Kano Therapeutics is pioneering single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) as a safe, efficient and flexible biomolecule for gene insertions, using bioreactor-based production to manufacture long, circular ssDNA repair templates. Its platform connects manufacturing, application and computational tools to deliver kilobase ssDNA at roughly 10x lower cost and greatly increased scale, aiming to enable low-toxicity, high-efficiency gene constructs inaccessible to current methods. Kano positions ssDNA as combining dsDNA stability with RNA-like flexibility to replace whole genes while reducing immune activation and safety concerns associated with viral vectors and dsDNA donors. The company is founder-led and was spun out of the Bathe BioNanoLab at MIT’s Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Nanotechnology. Kano will use the financing to develop GLP standards, design a process for clinical-grade production of kilobase ssDNA, advance internal and collaborative programs, begin internal ex vivo pipeline development, expand therapeutic collaborations into pre-clinical programs, and scale production capacity. Its work targets gene and cell therapies for genetic disorders, cancers and other high unmet-need conditions. Kano Therapeutics is a biotech startup spun out of Professor Mark Bathe’s BioNano Lab at MIT focused on therapeutic replacement genes. The company is building replacement-gene therapeutics and is actively piloting products with multiple public pharma companies. Kano aims to enable drug programs in cancer immunotherapies and gene therapies for monogenetic disorders. Co-founder and CEO Floris Engelhardt, PhD, was a postdoctoral researcher in the BioNano Lab and holds a doctorate in biophysics from the Technical University of Munich. In 2021 Engelhardt received a two-year founder fellowship from Activate Global to support company building. In May 2022 Kano closed a Pre-Seed round led by Boston-based fund The Engine with participation from German fund Amino Collective.

Total raised

$5M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Aug 2024