curATime Cluster for Future

What curATime Cluster for Future does

curATime Cluster for Future (formerly 'Cluster für Atherothrombose und individualisierte Medizin') is a publicly funded interdisciplinary research cluster founded in 2021 in Mainz, Germany, under the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) clusters4future initiative. Its mission is to advance personalised treatment of atherothrombosis and related cardiovascular diseases, which the cluster identifies as the world's leading cause of death with no significant therapeutic progress in recent decades. The cluster coordinates 17 collaborative projects across four innovation fields — curAIdent (molecular signature identification), curATreat (RNA-based therapy development), curATech (AI and data platforms), and curAInnovate (cluster culture and sustainability) — and brings together University Medical Center Mainz, DFKI, TRON gGmbH, BioNTech SE, and additional academic and industry partners in the Rhine-Main-Palatinate region.

The technology stack combines AI/machine learning with mRNA-based and RNA-based therapeutics. Concrete capabilities include 3D convolutional neural networks for automated echocardiographic analysis (EchoDL), explainable AI methods via latent diffusion-based counterfactual trajectories (CDCT/CDLC), VideoMAE adaptations for ultrasound imaging, single-cell multi-omics and AI-based cell classification, Digital Twin simulation for virtual clinical trials, RNA-based therapeutics delivered via targeted nanoparticles, and a privacy-preserving AI infrastructure (curABAIOM). The cluster also develops translational digital health products such as the curAIAlert wearable warning system for heart failure patients and MyoMobile app-based coaching for HFpEF patients, plus a planned GDPR-compliant data analysis platform (curAHub).

curATime does not operate a commercial revenue model. It is coordinated by TRON gGmbH, a non-profit limited liability company (gemeinnützige GmbH) affiliated with the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, with a small core team of 5. Funding flows from BMBF's clusters4future initiative and from the DFG (including a 12.8 million EUR Sonderforschungsbereich SFB1784 'IntraC' award). Research outputs are disseminated through the cluster's German/English website, the curATalk seminar series, the annual curAMeet conference, curAHack hackathons, publications, and technology transfer to industry partners such as BioNTech, Catalent, DiaSys, and StarSEQ.

Name

curATime Cluster for Future

Legal name

TRON – Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz non-profit Limited Liability Company (TRON gGmbH)

Website

https://curatime.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

curATime is a publicly funded German research cluster in Mainz using AI and mRNA-based technologies to develop personalised diagnostics and therapies for atherothrombosis and cardiovascular disease, coordinating 17 collaborative projects across academic and industry partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cardiovascular Disease Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Omics Precision Medicine Platforms (genomics/proteomics/metabolomics) (HLAAANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Prognostic & Risk Stratification Biomarkers (disease progression, recurrence risk) (HLAAAMAF), Multiplex & High-Throughput Diagnostics Platforms (microarrays, digital PCR, lab automation-enabled assays) (HLAAALAL), Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI), Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

Keywords

• Cardiovascular disease research
• AI-driven drug discovery
• Biomarker development services
• Precision medicine platforms
• Atherothrombosis therapy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Mainz

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

curATime is a publicly funded research cluster that develops AI- and mRNA-based individualized therapies and diagnostics for atherothrombosis and cardiovascular disease. Operating across 17 collaborative projects, it combines AI-supported multi-omics biomarker discovery, analysis of large representative population datasets, RNA-based therapeutic development with targeted nanoparticles, Digital Twin simulation for drug development, and digital health applications such as wearables and eHealth apps. Outputs are disseminated through scientific publications, technology transfer to industry partners, and interdisciplinary training programs.

Product overview

curATime is a German research cluster (Cluster for Atherothrombosis and Individualized Medicine) operating across four interconnected innovation fields: curAIdent (molecular signature identification), curATreat (RNA-based therapy development), curATech (AI and data platforms), and curAInnovate (cluster culture and sustainability). The curATech field produces technology sub-products including EchoDL (3D CNNs for automated echocardiography), curAIAlert (wearable AI warning system for heart failure), MyoMobile app (personalized physical activity coaching), curABAIOM (privacy-preserving AI infrastructure), and curAHub (biomedical data platform). The research programs biosignATure, diAMs, microbAIome, curACrossDev, curATarget, curABodies, and others generate biomarkers, multi-omics data, and diagnostic concepts. Complementary programs curAEducate (training), curAFellow (fellowships), curAMento (mentoring), curATalk (seminars), curAMeet (conferences), and curAHack (hackathons) build the cluster community and pipeline of talent.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• curAIdent: Innovation field focused on identification, characterization and validation of disease-relevant molecular signatures as the basis for personalized RNA-based and other pharmacological interventions.
• curATreat
• curATech
• curAInnovate
• curATalk
• curAMento
• curAEducate
• curAEquality
• curACulture

