Allero Therapeutics, based in Rotterdam, was founded in 2016 by Emil Pot, Federico Grego, Kees Leenhouts, and Poul Sørensen. Allero’s mission is to improve the quality of life for patients with immune-mediated disorders. It does so with its Specific OroMucosal ImmunoTherapy (SOMIT) technology, which is designed to treat Celiac Disease (CD). The project to battle food-related immune disorders started this September.
How did it all start and where are you in your mission for the company? What motivated you to engage in this mission?
It all started with an unsuccessful collaboration between the former companies of Poul and myself, where we both felt that we should come up with a new technology platform that could overcome the shortcomings that we observed. We were both eager to provide a real solution for patients that suffer from an immune disorder, rather than just a symptomatic treatment. Together with complementary experience and know-how of Kees and Federico we were able to develop the Specific OroMucosal ImmunoTherapy (SOMIT) and set up the company.
What was the highlight of 2022 for your company?
We were delighted to be able to start a pre-clinical and clinical program with the SOMIT platform for celiac disease patients. This program is funded by the EIC Horizon Grant provided by the European Commission to advance novel treatments for celiac disease patients.
Which lesson can you share that you have learned as an entrepreneur, that makes your approach different from how you would have approached it in the past?
I have learned that it is important to oversee the whole scope of developing and marketing an innovative technology and, together with the essential input from experts, taking that into account when making decisions.
Why should we know about Allero and how is it going to create an impact on the field?
Allero has a great team with a lot of experience on the different aspects of pre-clinical and clinical development, as well as on corporate strategy. We are committed to providing curative treatments to patients suffering from immune disorders, which is lacking now.
