Akribion Genomics receives the Hessian Founder Award for its innovative approach to a new cancer therapy

The Akribion Genomics team of BRAIN Biotech AG has received the Hessian Founder Award and was also named the winner in the "Innovative Business Idea" category.

The Akribion Genomics team of BRAIN Biotech AG has received the Hessian Founder Award and was also named the winner in its category. The biotech start-up succeeded against a total of 193 applicants from various sectors.

Akribion Genomics was awarded in the "Innovative Business Idea" category for the discovery and development of an alternative CRISPR-Cas nuclease, which the start-up intends to develop into a new class of genetically based cancer therapies. Better quality of life through more targeted therapies - this is what the about 20 scientists at Akribion Genomics hope to achieve with their programmable therapy platform.

In his laudatory speech at the award ceremony on the evening of November 17 in Darmstadt, Germany, Tarek Al-Wazir, Hesse's Minister of Economics and patron of the award, emphasized the importance of the competition: "Founders with new business ideas help us to remain a strong location and at the same time to become a sustainable location. Supporting our diverse and vibrant start-up scene is therefore a priority of Hessian economic policy."

Michael Krohn, one of the two managing directors of Akribion Genomics, was delighted with the award: "Cancer is a complex disease that is often associated with numerous molecular and genetic alterations. It is precisely this complexity that poses a major challenge in cancer therapy. Due to the molecular mechanism of its target recognition, our CRISPR nuclease G-dase E^® is extremely precise, specifically targets oncogenic nucleic acid sequences and is therefore highly toxic to cancer cells. The direct killing of the cell, ultimately by degrading the genome of the cancer cell, offers a new way to overcome existing resistance mechanisms of cancer cells in a novel way.

Lukas Linnig, second designated managing director, was also pleased with the award and said: "This is a great result for us and I would like to thank the organizers for the excellent organization and great preparation". Linnig described the next steps for the start-up as follows: "We are in the process of confirming the efficient delivery and therapeutic efficacy of G-dase E^® in cancer cells in vitro and in animal studies. We are currently looking for additional strategic partners and investors for the development of new cancer therapies.

The Hessian Founder Award, which is supported by European funding from the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund), does not award any prize money. Instead, the finalists benefit from media attention, high-quality expert training and workshops, and valuable networking contacts. The winners each receive a professional corporate video.

Watch the company video of Akribion Genomics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx0pK6tScB0