Brink Therapeutics

Brink Therapeutics, a Paris-based biotechnology firm established in September 2024, is focused on advancing the field of gene therapy. The company was co-founded by Jonathan Naccache, who holds a PhD in biotechnology, and Harry Kemble, who has a PhD in systems biology. Their previous experience includes significant contributions to the diagnostic startup Detect.

The company is developing a next-generation recombinase technology to enhance genome editing. This technology is designed to insert, delete, or modify DNA sequences with high precision. The core of their approach combines directed evolution, metagenomic exploration, and artificial intelligence to design these specialized enzymes. A key technique employed is "in vitro compartmentalization," which allows for testing billions of enzyme variants in microscopic droplets, significantly speeding up the evolution and optimization cycles of recombinases. This process generates a substantial data library used to train generative AI models for the computer-aided design of new recombinases, which aims to accelerate drug discovery.

Brink Therapeutics' primary business is the discovery and development of therapeutic recombinases. The company's initial focus is on CAR-T therapies for hematological cancers, with the ultimate goal of enabling the production of CAR-T cells directly within the body to make these treatments more scalable and accessible. Beyond oncology, the platform is designed to be adaptable for other genetically modified cell therapies, targeting solid tumors and rare diseases. The company's operational plan includes validating five recombinases for their effectiveness and specificity in human cells by the end of 2026.

In April 2025, Brink Therapeutics secured €3.5 million in a seed funding round. The round was led by Kurma Partners and Breega, with participation from Kima Ventures, Plug and Play Ventures, and several business angels from the healthcare and AI sectors. This capital is intended to expand the research team, with plans to recruit around fifteen researchers in molecular and cellular biology, bioinformatics, and AI over the next two years.

Keywords: gene editing, gene therapy, recombinase technology, CAR-T, cell therapy, directed evolution, artificial intelligence, oncology, rare diseases, hematological cancers, therapeutic recombinases, in-vivo, genome editing, DNA modification, metagenomics, biotechnology, enzyme design, drug discovery, genetic engineering, startup