Paris-based biotech startup kyron.bio has announced a €5.5 million ($6.2 million) seed funding round to advance its breakthrough glycan-engineering platform, a technology that promises to revolutionize the safety and efficacy of antibody-based therapeutics.
With this new funding, the company plans to expand its team, advance preclinical studies, and begin forming strategic partnerships with pharma companies, aiming to bring its precision glycan-engineered therapeutics one step closer to patients in need.
Leading the investment round is HCVC, an early-stage deeptech venture capital firm, joined by Verve Ventures, Entrepreneurs First, Saras Capital, and a group of angel investors. The capital infusion also coincides with kyron.bio’s participation in the European Innovation Council’s EIC Transition project, providing further momentum to the company’s ambitions.
The company is actively seeking partnerships with pharmaceutical firms to bring its platform into mainstream therapeutic development.
Kyron.bio’s platform
The company’s solution lies in controlling glycans—sugar molecules that decorate therapeutic proteins. These structures play a crucial role in how the body recognizes and responds to biologic drugs. Traditionally, the glycosylation process in drug manufacturing has been inconsistent, leading to unpredictable immune responses. Kyron.bio’s proprietary technology enables precise and reproducible glycan structures, reducing immune reactivity and enhancing drug performance.
The platform’s innovation rests on two core components: engineered cell lines capable of highly controlled glycosylation, and a glycan-engineering toolbox that tailors antibodies to avoid immune detection. kyron.bio boasts that together, these advancements enable glycan uniformity greater than 97%—a first in the biopharmaceutical industry.
This precision opens new doors for next-generation monoclonal antibodies and chronic disease treatments, particularly those that require long-term administration. According to kyron.bio, by reducing the risk of immune rejection, the company’s technology could allow patients to benefit from consistent treatment over extended periods, something not feasible with many current therapies.
Dr. Emilia McLaughlin, CEO and founder of kyron.bio, emphasized the transformative potential of glycan engineering: “To date, glycans have been massively under-exploited in drug design. By achieving comprehensive control over glycosylation, we’ve turned glycans into a powerful design tool, unlocking new treatment avenues for patients.”
