LAMINAR PHARMACEUTICALS SA

Their core work

Laminar Pharmaceuticals is a Spanish biopharmaceutical SME based in Palma de Mallorca developing Membrane Lipid Therapy (MLT), a drug discovery approach that modifies cell membrane composition to treat cancer. Their lead compound, 2OHOA (also called LAM561), targets sphingomyelin synthase and has been tested in clinical trials against aggressive cancers, including malignant glioma and pancreatic cancer. They run clinical-stage development in-house, acting as sponsor and coordinator of their own trials rather than out-licensing early. Their contribution to EU research is a genuine translational pipeline: from mechanism (membrane lipids) to Phase II human trials.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 phase (CLINGLIO, 2017-2022), the focus was advancing 2OHOA through a large Phase IIB glioma trial — a late-stage clinical program in brain cancer. In the more recent period, they have shifted the same compound (LAM561) toward pancreatic cancer, with PANC561 (2021-2023) zooming into mechanism-of-action work on sphingomyelin synthase and tumour cell migration. The evolution is indication expansion: from one aggressive brain tumour to a second hard-to-treat solid tumour, while deepening the mechanistic understanding of their platform.

They are broadening their membrane lipid therapy platform from glioma into other aggressive solid tumours, which opens collaboration opportunities for oncology partners with patient-derived models, biomarker expertise, or clinical networks in pancreatic cancer.

How they like to work

Laminar coordinates both of its H2020 projects, meaning they prefer to lead rather than follow — consistent with being the IP holder of 2OHOA/LAM561. They have worked with 12 distinct partners across 8 countries, a modest network size that suggests focused consortia built around their compound rather than broad multi-disciplinary alliances. Working with them means collaborating around their drug, not on open-ended research questions.

12 consortium partners across 8 countries, with a pan-European clinical and research network typical of a small biotech running multi-site oncology trials. Home base in Spain anchors the activity.

What sets them apart

Very few European SMEs coordinate their own Phase IIB oncology trials under H2020 — most biotechs this size participate as partners or out-license early. Laminar is unusual in owning both the science (sphingomyelin synthase / MLT platform) and the clinical program through to late-stage patient trials. For partners, they offer a rare combination: a proprietary first-in-class mechanism, clinical-stage assets, and the willingness to act as trial sponsor.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CLINGLIO
  Their flagship project at EUR 2.99M, funding a full Phase IIB clinical trial in malignant glioma — a rare scale of clinical investment for an SME coordinator.
• PANC561
  An MSCA Individual Fellowship extending LAM561 into pancreatic cancer, showing the company actively hosts research fellows and expands indications.