Staying ahead of the technology curve means strengthening your competitive advantage. That is why we give you data-driven innovation insights into the pharma industry. This time, you get to discover 5 hand-picked gene-editing startups.
Global Startup Heat Map highlights 5 Top Gene Editing Startups in Pharma out of 295
The insights of this data-driven analysis are derived from the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 1.379.000+ startups & scaleups globally. The platform gives you an exhaustive overview of emerging technologies & relevant startups within a specific field in just a few clicks.
The Global Startup Heat Map below reveals the distribution of the 295 exemplary startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research. Further, it highlights 5 gene editing startups that we hand-picked based on criteria such as founding year, location, funding raised, and more. You get to explore the solutions of these 5 startups & scaleups in this report. For insights on the other 290 gene-editing solutions for pharma, get in touch.
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Seven Therapeutics develops CRISPR-based Therapeutics
Gene editing manipulates cell machinery either in-vivo or in-vitro. Many gene-editing techniques, such as the CRISPR/Cas9 system, have revolutionized pharma in the past decade. CRISPR technology offers high specificity in gene targeting, efficiency, and ease of use. As a result, this makes CRISPR a viable technique to develop complex therapeutic solutions targeting immunological disorders.
Seven Therapeutics is a Singaporean startup that develops CRISPR-based therapeutics. It combines CRISPR/Cas proteins 9, 12, and 13 with adeno-associated virus (AAV) to develop therapeutics for immune diseases. Seven Therapeutics works on the immune-sheath and immune-silent gene-editing solutions which are not affected by host cell immune response. Thus, these solutions are offered as personalized immunotherapy to patients.
Excision Bio develops a Gene Editing Platform
Developing therapeutics targeting viral diseases is a challenge as viruses utilize the host cell machinery to replicate. To address this, pharma startups develop robust and highly specific engineered gene-based solutions to decipher the effects on the virus. Gene editing also helps analyze and target viral genes and the underlying mechanisms. This later helps companies develop therapeutics for viral diseases.
US-based startup Excision Bio develops a gene-editing platform for viral diseases. The startup’s platform enables in-silico design of probes to analyze on- and off-target effects on viruses. The platform further integrates computational methods to design effective guide ribonucleic acid (RNAs). The startup uses dual guide RNAs (gRNAs) to excise large sections of viral DNA, eliminating viral escape and replication. In this way, Excision Bio’s solutions create gene-editing medicines to treat viral infection genes in humans.
Incisive Genetics provides a Gene Delivery Technology
The CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology still suffers from some critical limitations. For example, the CRISPR/Cas9 complex stability is determined by the interaction of its components – guide RNA, Cas9 endonuclease, and the target gene scaffold. This instability, in turn, affects the editing efficiency and also alters the dosage. This is why pharma startups are developing techniques that enable strong CRISPR complex stability to advance the use of this technology.
Canadian startup Incisive Genetics provides a proprietary gene delivery technology. The startup’s Omnia gene delivery platform enables one-step encapsulation of the active CRISPR components. The encapsulation also prevents the degradation of individual components and optimizes delivery for a suitable concentration. The startup’s lead candidate targets Huntington’s disease, as well as other neurologic and retinal genetic diseases.
Bio Palette offers Microbiome Therapeutics
Advances in genetically modified bacterial therapeutics allow the insert position of genes to be controlled. This, as a result, leads to the efficient creation of genetically modified bacteria. Pharma startups and companies alike are using new gene-editing technologies to develop novel therapeutics that modify the microbiome.
Bio Palette is a Japanese startup developing Target-Switch, a proprietary genome editing technology that does not involve DNA cleavage. The startup offers two types of base editing technologies, Target-AID and Target-G, each using a different type of base converting enzyme. By utilizing its “non-cutting” genome base editing technology, the startup enables the development of novel microbiome therapeutics. This involves precise genetic modification of bacteria via base editing and administration as bacterial preparations.
GEcoll Biomedical produces Humanized Biological Materials
There is an increasing demand for donor transplants and biological materials for therapeutics. Although regenerative medicine has advanced in recent years, there are still many technical challenges to overcome. For example, the production of humanized biological materials in animals, through gene editing, is a viable solution to meet the demand for transplants. However, this requires flexible gene-editing platforms that manipulate the endogenous genes of animals into that of humans.
GEcoll Biomedical is a Taiwanese startup providing safe, non-allergic, and humanized biomaterials for tissue repair and regeneration. LS-CRISPR, the startup’s core technology, offers a flexible platform for scientists to create gene edits, insertions, deletions, and base replacements. The startup’s pipeline includes a rice-based platform for humanized elastin, a poultry-based platform for humanized growth factors, and the SPF/medical grade rat-based platform for humanized collagen.
Discover more Pharma startups
The 295 gene editing startups, such as the 5 examples highlighted in this report, focus on gene editing and delivery technologies, as well as novel biomaterials and CRISPR-based therapies. While all of these technologies play a major role in advancing pharmaceuticals, they only represent the tip of the iceberg. To explore more gene-editing technologies, simply get in touch to let us look into your areas of interest. For a more general overview, you can download our free Pharma Innovation Report to save your time and improve strategic decision-making.
