Barcelonas Integra Therapeutics pulls in 107M to take gene writing mainstream

Barcelona-based Integra Therapeutics has raised €10.7 million in a pre-Series A round to advance the development of its FiCAT gene writing platform and power the next-generation CAR-T therapies into preclinical validation. The funding is led by theEIC Fund, the venture arm of the European Innovation Council, and Spain’sCDTI Innvierte, along with existing investorsAdBio,Columbus,Invivo, andTakeda Ventures.
Integra spun out of Pompeu Fabra University in 2020, founded by molecular biologistDr. Avencia Sánchez-Mejíasand synthetic biologistDr. Marc Güell.They aim to fix one of gene therapy’s biggest shortcomings: precision.
While CRISPR has advanced the field, its limitations in terms of targeting fidelity and scalability remain. Integra’s FiCAT technology is designed to merge CRISPR’s programmability with integrases capable of “writing” large DNA sequences directly into the genome, avoiding the off-target risks that slow clinical translation.
The startup sees applications beyond the technology platform. With an EIC Accelerator grant, Integra is developing its first gene therapy for a rare pediatric liver disease. The FiCAT system is also being positioned as a backbone for engineering more resilient CAR-T cells targeting cancer and autoimmune diseases. Early preclinical data shared at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy Annual Meeting this year showed strong potential and helped draw investor interest.
Securing both EU-backed capital and Spanish government support is notable for an early-stage biotech, reflecting Europe’s push to grow domestic biotech champions rather than see them acquired or outpaced by U.S. competitors. Investors are betting that FiCAT can compete globally by striking a balance between editing accuracy and translational speed.
With the fresh funding, Integra plans to expand FiCAT’s capabilities for pharmaceutical technology transfer, advance its preclinical pipeline, and lay the groundwork for human trials. Over the next 18 months, management expects to announce additional partnerships as interest in gene writing technologies continues to scale up