Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Human Virome

About Us

At Retroviral Proviromics, we’re not just exploring uncharted biology—we’re defining it.

Welcome to Proviromics™.

This emerging field taps into a vast and often overlooked biological resource known as Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs), which are remnants of ancient viral infections embedded in nearly 8% of our genome. Once dismissed as “junk DNA,” these viral elements are now recognized as active players in cancer, autoimmunity, and other complex diseases.

Proviromics™ is our framework for transforming HERVs into a new class of diagnostic biomarkers, therapeutic targets and small molecule therapies. Just as the microbiome reshaped our understanding of gut health, we believe the human virome holds the key to the next wave of biomedical breakthroughs.

Our Vision

We envision a future where the human virome serves a rich source of transformative medicines. By harnessing the evolutionary legacy of HERVs, we are driving the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics for some of the world’s most challenging diseases.

Diagram illustrating the process of viral RNA integration into host DNA, showing virus with viral RNA, reverse transcription to viral DNA, and integration into host DNA.

HERVs: Reclaimed by Evolution

HERVs are ancient viral elements that integrated into the human genome millions of years ago and now make up nearly 8% of our DNA. Far from evolutionary debris, these sequences have been co-opted by evolution to drive essential biological functions and influence mammalian development.

HERVs may hold the key to the next generation of diagnostics and therapies. We're working to turn that promise into reality.

Magnified illustration of a virus particle with spike proteins, shown in blue within a hexagonal frame.

Our Platform

Our proprietary Proviromics™ platform enables us to:

  • Discover unique oncology targets

  • Develop first-in-class monoclonal antibody therapies

  • Design novel immunosuppressive peptides

Modality-agnostic and disease-agnostic, our Proviromics™ platform is positioning us to advance a broad pipeline of innovative diagnostics and treatments.

Meet the Team

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Management Team

  • Stefen A. Laukien is the CEO and Co-Founder of Retroviral Proviromics Inc., which arose from the framework of his abstract: “Vertebrate Co-opting of Retroviral Calciomics” that he presented at the Society for Molecular Biology & Evolution Conference in 2021. He is an inventor of Retroviral Proviromics foundational intellectual property related to osteoporosis, autoimmunity, dermatology and preeclampsia. He joint published with researchers from Dana Faber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital "Tissue Imaging of Antitumor Drugs, Temozolomide and Erlotinib, with MALDI-TOF/TOF and MALDI-FTMS”, and received his M.S. in Finance from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.

  • Narinder S. Banait, Ph.D. is a former partner in Fenwick's Intellectual Property Group. He is a patent attorney with significant experience in the chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology fields. Dr. Banait worked as a research scientist at Syntexand Roche, where he primarily focused on 5-HT3 antagonists for the treatment of emesis and anxiety disorders. He has published over a dozen scientific papers in peer reviewed journals. He graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law and has a Ph.D. in organic chemistry and a M.S. in synthetic chemistry from the University of Toronto.

  • Klaus Lindpaintner, MD, MPH, FACP, is a pioneering leader in personalized medicine and genomics with over two decades bridging academic research and pharmaceutical innovation. Most recently Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at InterVenn Biosciences, he has driven genomics initiatives at Pfizer (Senior VP, Global Head of Human Genetics and Computational Biomedicine), Hoffman-La Roche (Distinguished Scientist, Global Head of Roche Center for Medical Genomics), Thermo Fisher Scientific (CSO), and Harvard Medical School faculty. With over 250 publications in population and epidemiological genetics, Klaus has shaped precision medicine's scientific foundation. He holds adjunct professorships at multiple institutions and degrees from Innsbruck University Medical School (MD) and Harvard University (MPH).

  • Dr. Benoit Barbeau has completed his Bachelor of Science at McGill University and his PhD studies at Université de Montréal working on the regulation of a gene associated with erythroleukemia. He was then a postdoctoral fellow at Université Laval, where he studied the HIV-1 and HTLV-1 viruses and started working on human endogenous retroviruses (hERV). He has been a professor at Université du Québec à Montréal since 2005 and has held a Canada Research Chair in human retrovirology (2005-2015). His team has focused on the functions of Syncytin- 2, more specifically in relation to placenta development and function. They have also studied the incorporation of this protein to the surface of circulating extracellular vesicles in pregnant women, and how it might contribute to intercellular communication.

Board of Directors

Collin D'Silva, Chairman of the Board & Co-Founder

Frank H. Laukien, Co-Founder

Dan Edelstein

Richard Stein

Stephan Wehselau

Scientific Advisory Board

Contact Us

For more information about Retroviral Proviromics, please contact:

Stefen.Laukien@RetroviralTX.com