Paris-based biotech startup Kyron.bio, developing a cutting-edge bioproduction platform, has raised €5.5 million in a funding round led by HCVC, with support from Verve Ventures, Entrepreneurs First, and Saras Capital.
- Kyron.bio was founded in 2022 by Emilia McLaughlin. The firm is developing new bioproduction methods to improve therapeutic proteins.
- Kyron.bio focuses on controlling glycosylation, the sugar molecules attached to the surface of proteins like antibodies, to make these medicines safer and more effective.
- Therapeutic proteins, especially antibodies, are used to treat diseases such as cancer and autoimmune disorders. During their production in living cells, many of these proteins undergo a process called N-glycosylation, where sugars are added to their structure.
- Kyron.bio uses a combination of cell engineering and precise design techniques to control how these sugars are attached.
Details of the deal
- The investment was led by HCVC, a venture capital firm with offices in Tokyo, San Francisco, and Paris, which has recently backed a biotech startup, Fuse Vectors.
"We’re thrilled to back Emilia McLaughlin and the kyron.bio team! kyron.bio is unlocking a new era in biologics through precise control of glycosylation, the sugar-based modifications that shape how therapeutic proteins behave in the body," HCVC's team, commented on LinkedIn.
- Verve Ventures, Entrepreneurs First, Saras Capital, and several business angels joined the round.
- The seed funding will enable Kyron.bio to advance its glycan-engineering platform, expand its R&D team, and begin preclinical studies.
- Moreover, it will support scaling the technology for industrial applications and help launch Kyron.bio’s EIC Transition project, backed by the European Innovation Council.
