This Swiss Startup's Gene Editing Breakthrough Just Got a Major Cash Injection

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-22

Immitra Bio, a Zurich-based genetic medicine company, just closed an upsized pre-seed round of $2.8 million (converted from EUR 2.58 million) to scale its in-vivo gene editing platform. The company is tackling one of the biggest challenges in modern medicine: making gene therapies scalable, affordable, and accessible without the harsh side effects of current treatments. ### The Funding Details The round was led by Backbone Ventures and co-led by OCCIDENT, with participation from Another VC, Kickfund, Venture Kick, Zurcher Kantonalbank, FONGIT, ETH Foundation, and select private investors. Venture capitalists and private investors contributed $2.63 million, while an additional $176,000 came from non-dilutive funding sources. This financial backing signals strong confidence in Immitra Bio's approach. ### What Makes Immitra Bio Different? Founded in 2024 by Jan Nelis, Amir Taheri, and Jacob Corn, Immitra Bio is developing a platform for one-time curative in-vivo gene editing therapies. Their technology is mutation-agnostic, meaning it can potentially treat patients regardless of the specific genetic mutation they carry. This is a game-changer because current ex-vivo approaches require complex cell manipulation, patient conditioning, and stem cell transplantation. Nelis, the CEO, explained: "Our goal is to make gene editing therapies scalable, commercially viable, and accessible to patients. Our platform has the potential to generate dozens of highly differentiated therapeutic assets in an accelerated fashion." ### The Problem with Current Gene Therapies Today's approved stem cell therapies for genetic disorders are toxic, unscalable, slow, and expensive. They all rely on ex-vivo methods, which means cells are removed from the patient, edited in a lab, and then transplanted back. This process often requires chemotherapy to prep the body, leading to significant side effects. Immitra Bio is developing an in-vivo alternative: a single, off-the-shelf injection that cures patients without chemotherapy or cell transplantation. Their digital target discovery platform and novel editing mode enable the development of drug formulations designed to treat all patients within a given disease, regardless of the underlying mutation. ### What the Investors Say Paul Sunzenauer from OCCIDENT said: "Recent advances and growing market adoption of gene therapies have validated the enormous potential of curative genetic medicine. However, current approaches still face significant challenges, such as chemotherapy-related toxicities, manufacturing complexity, and limited scalability. Immitra Bio's differentiated in-vivo platform is designed to address these challenges head-on." ### What's Next for Immitra Bio? The fresh capital will primarily support preclinical proof-of-concept studies for their lead candidate, IB-003, a potential one-time curative in-vivo gene editing treatment for an inherited anemia. The financing will also support further discovery and validation work across their pipeline, enabled by the company's digital target discovery platform. ### Key Takeaways - Immitra Bio raised $2.8 million in an upsized pre-seed round - The company is developing in-vivo gene editing therapies that avoid chemotherapy - Their mutation-agnostic platform could treat many patients with a single drug - Lead candidate IB-003 targets inherited anemia - Investors include Backbone Ventures, OCCIDENT, and others This funding round is a significant step forward for the company and for the field of genetic medicine. If Immitra Bio's platform proves successful, it could transform how we treat genetic diseases, making curative therapies accessible to millions of patients worldwide.