Advancing
biological
therapies
Project funded by the Axencia Galega de Innovación and co-financed by the European Union under the Programa Galicia FEDER 2021–2027
Advancing biological therapies through integrated preclinical development.
UMBIO is the USC-SunRock Joint Research Unit for the pleclinical development of biological therapies, a public-private collaboration between Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC) and SunRock Biopharma that brings together academic research, advanced scientific capabilities and biotech expertise to accelerate the development and validation of new therapeutic candidates in oncology and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.
UMBIO is a project funded by the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN) and co-funded by the European Union under the Galicia FEDER 2021–2027 Programme (European Regional Development Fund).
Connecting science, technology and industry
UMBIO aims to accelerate the preclinical development of innovative biological therapies by combining scientific knowledge, specialised technologies and industry expertise within a shared research environment. The Joint Research Unit focuses on five main objectives.
Main objectives
Functional charaterisation
Characterisation of new therapeuthic antibodies and investigation of their mechanisms of action to better understand their biological activity and therapeutic potential.
Pharmacokinetics and biodistribution
Advanced analytical and molecular imaging techniques to study how therapeutic candidates are distributed and behave in vivo.
Preclinical efficacy
Evaluation of therapeutic activity in relevant preclinical models to generate evidence supporting candidate selection and development decisions.
Safety assessment
Generation of early safety data to support the progression of selected candidates towards regulatory and clinical stages.
Therapeutic Antibody Safety Assessment
Assessing therapeutic antibody safety through regulatory toxicology studies in non-human primates to support preclinical development.
Complementary capabilities. One shared Goal
UMBIO brings together the experience of SunRock Biopharma in therapeutic antibody development with the scientific and technological capabilities of the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.
The Unit integrates expertise from:
InnoPharma Platform
Drug discovery and screening.
Cell Cycle and Oncology – CyClOn
Cancer biology and new therapeutic strategies.
MIBIOLAB
Molecular imaging and preclinical studies.
CEBEGA
Experimental biomedical research and in vivo models.
SunRock
Develops therapeutic antibodies.
UMBIO also collaborates with Fundación Kærtor, contributing additional expertise in drug discovery and translational research.
A Focus on innovative biological therapies
UMBIO works on the development of new therapeutic approaches based on monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).
Its activity is particularly focused on areas with unmet clinical needs in oncology and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, integrating complementary scientific and technological capabilities to advance promising therapeutic candidates.
The Joint Research Unit also contributes to the development of SunRock Biopharma programmes targeting areas such as CCR9 and HER3.
UMBIO at a glance
UMBIO brings together the experience of SunRock Biopharma in therapeutic antibody development with the scientific and technological capabilities of the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.
€2.73million
Total project budget
30 months
From March 2026 to September 2028
2 organisations
Universidade de Santiago de Compostela + SunRock Biopharma
4 areas of development
Functional characterisation · Pharmacokinetics· Efficacy · Safety
Project funded by the Axencia Galega de Innovación and co-financed by the European Union under the Programa Galicia FEDER 2021–2027
Research progress
UMBIO will report on the main scientific and technological advances achieved throughout the development of the Joint Research Unit.
Building stronger paths from research to therapy
UMBIO creates a shared environment where scientific knowledge, specialised infrastructures and biotech expertise come together to advance the preclinical development of new biological therapies.
By strengthening the connection between research and industry, UMBIO helps promising biomedical innovation move towards its next stage of development.
