In February 2021, two brothers from Rotterdam – Gurvinder Singh Chahal and Dharminder Singh Chahal – saw an extraordinary opportunity to restart stalled research of antibodies in the cancer field. One of these antibodies showed great potential for becoming a new innovative medication. The brothers launched their company Sairopa and began their work after obtaining 17.5 millions euros of seed capital from Rotterdam-based investors. Although it was only a small amount in the Biotech world, this money was enough to hire a team with Dutch Biotech professionals who had specialized backgrounds in human trials and preclinical research. The majority of professionals in the team had experience with these antibodies, as they were developed originally in the Netherlands and owned by an American firm when we acquired the antibody portfolio.
Gurvinder approached the pharmaceutical industry to find out if they were interested in collaborating to fund their research. The funds would have run out within two years. The US market was finally opened after many months of negotiations.
