Frank Buchholz and Seamless Therapeutics GmbH on designer recombinases competing with CRISPR
In our latest news release, Frank Buchholz (TU Dresden) and Anne-Kristin Heninger (Seamless Therapeutics GmbH) look at how designer recombinases have become a strong competitor of CRISPR. Explaining their research, Frank and Anne also show the enormous potential of designer recombinases.
Please find the complete MIT Technology Review article here (PDF, German)
Laborjournal on Seamless Therapeutics
In their news article in Laborjournal, the Dresden-based start-up Seamless Therapeutics reflects on programmable recombinases that operate independently of the cell's own DNA repair system and could thus in future make it possible to cure the disease haemophilia A, for which currently merely the symptoms are treated.
Frank Buchholz is a founding member of the start-up and head of the Medical Systems Biology research group at the Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus of TU Dresden, which developed the recombinase technology.
To the article in “Laborjournal”
Jenna Hoersten represented the Buchholz Lab at the 26th ASGCT Annual Meeting in Los Angeles
The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy’s (ASGCT) Annual Meeting is considered the premier event for professionals in gene and cell therapy.
Our PhD student Jenna participated at this year's ASGCT Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.
The abstract titled “Enhancing the precision of designer site-specific recombinases: Methods for surveying sequence specificity and mitigating potential off-target effects” was presented during the first poster session on May 17th.
All abstracts are published in Molecular Therapy (DOI).
New publication on tyrosine-type site-specific recombinases
Our new paper “Discovery and characterization of novel Cre-type tyrosine site-specific recombinases for advanced genome engineering” in collaboration with DKMS Life Science Lab has just been published at Nucleic Acids Research. Check it out:
https://academic.oup.com/nar/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nar/gkad366/7157522?login=false
Congratulations to everyone involved: Milica Jelicic, Lukas Theo Schmitt, Maciej Paszkowski-Rogacz, Angelika Walder, Nadja Schubert, Jenna Hoersten, Duran Sürün, and Frank Buchholz!
Frank Buchholz participating in open discussion on genetic research
Is there a gene for a bigger and more efficient brain? Can genome surgery soon free us from all diseases? Do my genes determine my character?
During audience discussions, experts exchange views on these and other questions in a relaxed atmosphere. Frank Buchholz will be one of the experts.
On 26 April 2023 | 6-8:30 PM
At Deutsches Hygienemuseum Dresden (free admission)
The DRESDEN-concept event series "Reden wir über..." introduces researchers to a public audience and fosters exchange about science and life.
Please click here to learn more about the event.
The TU Dresden Spin-off Seamless Therapeutics Launches with $12.5M Seed Financing to Advance Transformative Gene Editing Platform Based on Programmable Precision Designer Recombinases in Dresden
Seed round co-led by Wellington Partners and Forbion, with additional non-dilutive financial support from the BMBF (GO-Bio funding) enables maturation of the proprietary platform and pipeline towards first clinical evaluation
Seamless Therapeutics, a Dresden based start-up of the Technische Universität Dresden, today announced a $12.5 million (€11.8M) seed financing round which will accelerate further development of its designer recombinases, a novel gene editing platform to transform the treatment of severe diseases. Seamless Therapeutics was founded based on the visionary discoveries from its scientific founders, Prof. Dr. Frank Buchholz, Dean of Research at the Faculty of Medicine and Head of Medical Systems Biology at the University Cancer Center of the Technische Universität Dresden, and his former PhD student Felix Lansing, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Seamless Therapeutics. Both are pioneers in the field of reprogrammable recombinases. Felix Lansing, PhD, will now be responsible for the further development of the company’s proprietary technology.
The company’s pioneering recombinase platform is able to program a widely used and established molecular biology tool to unlock the full potential of gene editing enabling the targeting of any site within the genome. The seed round was co-led by Wellington Partners and Forbion and includes non-dilutive financing from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF GO-Bio,-8B funding), a prestigious German government initiative supporting the most innovative startups in life sciences in Germany. Representatives from both Wellington and Forbion will join the company’s newly formed board of directors. The proceeds from the round will be used to further advance the company’s proprietary technology platform to build a pipeline of therapeutic candidates towards first-in-human readiness as well as to expand the company’s presence in the EU & US.
"I am very happy that our innovative and promising technology can now be transferred from basic research to a potential broad therapeutic application. The financial support provided by the BMBF and the investors will make a major contribution in this regard to advancing the development of this genome editing tool swiftly and purposefully," said Prof. Dr. Frank Buchholz.
“Our modular platform has succeeded in reprogramming site-specific recombinases to any given target sequence effectively breaking the existing hurdles of leveraging this potential best-in-class gene editing system to treat human disease,” commented Felix Lansing, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Seamless Therapeutics. “I look forward to working with our founding investors and our highly skilled team to apply our deep knowledge of recombinases to develop a pipeline of novel treatments.”
“Our goal is to apply our deep understanding of recombinases to leverage their inherent benefits to repair genetic alterations that cause disease. We believe our pioneering technology will allow us to shatter the boundaries that exist in gene editing methods today,” said Anne-K. Heninger, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Seamless Therapeutics. “Both Wellington and Forbion are visionaries and highly experienced biotech investors, and we look forward to working closely with them in our efforts to transform the gene editing landscape.”
“We have entered a new era in drug discovery based on the promise of how precision gene editing can change the way we treat disease in the future. Seamless Therapeutics has a first-mover position with its innovative platform capable of modifying the long held standard recombination technology into a universal gene editing tool with unprecedented specificity. We are excited to support Seamless Therapeutics in its pursuit of taking a leadership position in the rapidly evolving gene editing arena,” added Karl Nägler, PhD, Managing Partner at Wellington Partners.
