Integra Therapeutics raises €10.7M to advance FiCAT platform and CAR-T validation

Barcelona-based Integra Therapeutics has closed a €10.7 million
pre-Series A round to advance its gene writing technologies
designed to improve the safety, precision, and efficacy of advanced therapies.

Founded
in 2020 by Dr. Marc Güell and Dr. Avencia Sánchez-Mejías as a spin-off from
Pompeu Fabra University, the company has developed FiCAT,
a platform that combines CRISPR-Cas accuracy with an engineered piggyBac
transposase to address major limitations in gene therapy, including payload
size, stability, and accuracy, with applications in genetic, oncological, and
autoimmune diseases.

Avencia Sánchez-Mejías, PhD, CEO and Co-Founder
of Integra Therapeutics, shared:

Thanks
to the support of our investors, we will continue leading innovation in cell
and gene therapies and are getting closer to transforming the treatment of
complex diseases like cancer, autoimmune diseases and rare diseases.

The
round includes €4 million from the EIC Fund and €2.7 million from CDTI Innvierte of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and University,
alongside continued backing from AdBio Partners, Columbus Venture Partners,
Invivo Partners, and Takeda Ventures.

Svetoslava
Georgieva, Chair of the EIC Fund Board, commented:

We
are happy to announce EIC Fund’s investment in Integra Therapeutics. We empower
them to accelerate the development of groundbreaking therapies that have the
potential to transform lives and advance the field of gene therapy on a global
scale.

The funding will support the integration of new
advances into the FiCAT platform, preclinical validation of next-generation
CAR-T therapies, and expansion of cell engineering capabilities to facilitate
technology transfer to the pharmaceutical industry.

In parallel, the company is developing its first
gene therapy for a rare pediatric liver disease, supported by an EIC
Accelerator grant.