Argobio and University of Southern Denmark Launch Inverna Therapeutics, a Next-Generation RNA Company

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On Jan. 7, 2025, Argobio announced the launch of Inverna Therapeutics, a new, Denmark-based biotech company specializing in innovative RNA therapeutics, with co-founder, the University of Southern Denmark. The new company will focus on severe genetic diseases, beginning with Huntington’s disease, for which the company has a lead program.

Inverna’s technology platform comes from research conducted by Professor Brage S. Storstein Andresen, an expert in RNA splicing and antisense technology who holds the position of co-founder and chief scientific officer at Inverna (1). Inverna’s goal is to overcome the limitations of conventional RNA therapeutics, and it will do so by harnessing the potential of sequence-based splice modulation, which will allow the company to create safer and more effective treatments for a wide range of debilitating diseases, according to a press release.

“We are thrilled to introduce Inverna to the world,” said Poul Sørensen, CEO of Inverna and partner and entrepreneur-in-residence at Argobio, in the release (1). “Our team, combined with the strong support of Argobio and the University of Southern Denmark, is uniquely positioned to develop transformative therapies that address significant unmet medical needs. Leveraging our proprietary insights into RNA splicing modulation, our pseudo-exon targeting technology offers a potential solution to limitations of current RNA therapeutics by enabling precise, sequence-based and allele-specific targeting with minimal off-target effects.”

Argobio is a European biotech start-up studio, based in Paris, that has played an important role in establishing Inverna. The studio sources early-stage therapeutic projects from leading European academic research institutions and focuses on rare diseases, neurological disorders, oncology, and immunology. Argobio selects and incubates these projects with the goal of developing them into fully-fledged biotech companies and advancing them to significant Series A financing. The studio offers extensive expertise in novel drug discovery and development with the help of a team of highly experienced biotech entrepreneurs. With an initial investment, strategic guidance, and operational expertise, Argobio empowered Inverna to accelerate the development of its innovative RNA pipeline.

“It is fantastic to have the opportunity to translate our many years of research on pre-mRNA [messenger RNA] splicing regulation in human disease into new RNA precision medicines,” said Andresen in the release. “We are excited and eager to unleash the potential of our new discovery engine to develop new RNA therapeutics for untreatable diseases.”

Argobio builds companies to address critical medical needs. The companies that it establishes are based on breakthrough scientific discoveries and innovative approaches, according to Thierry Laugel, chairman at Argobio and managing partner at Kurma Partners.

“We are very pleased to transform another outstanding academic project into a promising industry player. Inverna fits perfectly into our model, with access to cutting-edge science and our unique expertise in building and running biotech companies,” Laugel said in the release.

The University of Southern Denmark was also instrumental in laying the scientific groundwork for Inverna’s innovative approach.

“The launch of Inverna Therapeutics exemplifies the University of Southern Denmark’s commitment to transforming world-class research into real-world impact," said Thomas Schmidt, head of Technology Transfer at the university, in the press release. “Through our collaboration with Argobio and the visionary leadership of Professor Brage Storstein Andresen, we are proud to contribute to the development of groundbreaking therapies that address critical unmet medical needs.”

Reference

1. Argobio. Next-generation RNA Company Inverna Therapeutics Launched by Argobio and University of Southern Denmark. Press Release. Jan. 7, 2025.