“At Forbion our philosophy is to seek out pioneering technologies early in their development and to enable founding teams to harness the true potential of their innovation. The team has developed a powerful new platform that has overcome key limitations of existing gene editing tools, such as CRISPR, prime & base editors,” said Dmitrij Hristodorov, PhD, Partner at Forbion.
Seamless Therapeutics' platform has succeeded in reprogramming site specific recombinases to any given target sequence and make a range of specific changes including inversion, excision, exchange, and insertion from small to larger DNA fragments. Recombinases are a class of enzymes that have been widely used in scientific research for decades to precisely modify the genome of model organisms but until now could not be applied as a therapeutic due to their limited programmability to act on new target sites.
About Seamless Therapeutics
Seamless Therapeutics is changing the paradigm of gene editing through a pioneering approach to restore health in patients with severe conditions in a safe and precise manner. Our technology platform unlocks the reprogramming of recombinases, a highly versatile class of enzymes. We are applying our proprietary know-how to develop a pipeline of disease-modifying product candidates across a broad spectrum of indications to expand the therapeutic potential of gene editing.
About Wellington Partners
Wellington Partners is a leading European venture capital firm investing in the most promising early- and growth stage life science companies in the fields of biotechnology, therapeutics, medical technology, diagnostics and digital health. With funds totaling more than €1.2 billion, thereof €590 million committed to life sciences, Wellington Partners has been actively supporting world class private companies translating true innovation into successful businesses with exceptional growth. To date, Wellington Partners has invested in 56 innovative life science companies, including Actelion (acquired by J&J), Definiens (acquired by AZ), Immatics (Nasdaq: IMTX). invendo (acquired by Ambu), MTM Laboratories (acquired by Roche/Ventana), Oxford Immunotec (acquired by PerkinElmer), Rigontec (acquired by MSD), Symetis (acquired by Boston Scientific), and Themis (acquired by MSD).
About Forbion
Forbion is a dedicated life sciences venture capital firm with offices in The Netherlands, Germany and Singapore. Forbion invests in life sciences companies that are active in the (bio) pharmaceutical space. Forbion manages well over EUR 2.3 billion across multiple fund strategies that cover all stages of (bio-) pharmaceutical drug development. Forbion’s current team consists of over 30 life sciences investment professionals that have built an impressive performance track record since the late nineties with investments in 95 companies. Besides financial objectives, Forbion selects investments that will positively affect the health and well-being of patients. The firm is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment. Forbion operates a joint venture with BioGeneration Ventures (BGV), the manager of seed and early-stage funds, especially focused on Benelux and Germany.
About BMBF GO-Bio
The BMBF funding initiative GO-Bio supports life science researchers with innovative ideas who are looking to go into business. It provides excellent conditions from an early project stage on for a successful switch from the lab to the economy.
Stephan Wiegand
Öffentlichkeitsarbeit & Marketing
Medizinische Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus der Technischen Universität Dresden
Dekanat Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und Marketing
E-Mail: stephan.wiegand@uniklinikum-dresden.de
Internet: http://tu-dresden.de/med/
Frank Buchholz featured in DHMD podcast “You Ask We Explain”
A new episode of the podcast series “You Ask We Explain” by Deutsches Hygiene-Museum Dresden (DHMD) features Prof. Dr. Frank Buchholz.
Titled “It’s all a question of genes. The chance of limitless possibilities?” the episode discusses issues of genetic research and gene therapy. Frank was joined by co-panel experts Prof. Dr. Andreas Lob-Hüdepohl and Prof. Dr. Alexander Strobel.
For listening to the podcast (in German), please follow this link.
If you would like to find out more about the participants, please go here.
Business Plan Competition - RecTech team from Dresden wins second place at Science4Life Venture Cup
The Dresden research team has developed a promising business concept to revolutionize molecular medicine based on a customized designer recombinase technology. This genome editing technology is predestined to drive the development of new therapeutic approaches for genetic diseases. Today, more than 8,000 gene mutations are known to cause incurable monogenic diseases. By using the designer recombinases developed in Dresden, these genetic defects could be corrected. Hence previously incurable diseases could be successfully treated. In addition, making use of the genome editing technique offers completely new cures for other diseases, such as viral infections. In order to bring genome editing approaches into clinical practice, it is of utmost importance that the tools used are safe and do not alter the genome accidentally. Designer recombinases have the unique ability to cleave and specifically reassemble DNA in vivo without relying on cellular DNA repair mechanisms. A major advantage over other technologies continues to be that recombinases can correct large structural genome alterations, which has not been possible before. Thus, designer recombinases offer precise and predictable modification of the genome, making them particularly suitable for therapeutic applications. Establishing the necessary platform technology and marketing it profitably defines the innovative business idea of the RecTech project.
In the Science4Life Venture Cup, 88 teams from all over Germany took part to present their innovative business concepts. The ten best contributions were awarded prizes in the first round of the competition and the BMBF-GO-Bio-funded start-up RecTech from Dresden was among the winners. The Dresden team was now also successful in the subsequent rounds of the competition and was able to convince the jurors of its innovative business plan. RecTech took second place in the most competitive phase of the competition, the so-called Business Plan Phase. This is endowed with prize money of € 10,000. The team also scored with the best pitch in the Pharma & Diagnostics category at TechSLAM 2021.
Press review on this news item:
Oiger (News from Saxon industry and the research community) (14 July 2021)
Sächsische Zeitung (Regional newspaper) (14 July 2021)