Integra Therapeutics Raises €10.7 Million to Advance Gene Writing Platform and CAR-T Validation
Integra Therapeutics has closed a €10.7 million pre-Series A investment round to accelerate development of its FiCAT gene writing platform and preclinical validation of CAR-T therapies.
The financing was led by new backers including the EIC Fund, a venture capital arm of the European Innovation Council with the European Investment Bank (EIB) as the investor of record, which invested €4 million, and CDTI Innvierte of Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation and University, which contributed €2.7 million. Existing investors AdBio Partners, Columbus Venture Partners, Invivo Partners, and Takeda Ventures also participated.
Founded in Barcelona, Integra Therapeutics focuses on programmable gene writing technologies to address oncology, autoimmune, and rare genetic diseases. Its Find and cut-and-transfer (FiCAT) platform is designed to improve efficiency, accuracy, and safety of therapeutic genome editing, with applications spanning gene therapy and engineered cell therapies.
FiCAT combines a CRISPR-Cas–based “find” module with a PiggyBac-derived “cut-and-transfer” module to enable targeted insertion of small or large DNA fragments into the genome. The PiggyBac domains are engineered to increase on-target activity while minimizing off-target integration, addressing long-standing challenges in the field. Unlike conventional tools that are often limited to smaller edits or prone to integration instability, FiCAT is being developed to stably insert therapeutic genes of varying sizes.
Integra co-founder and CEO Avencia Sánchez-Mejías
The platform can be applied both in vivo and ex vivo, supporting gene therapy as well as engineered cell therapy programs such as CAR-T. Integra is also investigating FiCAT’s potential for treating and preventing genetic, oncological, and autoimmune diseases. Early results, including a 2021 Nature publication, have shown the platform’s ability to achieve precise mammalian genome engineering in preclinical models.
The funding will support further improvements to FiCAT, expansion of its cell engineering capabilities for technology transfer, and validation of multiple next-generation CAR-T therapies. Alongside CAR-T validation efforts, Integra is pursuing its first proprietary therapy for a rare pediatric liver disease, backed by an EIC Accelerator grant, according to the release.
Earlier this year, Integra presented preclinical results at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy showing FiCAT’s potential to deliver more precise and efficient edits compared to conventional approaches.
Topics: Startups & Deals
