Immitra Bio Raises CHF 2.4 Million to Advance In-Vivo Gene Editing Platform for Inherited Anemia
核心洞察
Geneva-based Immitra Bio (搜索) secured CHF 2.4 million in pre-seed funding to advance its scalable in-vivo gene editing platform and lead candidate IB-003.
The company's mutation-agnostic approach aims to replace complex ex-vivo cell therapies with an off-the-shelf injection that edits cells directly inside the body.
Proceeds will fund preclinical proof-of-concept studies for IB-003, a potential one-time curative treatment for an inherited anemia (搜索).
Geneva-based biotech startup Immitra Bio (搜索) has raised CHF 2.4 million in an upsized pre-seed financing round to accelerate development of its in-vivo gene editing platform and lead therapeutic candidate, IB-003, a potential one-time curative treatment for an inherited anemia (搜索). The ETH Zurich spinout aims to overcome key limitations of current gene-edited cell therapies by eliminating the need for complex ex-vivo cell manipulation, patient conditioning, stem cell transplantation, and personalized manufacturing.
The round includes CHF 2.25 million from venture capital firms and private investors, complemented by CHF 150,000 in non-dilutive funding. Backbone Ventures (搜索) led the financing and was co-led by OCCIDENT (搜索), with participation from Another VC, Kickfund, Venture Kick, Zürcher Kantonalbank, FONGIT, ETH Foundation, and private investors.
A Paradigm Shift in Gene Editing Delivery
Currently approved and clinical-stage blood stem cell therapies rely on editing cells outside the body through an ex-vivo process. This involves extracting stem cells from the patient, editing them individually at specialized facilities, administering chemotherapy-based conditioning to prepare the bone marrow, and then transplanting the modified cells back into the patient. These steps are major contributors to the cost, complexity, and toxicity of current treatments.
Immitra Bio (搜索)'s technology is designed to replace this multi-step process with an off-the-shelf injection that edits cells directly inside the body. By delivering the editing machinery in-vivo, the company seeks to improve scalability, accessibility, and commercial viability for patients with genetic diseases.
Mutation-Agnostic Approach
A defining feature of Immitra Bio (搜索)'s platform is its mutation-agnostic design. Rather than targeting a specific genetic mutation, the technology is intended to produce a treatment that works for all patients with a given disease regardless of their underlying mutation. This approach could broaden the addressable patient population and simplify treatment paradigms compared to mutation-specific therapies.
The company combines its editing approach with a digital target discovery platform used to identify potential therapeutic targets, supporting pipeline expansion beyond the lead program.
Preclinical Path Forward for IB-003
The majority of the proceeds will fund preclinical proof-of-concept studies for IB-003. While Immitra Bio (搜索) has not publicly disclosed the specific inherited anemia (搜索), molecular target, or development timeline, the company describes IB-003 as a potential one-time curative treatment.
Co-founder Amir Taheri highlighted the role of Venture Kick in the company's trajectory: "Venture Kick has been invaluable to Immitra Bio (搜索) at a defining moment in our journey. Beyond funding, the process helped us sharpen our pitch, increase our visibility, connect directly with investors, access Venture Kick's extended network, and benefit from meaningful non-dilutive innobooster support."
Immitra Bio (搜索) was founded by Jan Nelis (CEO), Prof. Jacob Corn (Scientific Advisor), and Amir Taheri (CSO). The company is a Venture Kick and Venture Leaders alumnus.