Success Story: Rockfish Bio Wins Two Major Awards – A Showcase of InnovPrecMed’s Innovation Power

Rockfish Bio, a spin-off emerging from research at LBI Trauma, BOKU University and the Medical University of Vienna, has won two prestigious awards this season: the Science & Business Award 2025 from the Rudolf Sallinger Fund and the BOKU Start-up Award for Healthy Aging.

Co-founded by LBI Trauma director and InnovPrecMed member Johannes Grillari and Ingo Lämmermann, Rockfish Bio is developing a new class of senolytic drug candidates that selectively eliminate senescent cells, which drive chronic inflammation and age-related diseases. Their molecules target a unique metabolic signature, sparing healthy cells while improving tissue function. Preclinical studies show enhanced neuromuscular performance and extended healthspan – promising steps toward future therapies.

Both awards recognize how scientific excellence can translate into real-world impact when research and entrepreneurship join forces. As Grillari noted, stable framework conditions are crucial for enabling Austrian biotech innovation to grow rather than move abroad. Lämmermann adds that strong technology transfer structures are essential for turning discoveries into products.

Rockfish Bio is also an associated member of the Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration, showing how collaborative networks across science and industry strengthen Austria’s position in biomedical innovation.

With achievements like these, Rockfish exemplifies the vision of InnovPrecMed: bridging science and business to shape the future of precision and healthy aging therapies.

(c): Paul Gruber