Scientists Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci, founders of the German laboratory BioNTech, have announced their gradual withdrawal from the group's leadership in order to create a new company specializing in messenger RNA technologies. This future company will have separate resources and funding and will focus on developing the next generation of innovations based on this technology.
The research couple, who founded BioNTech in 2008, rose to prominence on the world stage during the Covid-19 pandemic thanks to the vaccine developed with the American company Pfizer, the first to obtain marketing authorization against the coronavirus. This success allowed the group to experience spectacular growth and generate considerable profits.
A new project focused on biomedical innovation
Today, the context has changed for the Mainz-based company. The decline in vaccine revenues and massive investments in research, particularly against cancer and other diseases, have led BioNTech to record a loss of approximately 1,1 billion euros in 2025.
The two researchers explain that they want to regain a pioneering role in messenger RNA research, particularly by exploring synergies with artificial intelligence. BioNTech will, however, remain linked to the future startup, which will benefit from certain technologies and intellectual property rights of the group in exchange for a minority stake and royalties. The founders are expected to fully join the management of their new company by the end of 2026, while BioNTech will continue its activities focused on developing treatments, particularly in oncology.
