Fuse Vectors funding news – Copenhagen-based Fuse Vectors Secures €4.9 Million in Pre-Seed Funding

The funding includes investment from HCVC and support from BioInnovation Institute, EIFO, and Innovation Fund.

Benjamin Blaha, Co-founder of Fuse Vectors said, “Fuse Vectors’ cell-free Fuse Technology offers significant improvements, reducing production time and costs while enhancing vector quality to meet patients’ unmet needs, The enzymatic AAV capsid filling process eliminates cell-based AAV production, using efficient technologies storing components in a module library. This allows on-demand, controlled biocatalytic reactions to fill capsids and works across all serotypes.”

The company says that gene therapy's biggest challenge is not the science, but the manufacturing process. While treatments are advancing, production still relies on old, unpredictable cell-based methods, making therapies slow and expensive to create.

Fuse's technology solves this by using controlled chemical reactions to create viral vectors instead of relying on living cells. This allows for precise production, filling over 99% of capsids in just hours instead of weeks.

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Partners only need to provide a gene sequence, and Fuse's process turns it into an AAV vector quickly and with high quality. The system is modular, which helps speed up development and makes it more efficient than traditional methods.

Henrik Stage, Co-founder and Executive Chair of Fuse Vectors said, “This investment from HCVC is a pivotal step for Fuse Vectors, bringing our pre-seed financing to €5 million, We are excited to work towards our vision of making gene therapy more efficient, cost-effective, and accessible, and are grateful for the early support and financing received from BioInnovation Institute, EIFO and Innovation Fund during our ideation and start-up phase.“

Fuse Vectors is currently in the early testing phase and working with more than six partners, including research groups and major pharmaceutical companies.

The company has two main plans for commercialization: first, by teaming up with pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and academic institutions to improve drug candidates using their technology; and second, by developing its own pipeline of therapeutic treatments.

Trine Bartholdy, CBO of BioInnovation Institute said, “Fuse Vectors’ approach to gene therapy has the potential to make gene therapy much more interesting for the Industry to develop as well as increase accessibility to patients, Their start-up development exemplifies BII’s commitment to empowering innovative platform technologies based on world-class scientific research to grow into successful companies capable of making meaningful impact on the future of gene therapy and human health.”

Alexis Houssou, Managing Partner of HCVC said, “We are thrilled to support Fuse Vectors in their mission to revolutionize gene therapy, With their unique cell-free viral vector solution, expert founding team and strong business model, Fuse Vectors has the potential to overcome significant challenges in the field, and we believe in their ability to bring transformative treatments to patients.“

The funding will help Fuse Vectors speed up the development of its technology and new gene therapies. Their goal is to become the go-to solution for AAV gene therapy, addressing patient needs and making gene therapy more accessible for a wider range of conditions.

About Fuse Vectors

Fuse Vectors was founded in 2022 by Benjamin Blaha, Jordan Turnbull, and Henrik Stage after they recognized the limits of current drug development methods.

Their mission is to change the way AAV gene therapy is developed. Traditional cell-based methods have slowed progress due to issues with safety, effectiveness, development time, and cost. Fuse’s Cell-Free AAV technology overcomes these challenges, producing safer, more effective, and cost-efficient viral vectors much faster.