Medical science, like many areas of cutting-edge tech, is advancing at an accelerating rate. Discoveries and innovations are coming thick-and-fast, with techniques like CRSPR opening the floodgates to treatments for diseases that were previously untreatable. Being able to target specific genes is a game changer for the medical industry, allowing doctors and scientists new treatment options for many hard-to-treat conditions from genetic diseases to drug resistant bacteria, and resistant viruses.
Series B funding round
Eligo Bioscience, a pioneering gene-editing company headquartered in Paris, has now secured $30 million in a Series B funding round, led by Sanofi Ventures. This round saw contributions from new investor Bpifrance (through its InnoBio 2 fund) and existing backers Khosla Ventures and Seventure Partners.
The latest round of funding serves a crucial role in advancing Eligo Bioscience’s mission, providing the necessary resources to produce clinical data in patients, specifically for the acceleration of Eligo’s flagship program, EB005.
Flagship program and development goals
EB005, Eligo’s pioneering program, is developing a treatment for moderate to severe acne [acne vulgaris], a condition affecting approximately 3% of the global population and commonly known primarily as the bane of many teenagers. However, more acute afflictions can cause quite serious complications, scarring, and persist into adulthood. This investment aims to power pre-Investigational New Drug [pre-IND] and IND activities, paving the way for initial human data readouts during a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial. Furthermore, this funding will support Eligo’s expansion into other chronic diseases, including oncology.
Novel approaches in genetic medicine
Eligo Bioscience stands at the forefront of a transformative biotechnological movement. By concentrating on invivo delivery of genetic cargoes to the microbiome, Eligo’s technology transcends conventional gene therapy and editing, extending the range of genetic targets that can be addressed. This unique approach holds the potential to dramatically alter the trajectory of various chronic and life-threatening diseases that are influenced by the expression of bacterial genes.
Industry endorsement and investment insights
Laia Crespo, Ph.D., Partner at Sanofi Ventures, expressed confidence in Eligo’s pioneering technologies, stating, “We are excited to lead this financing for Eligo and support the company as they move to the clinic. We are impressed by the unique delivery and editing technologies that Eligo has developed, and we believe this will set the stage for Eligo to forge new paths in the application of in vivo gene-editing technologies.”
Xavier Duportet, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Eligo Bioscience, highlighted the significance of this funding, marking a pivotal moment for the company in leveraging genetic makeup manipulation within the human microbiome to tackle challenging diseases. “We are delighted to welcome additional prominent healthcare investors to our existing syndicate. We feel this reflects the strong support for our vision and confirms the potential of Eligo to create a novel class of transformative genetic medicines.” said Duportet. “This is a defining time for Eligo as this funding puts us in a strong position to make a significant leap in treating diseases by editing the genetic makeup of the human microbiome.”
Eligo Bioscience was founded by Luciano Marraffini (Professor at The Rockefeller University and cofounder of Intellia Therapeutics, Timothy Lu (Professor at MIT, and CEO at Senti Biosciences), Dr. David Bikard (Professor at Institut Pasteur) and Xavier Duportet. A world leader in microbiome invivo gene editing, Eligo was named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum for spearheading a diverse pipeline of precision medicines aimed at addressing unmet medical needs in immune-inflammation, oncology, and infectious diseases influenced by detrimental bacterial genes.
