Words by Isabel O’Brien
A Paris-based biotechnology startup kyron.bio has secured €5.5m in seed funding to develop a new technology that could improve how biologic drugs are developed. The company is working on a way to control glycans – tiny sugar molecules found on the surface of many biologic medicines.
Normally, when biologics are made, these sugars are added in a process called N-glycosylation to help the drug fold correctly, last longer in the body and interact properly with the immune system. However, this process can be inconsistent, creating a mix of sugar patterns that may trigger the immune system to attack the medicine. This can reduce a drug’s effectiveness and cause unwanted side effects.
This is a major challenge for pharmaceutical companies, especially as drug development itself becomes more complex. Inconsistencies in glycan patterns can cause novel therapies to fail early-stage clinical trials, largely due to safety concerns. Kyron.bio’s platform aims to address this by delivering over 97% consistency in glycan structures on antibody therapeutics – a significant leap forward from current industry standards.
Dr Emilia McLaughlin, CEO and Founder, kyron.bio, said: “To date, glycans have been massively under-exploited, limiting their potential in drug design. By achieving comprehensive control over glycosylation in a fully scalable manner, we have unlocked the possibility to use precision glycosylation in drug design. This transforms glycans into a design tool for the first time, opening up new treatment avenues for patients.”
Alexis Houssou, Founder and Managing Partner, HCVC, added: “Kyron.bio’s technology bridges a massive gap in therapeutics design. Their breakthrough in glycan control could shift the paradigm for antibody therapies and we’re proud to support their vision.”
The funding round, led by HCVC and joined by Verve Ventures, Entrepreneurs First, Saras Capital and several angel investors, will help kyron.bio expand its team, accelerate research and begin early testing of its technology. The company will then seek to collaborate with pharma companies to develop precision glycan-engineered therapeutics and bring them to market in the future.