Products and services

• curAIdent (Innovation Field) Foundational research field focused on identification, characterization, and validation of disease-relevant molecular signatures for personalized RNA-based and pharmacological interventions using single-cell technologies, multi-omics approaches, and AI-assisted analysis. Targeted at research institutions, biotech companies, and clinical partners in cardiovascular medicine.
• curATreat (Innovation Field) Preclinical and clinical-translational research field focused on RNA-based therapies targeting the pathomechanisms of atherothrombosis and cardiovascular diseases, incorporating mRNA therapeutics, lipid-based nanoparticles, and cell therapy approaches such as GMP-compliant heart tissue manufacturing.
• curATech (Innovation Field) Technological backbone providing central platforms for data integration, AI-assisted analysis, medical imaging, and automation to enable data-driven steering and validation of RNA-based developments across curAIdent and curATreat.
• curAInnovate (Innovation Field) Structural, communicative, and cultural pillar anchoring measures for sustainable implementation, application transfer, and further development of curATime innovations through cluster culture programs, career support, training, and networking.
• EchoDL (curASonic) A suite of eight 3D convolutional neural networks trained to perform automated echocardiographic measurements (LVEF, E/E'-ratio, LVM) for predicting heart failure worsening, achieving intraclass correlation coefficients comparable to manual measurements and C-indices of 0.71-0.73. Processes each echocardiogram in approximately 1053 ms.
• curAHub A professional data analysis and technology platform concept for translational biomedical research, providing a GDPR-compliant, secure digital environment for interdisciplinary collaboration between science and industry, with AI tools, statistical methods, and legal advisory services.
• curABAIOM A tailored, privacy-preserving AI infrastructure for cluster-specific biomedical and omics research, providing secure integration of external data sources, biomedical knowledge integration, and scalable cloud architecture.
• MyoMobile App A personalized app-based coaching platform for improving physical activity in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), using 3D accelerometer monitoring and tailored coaching to reduce sedentary lifestyle.

Quantifiable outcome

• Identified 1,687, 3,131, and 5,852 CpG sites associated with carotid, coronary, and peripheral atherosclerosis respectively; epigenetic scores predictive of 3-point major adverse cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events (HRs 1.23-1.39)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TRON gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTRON (Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz) is the non-profit GmbH coordinating the curATime cluster. TRON provides biotechnological entrepreneurship and drug development expertise, and hosts the curAMeet conference at its facilities. TRON gGmbH is the managing legal entity and operational coordinator of the cluster.
• Universitätsmedizin Mainz (University Medical Center Mainz)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated by the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, providing medical and clinical expertise. Leads the Gutenberg Health Study and other population cohort studies. Multiple projects are led by CTH (Centrum für Thrombose und Hämostase) researchers including Prof. Wolfram Ruf and Prof. Philipp Wild.
• DFKI (German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated by DFKI for AI and machine learning capabilities. Hosts curAHack hackathons. Contributes to projects such as curAIdisc, curASonic, curAIvasc, and curAIheart. Led by Prof. Andreas Dengel and Prof. Stefan Kramer.
• BioNTech SEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor biotechnology company involved in mRNA therapeutics, partnered for technology development and drug discovery. Brings biotech entrepreneurship and RNA-based drug development expertise to the cluster.
• Catalent GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the curARace project for upscaling the successful manufacturing of cells for heart regeneration after infarction. Provides GMP-compliant manufacturing, gene editing, and quality control expertise for cell products.
• DiaSys Diagnostic Systems GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the ThrombID project to develop diagnostic tests for vascular dysfunction in thromboinflammatory autoimmune diseases. Combines curATime research with DiaSys's diagnostic expertise to develop new detection methods for endothelial damage.
• Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in curARace project for developing a scalable, GMP-compliant platform for manufacturing functional transplantable heart cells and tissues from human iPS cells. Led by PD Dr. Robert Zweigerdt.
• Julius-Maximilians-Universität WürzburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing to curATherapy (nanoparticle formulation for targeted RNA delivery) and megATarget projects. Led by Prof. Lutz Nuhn.
• Johannes Gutenberg-Universität MainzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome university of the University Medical Center Mainz and multiple cluster researchers. Provides informatics and computational biology expertise through the Institute of Informatics (Prof. Stefan Kramer).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK): Largest German national cardiovascular research consortium with multi-site structure comparable to curATime. DZHK operates across 7 sites with similar translational mandate, making it the closest structural peer as a publicly funded cardiovascular research network.
• BioNTech SE: Core strategic partner of curATime and a direct peer in mRNA-based therapeutics. BioNTech brings biotech entrepreneurship and RNA drug development expertise to the cluster and is a natural commercialization vehicle for cluster IP in cardiovascular indications.
• CureVac SE: Germany-based mRNA therapeutics company with technology overlap to curATime's RNA-based therapy programs. CureVac's pipeline and mRNA platform expertise make it a direct peer in mRNA technology and a potential alternative commercialization partner for cluster RNA IP.
• TRON gGmbH: The coordinating legal entity of the curATime cluster and a translational research organization at University Medical Center Mainz. TRON provides biotechnological entrepreneurship and drug development infrastructure directly hosting cluster programs (curATherapy, curAI-LINEAR, curARace, curABodies).

Emerging players

• Verve Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing in vivo gene editing medicines for cardiovascular disease (notably PCSK9 for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease). Overlaps with curATime's cardiovascular disease focus and represents the commercial benchmark for gene-editing approaches in the same indication.
• Cardurion Pharmaceuticals: US-based cardiovascular drug development company with pipeline targeting heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. Comparable in therapeutic focus area to curATime's curAInfarct and heart failure programs, though structured as a venture-backed biotech.
• Cardior Pharmaceuticals: Germany-based biotech developing RNA-based therapeutics (including CDR132L) for heart failure. Directly comparable to curATime's curATreat and curATherapy programs targeting cardiovascular disease via RNA mechanisms, though Cardior is asset-focused versus the cluster's broader platform.
• Tenaya Therapeutics: US-based clinical-stage biotech developing precision medicines for heart disease, including gene therapy and cellular regeneration. Comparable to curATime's cardiovascular precision medicine and cell therapy (curARace) programs but as an asset-focused commercial company.

Broad incumbents

• Berlin Institute of Health (BIH): German biomedical translational research organization at Charité. Comparable to curATime as a publicly funded research entity bridging academic medicine and industry, though broader in scope beyond cardiovascular disease.
• Helmholtz Munich (Institute of AI for Health): Major German research organization with significant AI-for-health and cardiovascular research programs. Comparable to curATime as a publicly funded German biomedical research entity applying AI to health, though much larger in scale and broader in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/curatime

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about curATime Cluster for Future