German spinout Akribion Therapeutics, an RNA-focused biotech, has raised €8M to accelerate its therapeutic development.

The round was led by CARMA FUND and RV Invest, with investments from MP Beteiligungs GmbH, Hessen Kapital I, Bruker Invest and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF).

Akribion is developing an RNA-guided, nuclease-based technology for programmable cell depletion. This can kill cells by shredding DNA and RNA, but only if there is a highly specific match between the guide RNA and an intracellular RNA sequence. This ensures that only the targeted cells are affected, leaving healthy cells unharmed.

By changing the guide RNA, the technology can be quickly adapted to target different cells, making it much faster to develop new treatments compared to traditional methods.

This could contribute to treatments for cancer as well as autoimmune diseases, fibrosis, infectious diseases, and more.

Lukas Linnig, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Akribion, said: “Akribion is unlocking a whole new class of therapeutic possibilities with our approach. Our proprietary G-dase E nucleases allow very specific depletion of certain subsets of cells based on the presence of a predetermined RNA sequence.

“While we are initially focused on advancing groundbreaking precision oncology therapies, we believe that this approach to programmable cell depletion could have much wider application. I would like to thank our investors for their commitment to Akribion and for their support in helping us realize the potential of our technology.” 

Dr. Martin Raditsch, General Partner, CARMA FUND added: “Akribion’s unique technology enables the creation of a new class of oncology therapeutics. We are looking forward to working alongside this enthusiastic team to develop new cancer treatments with improved outcomes for patients in this prevalent and hard to treat indication.”