Slovak Start-up Obtains USD 47 million in Funding to Develop mRNA Medicines

Bratislava, 11 October (TASR) - A Slovak biotechnology firm called Sensible Biotechnologies has raised 47 million US dollars (nearly €42 million) in funding to further develop its integrated technology for next-generation mRNA medicines, seeking to overcome the deficiencies in the current synthetic method of producing mRNA in order to enable the development of safe, effective and affordable medicines for cancer, autoimmune diseases and incurable hereditary diseases, TASR reported earlier this week. "At Sensible, we're not focusing on vaccines, because the greatest potential of mRNA technology lies in its use to develop a new generation of effective and safe medicines for cancer and inherited diseases," explained Sensible Biotechnologies CEO and co-founder Miroslav Gasparek. According to him, the whole world has so far relied on synthetic production technology developed more than 40 years ago, but the Slovak company is taking a fundamentally different approach. "We're developing technology based on living cells to produce mRNA that is more natural for the human body, with the potential to treat a wide range of diseases for which no medicines have existed so far," said Gasparek, adding that mRNA could also be the only technology that will make the development of such medicines possible. According to the company, mRNA produced by means of current synthetic methods fails to reach the level of quality necessary for certain applications and also requires the use of expensive inputs. Sensible Biotechnologies is the first company in the world to utilise living cells to produce mRNA by combining artificial intelligence, molecular biology and precision fermentation. The company aims to further develop its technology and work with leading pharmaceutical companies and regulatory authorities to develop safe, effective and affordable medicines for people worldwide. Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) has welcomed the company's success and ambitions. "Sensible is exactly the kind of science-based innovation that can help to shape the future of medicine. Its work on developing next-generation mRNA technologies demonstrates the strength of biotechnology innovation emerging in Slovakia and across Europe. This is precisely the kind of support Europe needs. It's an investment not only in scientific progress, but also in our ability to lead the next generation of innovation in biotechnology and health care," he said. The funding comprises 15 million USD in equity from a recently concluded Series A investment round led by Oxford Science Enterprises, 12 million USD via SAFE convertible instruments, and up to 20 million USD in public funding grants from the European Union and Slovakia. Sensible Biotechnologies was founded in 2021 by Slovaks Miroslav Gasparek and Marian Kupculak at the University of Oxford. They gained their professional expertise at world-leading universities and research institutions. jrg/df