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Nouscom

Nouscom is a private clinical-stage oncology company developing next-generation off-the-shelf and precision viral vector neoantigen cancer immunotherapies.

Last updated September 27, 2026

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Overview

Nouscom is a private oncology company founded in 2015 by an experienced management team that had previously worked together in successful enterprises. The company is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, with a research and development subsidiary in Rome, Italy. Its proprietary technology platform harnesses the full power of the immune response by combining viral vectored genetic vaccines based on neoantigens with other immunomodulators. The platform is built on proprietary recombinant Adenovirus isolated from non-human great apes (GAd) and Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara (MVA). The use of primate-derived viral vectors offers advantages in generating potent immune responses while being much less susceptible to neutralization by pre-existing immunity in humans. These vaccine technologies have been evaluated in over 4,000 adult, newborn, and elderly healthy subjects and shown to be safe, immunogenic, and efficacious. Nouscom is leveraging this experience to advance a portfolio of novel, safe, and effective neoantigen immunotherapies targeting human malignancies and to expand the utility of existing immunotherapeutic agents such as checkpoint inhibitors. The company's leadership and founding team are successful entrepreneurs who previously developed innovative candidate vaccines for infectious diseases including malaria, Ebola, respiratory syncytial virus, and hepatitis-C virus. Co-founder Riccardo Cortese, MD, PhD, founded the genetic vaccine company Okairos in 2007 and led it through its successful acquisition by GSK in 2013. He passed away in April 2017, but his intuitions and leadership continue to inspire Nouscom's work. The company operates as a private entity with headquarters in Switzerland and operations in Italy.

History

Nouscom was founded in 2015 by an experienced management team that had worked together for many years in previous successful enterprises. The company is a private oncology company developing next-generation immunotherapies. Its proprietary technology platform harnesses the full power of the immune response by combining viral vectored genetic vaccines based on neoantigens with other immunomodulators. The platform is based on proprietary recombinant Adenovirus isolated from non-human great apes (GAd) and Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara (MVA). The use of viral vectors derived from primates has several advantages, in that they generate potent immune responses and are much less susceptible to neutralization by pre-existing immunity in humans. These vaccines have been evaluated in over 4,000 adult, newborn, and elderly healthy subjects, and shown to be safe, immunogenic, and efficacious. The team is now leveraging its experience and expertise in viral vectored vaccines design and development to advance a portfolio of novel, safe, and effective neoantigen immunotherapies to target human malignancies and expand the utility of existing immunotherapeutic agents, such as checkpoint inhibitors. Co-founder Riccardo Cortese, MD, PhD, founded the genetic vaccine company Okairos in 2007 and led the company through its successful acquisition by GSK in 2013. He sadly passed away in April 2017, but his intuitions, leadership, and ability to recognize fields of research with untapped potential continue to drive and inspire Nouscom's work each day. The company's leadership and founding team are successful entrepreneurs who have previously developed innovative candidate vaccines for a range of infectious diseases that include malaria, Ebola, respiratory syncytial virus, and hepatitis-C virus. Nouscom is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, with a subsidiary in Rome, Italy.

  • 2017

    Co-founder Riccardo Cortese passed away in April.

  • 2015

    Nouscom founded by an experienced management team.

  • 2013

    Okairos acquired by GSK.

  • 2007

    Co-founder Riccardo Cortese founded Okairos.

Products and positioning

Private clinical-stage oncology company developing next-generation immunotherapies

  • Viral vectored genetic vaccines based on neoantigens

  • Immunomodulators

  • Neoantigen cancer immunotherapies

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