We bring you another success story from the #SKstartUP series – Sensible Biotechnologies
Miroslav Gašpárek and Marián Kupčulák founded the startup Sensible Biotechnologies in 2021, when they were both studying at the University of Oxford. In addition to the Bratislava office, they have already established an office in Oxford, where they are working on a revolutionary technology that can scale up the production of mRNA-based medicines.
The mRNA technology came to the attention of the wider public in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was used in the production of vaccines. This simple mechanism is based on the fact that once the mRNA enters the cells, the body is instructed to make the protein. This is a technology with enormous potential to develop new drugs and cure people. We are also talking about rare diseases or cancer vaccines, where this technology could be successful.
The biggest problem with this technology, however, is that it is extremely expensive to produce, but also its speed and quality. According to this, they have started to produce mRNA in a unique way – in living cells, which they turn into a factory of high-quality mRNA.
Sensible Biotechnologies received a pre-seed investment of about €3.5 million to accelerate the development of the platform, led by BlueYard Capital. However, other global biotech investors such as Y Combinator or Civilization Ventures or the Czech-Slovak fund ZAKA VC also participated.
Most recently, they have attracted the attention of Gingko Bioworks, which is one of the global leaders in biotechnology, and the startup has entered into a strategic partnership with them. The company’s vision is to stand side by side with the biggest companies such as Moderna or BioNTech and develop new mRNA drugs and thus help patients. Grants should help them do this, specifically a grant from the Melinda and Bill Gated Foundation, which they are currently applying for, but they also plan to look at large European and US grants.
This article is taken from the ZERO2HERO website.
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Published 5. 5.2023, slord
