Listen to the audio version of the article
Scientific research and humanism are intertwined in the new project – or, it would be better to say, path – of Brunello Cucinelli and his family. Through the company Foro delle arti Srl – which manages the activities of the Umbrian entrepreneur’s family, distinct from fashion, including cultural activities and initiatives for the protection of people and territory – he has in fact signed an agreement to support scientific research with the SME biotech Tes Pharma Srl, founded by Professor Roberto Pellicciari, and the venture capital fund XGen Venture, founded by Paolo Fundarò, Francesca Draghi (Mario Draghi’s daughter) and Daniele Scarinci last year and specialized in investments in the medical and scientific fields.
XGen Venture has subscribed to a capital increase worth 10 million euros through which it has become a minority shareholder of Tes Pharma, already owned by Foro delle arti since 2020. «The post-money value of the Srl is 30 million euros», comments Riccardo Stefanelli, CEO of Foro delle arti and member of the new Board of Directors of Tes Pharma.
«We wanted to support scientific research by supporting the biotech SME founded by Professor Roberto Pellicciari who, together with twenty brilliant girls and boys, focuses their research on diseases for which there is no cure» said Brunello Cucinelli presenting the initiative at Casa Cucinelli, in Milan. «I believe the fascinating research that lies behind all scientific knowledge is the most beautiful lesson we can draw from the history of human knowledge – added the Umbrian entrepreneur -. I see all this as consistent with that culture of “taking care” that has always inspired our Solomeo company.”
Tes Pharma is based right on the outskirts of Solomeo: «This geographical proximity has helped growth: having a dialectical comparison with Brunello has often helped me. At the basis of science there are innovation and creativity and science and humanism have common goals” explained Pellicciari. The company was founded in 2010 by the chemist and pharmacologist – former professor at the University of Perugia and discoverer of obeticholic acid, a drug approved by the FDA in 2016 for the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis – to develop innovative drugs for the treatment of metabolic and oncological diseases.
Tes, the name chosen for the company, in Etruscan means “to heal, cure, love”. «The company was born as a sort of spin off of the University of Perugia – says Pellicciari -. Our country has always had a strong pharmaceutical tradition, which was interrupted in the 1970s for what I believe to be political reasons. After several years abroad, between South America and the United States, I said to myself why don’t we start from the bottom, starting from scratch? Italy has very high quality researchers, thanks to a capacity for innovation that comes from the beauty that surrounds us, but with fewer opportunities than our colleagues.”