GeneQuine Biotherapeutics Closes Seed Financing with High-Tech Gründerfonds and Innovationsstarter Fonds Hamburg

14-Nov-2012 - Germany

GeneQuine Biotherapeutics announced the completion of a seven-figure seed financing round. Investors are the German seed funds High-Tech Gründerfonds, Bonn and Innovationsstarter Fonds Hamburg. Funding will be used to perform proof-of-concept studies with the lead product – a gene therapy drug for the treatment of osteoarthritis in horses.

GeneQuine Biotherapeutics develops gene therapy for the treatment of osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease with high unmet medical need. While osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder in humans – especially in the aged population – it is also a major health problem with significant market volume in horses and dogs. GeneQuine initially targets the more easily accessible veterinary market with the lead product GQ-201 for osteoarthritis in horses and a second product candidate for dogs while the long-term goal is the development of a gene therapeutic drug for osteoarthritis in man.

The gene therapy technology for the treatment of osteoarthritis was co-developed by GeneQuine’s co-founder Kilian Guse at Dr. Brendan Lee’s research group at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA and has already shown efficacy in an osteoarthritis mouse model. GeneQuine holds a worldwide, exclusive license for the technology and will use the raised funds to demonstrate proof-of-concept in a horse osteoarthritis model with the lead product GQ-201.

Kilian Guse, PhD, CEO and co-founder of GeneQuine, stated: “We are very happy to receive seed funding from the High-Tech-Gründerfonds and the Innovationsstarter Fonds Hamburg. With the funds and the support of our two investors we will drive the development of our lead product GQ-201 for osteoarthritis in horses and demonstrate proof-of-concept in the target species.”

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Topic world Gene therapy

Genetic diseases once considered untreatable are now at the center of innovative therapeutic approaches. Research and development of gene therapies in biotech and pharma aim to directly correct or replace defective or missing genes to combat disease at the molecular level. This revolutionary approach promises not only to treat symptoms, but to eliminate the cause of the disease itself.

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Topic world Gene therapy

Genetic diseases once considered untreatable are now at the center of innovative therapeutic approaches. Research and development of gene therapies in biotech and pharma aim to directly correct or replace defective or missing genes to combat disease at the molecular level. This revolutionary approach promises not only to treat symptoms, but to eliminate the cause of the disease itself.