French Biotech Generare Speeds Up Hunt for New Drugs by Cloning Natural Molecules

Source: TechCrunch

The French biotech startup Generare has recently closed a €5 million seed round (approximately $5.5 million) to advance its innovative drug discovery platform. This platform focuses on identifying chemical compounds derived from microorganisms, which have the potential to be repurposed for human treatments.

• Generare's approach leverages molecular biology to efficiently analyze genetic material, aiming to discover novel molecules that may serve as antibiotics or anticancer drugs.
• Since its inception in October 2022, Generare has successfully identified over 1,000 genetic recipes, which includes more than 100 novel chemical molecules with promising antibiotic activities.
• The company employs a unique cloning technique that fragments bacterial DNA, allowing for rapid exploration of microbial chemical diversity.

Co-founder Dr. Vincent Libis explains that their technology can scale the search for these molecules significantly. By treating the search like a game where many dice are rolled simultaneously, they increase the chances of discovering the next big pharmaceutical hit.

Challenges and Future Goals

Despite the promising findings, the antibiotic market poses unique challenges due to economic factors, and Generare emphasizes the need for government support and subsidies to ensure sustainable business models in antibiotic development.

• Generare plans to use the newly raised funding to scale its gene transfer methodologies and enhance its laboratory operations toward a factory-style production line.
• Future applications of their platform may extend beyond pharmaceuticals to agriculture and cosmetics as they aim to tap into the vast reservoir of unexplored natural molecules.

With only 3% of natural microbial chemicals currently discovered, Generare is poised to make a significant impact in drug discovery and biotechnology, enhancing the search for novel therapeutics in a market with critical needs.