Developing DNA-based medicines to neutralise harmful autoantibodies
Long COVID can cause persistent fatigue, breathlessness and cognitive difficulties that disrupt daily life for months or years. Some patients have autoantibodies targeting the body's own receptors, suggesting an immune mechanism that may require targeted treatment.
APTA Therapeutics is developing DNA-based aptamers to neutralise harmful regulatory autoantibodies. Its acquired candidate rovunaptabin is in clinical development for heart failure and post-viral conditions, including Long COVID.
What stands out about APTA Therapeutics
Acquired candidate rovunaptabin improved fatigue measures in the 30-patient reCOVer trial; the separate BLOC trial failed to show superiority to placebo.
Signed an agreement with CIBIT to support an investigator-initiated rovunaptabin trial in patients with Long COVID.
Charité/BIH lists APTA Therapeutics among its spin-offs, with a founding year of 2025.
Co-founder Oliver von Stein previously founded and managed biotech companies focused on nucleic acid-based therapies.
Co-founder and CMO Axel Mescheder is an M.D. with more than 30 years of clinical development and regulatory experience.
Co-founder Oliver von Stein holds a PhD in molecular genetics and is an inventor in nucleic acid drug development and diagnostics.
Holds US12630828B2, granted in May 2026, covering aptamers for autoantibody-associated diseases; APTA is the listed assignee.
Collaborates with Fraunhofer SCAI on data-driven patient selection for planned clinical trials in post-viral infectious diseases.
CSO/COO Daniel Bock began his pharmaceutical R&D career at Novartis before senior roles at Revotar and sterna biologicals.
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