February 07, 2025

Akribion Therapeutics exits from stealth with €8m seed financing to pioneer RNA-guided, programmable cell depletion

Akribion Therapeutics exits from stealth with €8m seed financing to pioneer RNA-guided, programmable cell depletion
  • Financing led by CARMA FUND and RV Invest with participation of High-Tech Gründerfonds and others
  • Akribion is pioneering a unique, RNA-guided, nuclease-based technology for programmable cell depletion
  • Experienced team with a background in biotechnology and company building led by co-CEO’s Michael Krohn and Lukas Linnig
  • Paul Scholz, the principal inventor of G-dase E technology, joins as Head of Research and Development

Zwingenberg, Germany, 4 February 2025 – Akribion Therapeutics (“Akribion”), the early-stage biotech developing a unique, RNA-guided, nuclease-based technology for programmable cell depletion, today announces its exit from stealth and the completion of a Seed Financing round raising EUR 8 million to accelerate the development of novel therapeutics based on Akribion’s proprietary G-dase® E nucleases.

The round was led by CARMA FUND and RV Invest, with investments from MP Beteiligungs GmbH, Hessen Kapital I, Bruker Invest and High-Tech Gründerfonds.

Lukas Linnig, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Akribion said, “Akribion is unlocking a whole new class of therapeutic possibilities with our approach. Our proprietary G-dase® E nucleases allow very specific depletion of certain subsets of cells based on the presence of a predetermined RNA sequence. While we are initially focused on advancing groundbreaking precision oncology therapies, we believe that this approach to programmable cell depletion could have much wider application. I would like to thank our investors for their commitment to Akribion and for their support in helping us realize the potential of our technology.”

Dr. Martin Raditsch, General Partner, CARMA FUND, commented: “Akribion’s unique technology enables the creation of a new class of oncology therapeutics. We are looking forward to working alongside this enthusiastic team to develop new cancer treatments with improved outcomes for patients in this prevalent and hard to treat indication.”

Dr. Aleksei Zeifman, Investment Director, RV Invest, commented: “We’re thrilled to support Akribion’s entrepreneurial team as they seek to unlock the full potential of  their unique technology. The high adaptability of the G-Dase® E platform makes it a perfect tool to leverage our emerging knowledge of the genomic signatures of diseases across various therapeutic areas.”

Akribion is developing a unique, RNA-guided, nuclease-based technology for programmable cell depletion. Armed with a G-dase® E payload, it has the ability to kill cells by shredding DNA and RNA, but only if there is a highly specific match between the guide RNA and an intracellular RNA sequence. This ensures that only the targeted cells are affected, leaving healthy cells unharmed.

The G-dase® E technology was discovered by Dr. Paul Scholz and his team at BRAIN Biotech AG, the specialist in biosolutions for industrial applications, during Michael and Lukas’s tenure there. Dr. Scholz has also joined Akribion as Head of Research and Development.

Initially targeting HPV-induced Oropharyngeal Head & Neck Cancer (OPSCC), Akribion is exploring applications in additional oncology indications, as well as in autoimmune diseases, fibrosis, infectious diseases, and more. The flexibility and broad potential of Akribion’s technology makes it a promising platform for various therapeutic areas, as by simply changing the guide RNA, the technology can be quickly adapted to target different cells, making it much faster to develop new treatments compared to traditional methods.

The current financing round is expected to deliver in vivo Proof of Concept of Akribion’s technology.

Akribion is led by Dr. Michael Krohn and Lukas Linnig, Co-Founders and Co-CEO’s. Dr. Adel Nada has also been appointed as board Chair to support the management team. Adel is a biotech executive and multi-time founder and operator. He is currently a venture partner with Volnay Therapeutics, a cell and gene therapy investor and incubator based in the US. The experienced Board of Directors also includes Dr. Martin Raditsch, CARMA FUND, Dr. Aleksei Zeifman, RV Invest, and Dr. Katharina Severin, High-Tech Gründerfonds. The management team includes Dr. Paul Scholz, Head of Research and Development, Dr. Dirk Sombroek, Head of Strategic Partnerships, and Dr. Oliver Grünvogel, Head of Strategy and Operations.

For further information:

Optimum Strategic Communications
Nick Bastin, Hana Malik, Aoife Minihan
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3882 2119
E-mail: akribion@optimumcomms.com

Akribion Therapeutics

Lukas Linnig, Dr. Michael Krohn
Tel: +49 (0) 1726286525
E-mail: Lukas.Linnig@akribion-therapeutics.com

About Akribion Therapeutics

Akribion Therapeutics is developing a unique, RNA-guided, nuclease-based technology for programmable cell depletion. Its G-dase® E payload has the ability to kill cells by shredding DNA and RNA, but only if there is a highly specific match between the guide RNA and an intracellular RNA sequence, ensuring that only the targeted cells are affected, leaving healthy cells unharmed.

Initially targeting HPV-induced Oropharyngeal Head & Neck Cancer (OPSCC), Akribion is exploring additional applications in oncology, autoimmune diseases, fibrosis, and infectious diseases.

The flexibility and broad potential of Akribion’s technology makes it a promising platform for various therapeutic areas, as by simply changing the guide RNA, the technology can be quickly adapted to target different cells, making it much faster to develop new treatments compared to traditional methods.

Founded in 2024 and based in Zwingenberg, Germany, Akribion was spun out of BRAIN Biotech AG, the specialist in biosolutions for industrial applications.

Our latest News

discover more
Therapeutic vaccination against HPV-related tumors: Nanoparticles make the difference

Therapeutic vaccination against HPV-related tumors: Nanoparticles make the difference

Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have collaborated with the SILVACX project group at Heidelberg University to develop a therapeutic vaccination concept that can mobilize the immune system to target cancer cells. The team showed that virus peptides coupled to silica nanoparticles can elicit effective T-cell responses against HPV-related tumors. In a mouse […]

ERC Awards Four Starting Grants to Universität Heidelberg

ERC Awards Four Starting Grants to Universität Heidelberg

European Research Council funds groundbreaking projects by early-career researchers The European Research Council is awarding four valuable grants to Heidelberg University. These ERC Starting Grants go to researchers in early stages of their career who want to carry out groundbreaking research with ERC funding. They include Dr Michael Gerlt, who will do research at the […]

New Headquarters – PL BioScience Announces Major Site Expansion in September 2025

New Headquarters – PL BioScience Announces Major Site Expansion in September 2025

Key Milestone for PL BioScience as new headquarters are announced PL BioScience announced the next major step in its expansion – an upcoming move to a new 1,200 m² facility in Aachen, in September 2025. This key milestone will support the company’s growth and upscaling efforts, and provide the world’s largest HPL output, with 20,000L […]

GET IN TOUCH

Stay Updated with bioRN’s Newsletter

Sign up for our newsletter to discover more!
* required

BioRN (BioRN Network e.V. and BioRN Cluster Management GmbH) will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing. Please let us know all the ways you would like to hear from us:

You can update your subscription preferences or unsubscribe at any time. Just follow the unsubscribe or update link in the footer of automated emails you receive from us, or by contacting us at info@biorn.org. We will treat your information with respect. For more information about our privacy practices please visit our website: www.biorn.org. By clicking below, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices.

Intuit Mailchimp