What if we could better understand how proteins fold, move and interact – and use this knowledge to develop new treatments?

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MendelFOLD is a Brno-based biotechnology spin-off founded at Mendel University in Brno. It is part of the wider innovation ecosystem surrounding the InnovPrecMed project and is one of the promising startups supported through its innovation and entrepreneurship activities. Bringing together an international team of scientists and entrepreneurs, the company develops innovative computational tools to better understand protein structure and function, with potential applications in drug discovery, synthetic biology and precision medicine.

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At the heart of MendelFOLD's technology is a novel approach to predicting the three-dimensional structure of proteins and understanding how they behave. Starting from a protein sequence, the company's computational methods aim to reveal how proteins fold, identify previously hidden binding sites and explore how different parts of a protein communicate with each other. These insights could help researchers better understand disease mechanisms and identify new opportunities for therapeutic development.

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MendelFOLD's ambition goes beyond predicting protein structures. By connecting structural information with biological functions and pathways, the company aims to make advanced protein modelling more useful and accessible to researchers and pharmaceutical companies. Its technology has the potential to accelerate drug discovery, reduce experimental costs and contribute to the development of treatments for diseases that remain difficult to target.

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The company is also an example of how university research can develop into a promising deep tech business. Building on years of scientific research and international collaboration, MendelFOLD has taken important steps towards commercialisation, including securing its first pre-seed investment from US investors. Its journey highlights the importance of combining scientific expertise, entrepreneurship and investment to bring research-based innovations closer to practical applications.

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In our Innovation Leaders video, Yazan Haddad, one of the founders of MendelFOLD, introduces the company, explains the science behind its technology and shares its journey from academic research towards commercialisation.

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Watch the full video below and discover how MendelFOLD is working to transform our understanding of proteins into new opportunities for biotechnology and precision medicine!