GO-Bio project “Plantman” impresses at the Science4Life Venture Cup with plant biotech : Date:
The GO-Bio project “Plantman” has won an award at the prestigious Science4Life Venture Cup 2025. The team from Cologne is working on a new type of therapy for the previously incurable Huntington's disease. It is using findings from plant biology to do so. Plantman is funded by the BMFTR as part of GO-Bio initial.
The Plantman team achieved fifth place in the ‘Business Plan’ category at the Science4Life Venture Cup in June 2025. The competition consists of three phases: Idea Phase, Concept Phase and Business Plan Phase. Plantman was already among the winners in the idea phase (autumn 2024) and concept phase (spring 2025) categories. Plantman aims to develop a new therapy for the previously incurable Huntington's disease. This genetic disorder causes huntingtin proteins to accumulate in nerve cells. The deposits are toxic and cause degenerative functional disorders of the brain. The Plantman researchers have discovered a plant enzyme that reduces these toxic protein deposits in human cells. This discovery is very promising as it could be used not only for Huntington's disease, but also for other neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and Alzheimer's disease.
The Science4Life Venture Cup is a nationwide competition for start-ups in the fields of life sciences, environmental technology, chemistry and materials science. Being one of the winning teams underlines the great innovative potential of the Plantman project and the relevance of its biomedical approach.
The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) has been funding the “Plantman” project since 2023 as part of GO-Bio initial, which is aimed specifically at research-strong and commercialization-oriented teams in early innovation phases. Plantman is currently in the feasibility phase. The project demonstrates the great potential of interdisciplinary research in plant biology and medicine.