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After CRISPR breakthrough: gene editing company from Dresden also aims high
CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals recently made history with the world's first approved CRISPR/Cas9-based therapy. Several companies are already working on even better gene editing methods. Dresden-based start-up Seamless Therapeutics is exciting in this context - co-founder Anne-Kristin Heninger answered questions for the AKTIONÄR.
26/11/2023
DER AKTIONÄR: Ms Heninger, what forms the basis for your novel gene editing approach?
The basis is formed by so-called recombinases. This is an enzyme that has been used in research for over 20 years. The founder from whose research laboratory the technology originated, Prof Frank Buchholz, already had the vision back then of carrying out gene editing with these enzymes. The enzyme is very flexible – it can cut out, invert, exchange and specifically insert a piece of DNA, the so-called „targeted insertion“. We have built four platforms for each of these reactions. The modification is done by the enzyme itself, it is not a scissor like the CRISPR system. With our approach, we can also specifically modify the DNA in cells that are no longer dividing, which clearly sets us apart from other gene editing methods. Because for many diseases, it is precisely these cells that need to be addressed.
We can now develop a suitable enzyme for any human DNA target sequence in just a few weeks. Depending on which disease is being addressed, we use the most suitable of the four reactions. Inversion is currently of particular interest to us. A classic example of this is hämophilia A – here we can correctly and precisely reverse 140,000 base pairs that are present in inverted form. However, the „Holy Grail“ of gene editing is the reaction in which faulty DNA components are exchanged for correct copies, as this can address a large number of genetic diseases. We believe that our recombinase technology can provide particular added value in this area because, unlike other gene editing methods, we are not dependent on cellular repair mechanisms. This allows us to achieve an improved safety profile and hopefully better therapy results in the future.
What is the timeline for you?Seamless Therapeutics is still at an early stage. Our goal is to quickly move into clinical validation. We are currently moving away from the platform towards a therapeutic pipeline. We want to validate certain diseases ourselves, but other projects together with partners.
How are you positioned financially?We have raised almost twelve million euros through seed financing. In addition to well-known investors such as Wellington Partners and Forbion, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research also participated in the financing round via the non-dilutive GO-Bio funding programme.
Thank you for the interview!
Source: DER AKTIONÄR from 26 November 2023
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