Liège-based Quidditas Therapeutics, a BioTech company specialised in genome editing, announced today it has raised a total of €2.62 million to accelerate the development of its recombination-based genome editing technology.
French BioTech-focused fund iXLife Capital led a €900k capital increase, with the support of VC group Key Ventures, family companies and business angels. The investment is complemented by a €1.72 million grant from the Ministry of Research in Wallonia via the Win4Company programme, a public initiative supporting innovative companies in the Walloon region of Belgium.
“Genome editing holds immense promise, especially in treating rare and complex genetic disorders. At Quidditas, our goal is to push the boundaries of what’s possible by developing a precise and adaptable solution that can address critical medical needs,” said François Cherbonneau, CEO and Co-founder of Quidditas. “We are grateful for the investors backing us, bringing us one step closer to making our vision of transforming healthcare through genomic medicine come true. We would also like to thank the Walloon region for its support, as this grant will help reinforce Belgium’s role as a key player in European biotech innovation and bioproduction.”
Founded in 2022, Quidditas is a BioTech company developing a precise and adaptable genome editing platform with multiple applications across gene therapy, protein bioproduction and regenerative medicine.
The company was founded by François Cherbonneau, PhD, M.Eng, and Aurore Prunevieille, PhD, M.Eng, two biotechnologists who have worked at institutions such as Paris Saint-Louis Hospital (France) and Boston Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School (US). Their doctoral theses focused on biotechnology research projects in molecular genetics and immunology.
By enabling large, highly-targeted genetic changes, Quidditas aims to transform the gene therapy field and to create “novel treatments that have long been out of reach for certain conditions“.
Its approach could be used to address complex and rare diseases through gene therapy, while also opening new opportunities in bioproduction, stem cell research and other biomedical fields.
“iXLife is committed to backing companies that are capable of revolutionising the BioTech space,” said Jean-Pierre Kinet, MD, managing partner at iXLife Capital, immunologist and Emeritus Professor at Harvard Medical School. “Quidditas’ genome editing technology represents a transformative leap forward in the field, with the potential to address some of the most challenging diseases. We are excited to support its mission to bring impactful solutions to patients in need.”
In the genome editing and gene therapy sector, even if CRISPR has brought new ways to treat genetic diseases, the large-scale use of this technology is still hampered by technical issues such as efficiency and specificity, and its performance is restrained by the size of the DNA recombination – as per comments by Quidditas.
Quidditas’ technology aims to fill this gap and bring gene therapy to the next level.
It can reportedly cut any single or double stranded nucleic acid sequences (RNA or DNA) and paste any length of nucleic acids anywhere in the genome in a fully controlled manner. This can replace a full gene or exon by cutting out a selected sequence and adding another which is entirely double stranded. This technology is not only multifunctional, but also bypasses current technical limitations, creating a complete gene recombination.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/05/belgian-biotech-startup-quidditas-raises-e2-62-million-for-genome-editing-technology/
