Fuse Vectors secures $5.2m to advance cell-free gene therapy technology, led by HCVC
Danish biotech replaces cell-based methods with revolutionary cell-free technology, making gene therapy more accessible
Gene therapy's biggest obstacle isn't science - it's manufacturing. While the field races forward with breakthrough treatments, production remains stuck in the 1980s, relying on unpredictable cell-based methods that make therapies costly and slow to develop. Today, Fuse Vectors announces $5.2 million in pre-seed financing led by HCVC to revolutionize gene therapy development with its cell-free viral vector technology.
The funding will accelerate the development of Fuse's technology platform and pipeline of novel gene therapies. With its breakthrough approach, Fuse Vectors aims to be the universal solution for AAV gene therapy development, delivering unmet patient needs and expanding the accessibility of gene therapy to a wider range of indications.
The Fuse Vectors story began with two bioprocess scientists who saw firsthand the limitations of current drug development technologies. Despite the complexity of viral vectors, the industry had been relying on retrofitted manufacturing technologies from the 1980s and 1990s. Benjamin Blaha and Jordan Turnbull watched as these outdated methods produced therapies that were costly, slow to develop, and often low in quality. As the founders describe it, traditional methods are like "tossing LEGO bricks into a tumble dryer and hoping houses emerge."
Recognizing this critical gap, they asked a radical question: "What if everything about this process is wrong?" The industry's major players lacked both the bandwidth and remit to overhaul these outdated methods, so Blaha and Turnbull took the leap - leaving their jobs to rethink viral vector development from the ground up. Their efforts led to a breakthrough: a controlled, cell-free approach that assembles viral vectors with unprecedented precision.
"Fuse Vectors' cell-free Fuse Technology offers significant improvements, reducing production time and costs while enhancing vector quality to meet patients' unmet needs," said Benjamin Blaha, co-founder of Fuse Vectors. "The enzymatic AAV capsid filling process eliminates cell-based AAV production, using efficient technologies storing components in a module library. This allows on-demand, controlled biocatalytic reactions to fill capsids and works across all serotypes."
Instead of relying on living cells' unpredictable behavior, Fuse's technology assembles viral vectors through controlled biochemical reactions. This innovative approach allows for unprecedented precision, achieving over 99% filled capsids synthesized in hours rather than weeks. Partners simply provide a gene sequence, and Fuse's streamlined process packages it into an AAV vector - enabling faster, higher-quality development with minimal setup.
The platform's modular nature enables rapid optimization through multi-parallel prototyping, making it significantly more efficient than traditional methods.
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Topic world Gene therapy
Genetic diseases once considered untreatable are now at the center of innovative therapeutic approaches. Research and development of gene therapies in biotech and pharma aim to directly correct or replace defective or missing genes to combat disease at the molecular level. This revolutionary approach promises not only to treat symptoms, but to eliminate the cause of the disease itself.
Topic world Gene therapy
Genetic diseases once considered untreatable are now at the center of innovative therapeutic approaches. Research and development of gene therapies in biotech and pharma aim to directly correct or replace defective or missing genes to combat disease at the molecular level. This revolutionary approach promises not only to treat symptoms, but to eliminate the cause of the disease itself.