Fuse Vectors has announced $5.2 million in pre-seed financing led by HCVC to revolutionise gene therapy development with its cell-free viral vector technology.
The funding will accelerate the development of Fuse’s technology platform and pipeline of novel gene therapies.
Fuse Vectors aims to be the universal solution for AAV gene therapy development, delivering unmet patient needs and expanding the accessibility of gene therapy to a wider range of indications.
Henrik Stage is co-founder and Executive Chair of Fuse Vectors.
He said: “This investment from HCVC is a pivotal step for Fuse Vectors, bringing our pre-seed financing to 5 million EUR.
“We are excited to work towards our vision of making gene therapy more efficient, cost-effective, and accessible, and are grateful for the early support and financing received from BioInnovation Institute, EIFO and Innovation Fund during our ideation and start-up phase.”
The Fuse Vectors story began with two bioprocess scientists who saw firsthand the limitations of current drug development technologies.
Despite the complexity of viral vectors, the industry had been relying on retrofitted manufacturing technologies from the 1980s and 1990s. Benjamin Blaha and Jordan Turnbull watched as these outdated methods produced therapies that were costly, slow to develop, and often low in quality.
As the founders describe it, traditional methods are like “tossing LEGO bricks into a tumble dryer and hoping houses emerge.”
Recognising this gap, they asked a question: “What if everything about this process is wrong?”
The industry’s major players lacked both the bandwidth and remit to overhaul these outdated methods, so Blaha and Turnbull took the leap – leaving their jobs to rethink viral vector development from the ground up.
Their efforts led to a breakthrough: a controlled, cell-free approach that assembles viral vectors with unprecedented precision.
Benjamin Blaha is co-founder of Fuse Vectors.
He said: “Fuse Vectors’ cell-free Fuse Technology offers significant improvements, reducing production time and costs while enhancing vector quality to meet patients’ unmet needs.
“The enzymatic AAV capsid filling process eliminates cell-based AAV production, using efficient technologies storing components in a module library (‘Fuse Vector Foundry’).
“This allows on-demand, controlled biocatalytic reactions to fill capsids and works across all serotypes.”
Instead of relying on living cells’ unpredictable behavior, Fuse’s technology assembles viral vectors through controlled biochemical reactions.
This approach allows for unprecedented precision, achieving over 99 per cent filled capsids synthesized in hours rather than weeks.
Partners simply provide a gene sequence, and Fuse’s streamlined process packages it into an AAV vector – enabling faster, higher-quality development with minimal setup.
The platform’s modular nature enables rapid optimisation through multi-parallel prototyping, making it significantly more efficient than traditional methods.
Currently in alpha testing, Fuse Vectors is collaborating with over half a dozen partners – from academic research groups to leading pharmaceutical companies.
The company plans two commercialisation strategies: partnering with pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and academic institutions to optimise drug candidates using their Fuse Technology and Optimization Engine, while also developing their own pipeline of therapeutic candidates.
Trine Bartholdy is CBO of BioInnovation Institute.
Bartholdy said: “Fuse Vectors’ approach to gene therapy has the potential to make gene therapy much more interesting for the Industry to develop as well as increase accessibility to patients.
Their start-up development exemplifies BII’s commitment to empowering innovative platform technologies based on world-class scientific research to grow into successful companies capable of making meaningful impact on the future of gene therapy and human health.
Alexis Houssou, Managing Partner of HCV, added: “We are thrilled to support Fuse Vectors in their mission to revolutionise gene therapy.
“With their unique cell-free viral vector solution, expert founding team and strong business model, Fuse Vectors has the potential to overcome significant challenges in the field, and we believe in their ability to bring transformative treatments to patients.”
