Tessera Therapeutics Secures $230M for Programmable Genetics Research

Experts in the field of biotechnology are making significant advances in the coding of biological systems, and investment firms are providing substantial funding to a new wave of companies aiming to translate these advancements into practical applications, ushering in a new era of genetic innovation.

Tessera Therapeutics, a Boston-based company originating from Flagship Pioneering, is the most recent entrant into this competitive landscape, securing $230 million in new funding to enhance its platform for improved biological programming.

This funding round was spearheaded by Alaska Permanent Fund Corp., Altitude Life Science Ventures, and the SoftBank Vision Fund II, with additional investment from the Qatari Investment Authority and other unnamed sources.

The company previously unveiled its gene-writing service, which integrates various gene editing, manufacturing, and synthesis technologies to deliver highly customized therapeutic instructions to genetic code.

By providing more detailed instructions to genetic material, the company intends to enhance the accuracy of treatments and broaden the range of potential diseases or mutations that can be addressed, as stated by the company.

This approach mirrors the strategies employed by companies such as Senti Bio, an early-stage biotechnology firm that recently raised $105 million.

“The capacity to modify the code of life will be a pivotal technology of this century and will fundamentally reshape medicine. The current investment demonstrates confidence in Tessera’s exceptional team of scientists and our dedication to realizing the significant potential of Gene Writing for patients,” stated Geoffrey von Maltzahn, CEO and co-founder of Tessera Therapeutics, and a partner at Flagship Pioneering. “We are eager to transform this powerful technology into a novel class of medicines.”

Tessera Therapeutics is one of several companies concentrating on gene therapies and gene-editing technologies developed within the Flagship Pioneering ecosystem, focusing on the creation of new therapies utilizing messenger RNA, targeted fusogenic vectors, and epigenetic controllers, according to Noubar Afeyan, founder and chief executive of Flagship Pioneering, who also holds the positions of chair and co-founder of Tessera.

While Senti Bio concentrates on adding programming to existing genetic material, Tessera utilizes mobile genetic elements – the most prevalent form of genetic material in the body – to generate new vectors for both writing and rewriting the human genome.

The company believes this represents a significant advancement in genetic engineering, enabling the development of more effective therapies. This is due to the technology’s ability to target precise locations within the genome to make any necessary substitutions, insertions, or deletions in the genetic code. Tessera also indicated that its technology facilitates more efficient engineering of somatic cell genomes without double-stranded breaks and with reduced dependence on DNA repair mechanisms.

The concept of gene writing is inspired by and expands upon nature’s most common genetic components: mobile genetic elements. Tessera’s computational and high-throughput laboratory platform has allowed the team to design, construct, and evaluate thousands of engineered and synthetic mobile genetic elements for writing and rewriting the human genome.

The company also claims the ability to introduce entirely new genetic sequences into the genome using RNA delivery alone.

With this new funding, Tessera plans to further refine its technology, expand its workforce, and establish manufacturing and automation capabilities essential for its platform and programs.