A Cambridge spinout has raised £10.2 million ‘to revolutionise gene design’.
ExpressionEdits seeks to enable the development of new proteins using artificial intelligence and intronisation technology.
The seed funding round co-led by Octopus Ventures and redalpine, with participation from BlueYard Capital, Wilbe Capital, Acequia Capital, Amino Collective and Hawktail.
Founded in 2021 by Dr. Kärt Tomberg, Professor Allan Bradley, and Dr. Liliana Antunes based on research from the University of Cambridge, the company’s intronisation technology revolutionises gene design by mimicking the natural genetic landscape.
By strategically incorporating multiple short noncoding DNA sequences known as introns into artificial genes, ExpressionEdits has achieved significant enhancements in gene expression which leads to better protein production.
The funding will accelerate candidate selection for preclinical studies and develop a pipeline of protein-based therapeutics. The primary focus for the pipeline will be recombinant proteins that have historically faced production and manufacturing challenges based on current technology.
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“At ExpressionEdits, we’re revolutionising gene expression by putting introns back where they belong, resulting in significant improvements in production,” said Dr Kärt Tomberg, CEO & co-founder, ExpressionEdits.
“Our platform empowers precise decisions on which introns to use, where to place them, and how many, unlocking unprecedented levels of protein expression. Our mission is to be the pioneers in making protein therapeutics readily available and accessible to patients.”
Dr Hugo Villanueva, investor at Octopus Ventures, added: “We believe that the ExpressionEdits platform can become the fabric for any protein expression system, from antibody manufacturing to in vivo therapeutics.
“We’re excited to support Kärt and the ExpressionEdits team to revitalise healthcare through their mission of improving protein expression to produce novel genetic medicines.”