It’s a great success for DNA Script. While the nuggets of French biotech often struggle to raise sums beyond 50 million euros to fuel their growth, the Ile-de-France company announces, Tuesday, October 26, a round table for an amount of 142 million euros. ‘euros. In addition to historical investors (Bpifrance, Kurma Partners, LSP, Illumina, etc.), biotech has succeeded in attracting several American funds, including the global giant Fidelity.
What to give wings to the young shoot (130 employees), founded in 2014 by three former Total, Thomas Ybert, Sylvain Gariel and Xavier Godron. The trio of engineers hope to revolutionize the multi-billion dollar synthetic DNA manufacturing market over the next few years. This DNA is used in particular in health research to develop and test new therapies (cell, gene, etc.), vaccines or drugs, but also in the development of diagnostics and treatments in the context of precision medicine.
Like a mini-oven
Today, this DNA is manufactured outside laboratories by service providers who produce it by chemical synthesis. “This is a forty-year-old method, which requires not only the use of chemical reagents that are dangerous and harmful to the environment and health, but also to have experts in this process, which is why this activity has was very quickly outsourced ”, explains Thomas Ybert, president of DNA Script. With a downside, according to the boss of biotech: once the order has been placed, delivery times are very variable, “Up to several weeks, depending on the case”. Time wasted for laboratories, forced to put their projects on hold until they receive synthetic DNA.
To remedy this, the biotech has developed a DNA printer that looks like a mini-oven to allow researchers to manufacture synthetic DNA directly at their bench. Biotech innovation lies above all at the heart of the machine, in the DNA manufacturing process used. The company has developed another production method, protected by numerous patents, based on enzymatic synthesis technology, and not chemical, as is customary. “With this system, all they have to do is write the lines of DNA codes into the software and press the button. In a few hours, they will have the synthetic DNA they need for their projects. In terms of speed, it’s unbeatable ”, details Thomas Ybert.
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