Snipr Biome Secures $50 Million Series A Funding to Advance CRISPR-Based Microbiome Therapeutics

VCBeat (WeChat Official Account: vcbeat) has learned that Snipr Biome, a Denmark-based biotechnology startup, recently announced the completion of a $50 million (€43 million; DKK 320 million) Series A financing round. The round was led by Lundbeckfonden Ventures, and the proceeds will be used to advance its CRISPR-based microbiome therapeutics into clinical trials. Reportedly, the company is employing CRISPR/Cas systems to selectively target and kill bacteria with specific DNA sequences.

Shortly after leaving Kymab in 2015, Christian Grøndahl, CEO of SNIPR Biome, began working with his co-founders to use gene editing to modify or kill bacteria. This work has yielded a series of patents on technologies for modifying the microbiome and attracted a €2.6 million investment from Lundbeckfonden Emerge to support research into the technology’s potential applications.

Lundbeckfonden Emerge emphasized the potential applications of SNIPR Biome’s proprietary technology during its seed investment, with use cases ranging from eradicating multidrug-resistant bacteria to quality control in the food industry. In defining its strategic focus, SNIPR Biome also identified pressing unmet needs and significant market opportunities.

“We will initially focus on targeted therapeutics for hard-to-treat infections, as well as precise microbiome modulation in autoimmune diseases and cancer,” Christian Grøndahl said in a statement. If Snipr Biome’s drug candidates perform as hoped, they will rapidly induce double-strand breaks in bacterial genomes, thereby triggering pathogen eradication in acute settings.

In the fields of autoimmunity and cancer, Snipr Biome has entered the biotechnology arena by modulating the microbiome to regulate the immune system, thereby enhancing drug efficacy. This concept previously underpinned the collaboration between Bristol-Myers Squibb and Enterome, as well as Seres Therapeutics’ plan to evaluate SER-401 in combination with PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors.

Compared with some existing projects in the biotechnology sector, Snipr Biome’s proprietary technology may appear “backward.” However, while other companies are developing mixed microbes or small molecules to interact with bacteria, Snipr plans to leverage its CRISPR/Cas immune system to modify bacterial genomes. This distinctive approach is likely to confer a significant advantage.

SNIPR Biome is a startup biotechnology company headquartered in the Capital Region of Denmark. SNIPR Biome is currently conducting clinical trials for CRISPR-based microbiome therapeutics. The company’s proprietary technology utilizes CRISPR/Cas to selectively target and kill bacteria with specific DNA sequences.

Lundbeckfond Ventures is a life sciences venture capital fund, established in the fall of 2009 and wholly owned by the Lundbeck Foundation. Reportedly, Lundbeckfond Ventures invests up to €50 million annually.

(Compiled by Ning Chen)