Engage Bio develops Tethosomes, a non-viral DNA platform designed to overcome potency and toxicity limitations in genetic medicine delivery. This technology utilizes LNP delivery to express a proprietary protein that tethers therapeutic DNA to the nucleus, achieving over 100x expression while remaining non-immunogenic. The platform enables potent, durable, and safely redosable DNA medicines scalable for therapeutic applications across gene replacement and oncology.
Funding
$3.9M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
SSUVWVFounders
Product
Problem
Traditional non-viral DNA delivery systems face challenges related to low therapeutic DNA expression and triggering of immune responses, limiting their effectiveness and safety for genetic medicine applications. These limitations hinder the development of safe, durable, and redosable treatments for diseases like cancer.
Solution
Engage Bio has developed the Tethosome platform, a non-viral DNA delivery system designed to overcome the limitations of traditional methods. The platform enhances therapeutic DNA expression by over 100-fold through a mechanism that tethers DNA to the nucleus. Critically, the Tethosome platform is engineered to be invisible to immune sensors, preventing unwanted immune reactions. This allows for safe delivery of potent DNA, the ability to re-dose when needed, and the capacity to titrate expression to optimal therapeutic levels. The Tethosome platform utilizes proven LNP technology to deliver a therapeutic DNA and an mRNA encoding the proprietary Tethosome protein.
Target Audience
Engage Bio's primary customers are biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies focused on gene replacement, oncology, and durable therapeutic protein expression.
Features
- Over 100x increase in therapeutic DNA expression compared to traditional non-viral methods.
- Non-immunogenic design that evades detection by immune sensors.
- Redosable, allowing for repeated administration to maintain therapeutic effect.
- Scalable manufacturing process leveraging proven LNP technology.
- Delivers both therapeutic DNA and Tethosome mRNA to cells.
- Tethosome protein tethers DNA to the nucleus.