feichtner
Andreas Feichtner
Scientist
Andreas, who significantly contributed to the development and application of KinCon technology during his PhD, is now joining KinCon biolabs as a scientist. His expertise and experience will be instrumental in advancing our research and development efforts.
Carolina Doerrier
Carolina Doerrier
Business Development
Carolina established KinCon biolabs’ Business Development function to connect our research with industry needs, bridging science and market. She holds a PhD in Biomedicine and a Master’s in Biotechnology, and brings 17 years of experience across industry, R&D and management.
Dominik Regele
Dominik Regele
Scientist
Dominik joins KinCon biolabs as a Scientist to strengthen our targeted protein degradation approaches. He holds a PhD in Biology from the University of Innsbruck and brings expertise in cell signaling, bioinformatics, and data analysis.
Gabi Reiter
Gabi Reiter
Administration
Gabi plays a vital role at KinCon bio, providing essential administrative support to ensure smooth operations. She brings a high level of organization and dedication to all her tasks, benefiting the entire team.
Alexandra Fritz
Alexandra Fritz
Industrial PhD
Alex is a foundational member of KinCon biolabs. She originally joined us as a lab technician, playing a crucial role in developing protocols and processes. Now, she is advancing our R&D efforts as an industrial PhD student, working on her own project.
Christian Hörtnagl
Christian Hörtnagl
Technician
Since joining in February 2024, Christian, who holds a BSc in Chemistry, has been instrumental in advancing our lab's research capabilities with his technical proficiency.
Lorenz Klausner
Lorenz Klausner
Technician
Lorenz holds a BSc in Chemistry and contributes his expertise to support our innovative research and development projects at KinCon biolabs.
Sophia Baumgartner
Sophia Baumgartner
Technician
Sophia, who holds Master’s degrees in Molecular Medicine and Biotechnology, supports the full lab workflow, from running KinCon biolabs’ experiments to day-to-day lab maintenance.
Zuzana Šmahelová
Zuzana Šmahelová
Technician
Zuzana is a lab technician on KinCon biolabs’ Nuclear Receptor team. She holds a Master’s degree in Microbiology and Genetic Engineering and brings expertise in nuclear receptor biology and high-throughput screening, gained during her PhD, in which she tested small molecules designed to activate the Nrf1 pathway using luciferase-based and related assays.

Are you interested in our biosensors or just want to connect with us?

Just fill out the form below.

Send now
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

News & Publications

See all
July 2024

Industrial PhD funded by FFG & Land Tirol: Restoring tumor-suppressor function at KinCon biolabs

July 2024

FFG funds “Seek & Destroy”: KinCon biolabs expands live-cell reporters for targeted protein degradation (TPD) to tackle undruggable targets

August 2023

KinCon biolabs Graduates from Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) Program and Joins CDL Supersession in Toronto

KinCon biolabs GmbH is a University of Innsbruck spin-off company supported by funding from the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) Spin-off Fellowship, Austria Wirtschaftsservice (AWS) Preseed program , and from the State of Tyrol through the Health Hub Tirol funding program.


Swipe for more
Standortagentur Tirol
Universität Innsbruck
FFG
Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH