Release Therapeutics lands ~$609K Swiss grant for rare-disease implant
What's the deal? Geneva-based Release TherapeuticsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has won a US$458.3K (roughly $609,000) Innovation Project grant from InnosuisseDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the Swiss Innovation Agency. The non-dilutive funding, awarded with the University of Geneva's Faculty of Medicine, will back preclinical work on the company's encapsulated cell technology for Sanfilippo syndrome type IIIA (MPS IIIA).
What's the endgame? The 24-month programme will advance the Myo-P5A, a subcutaneous implant designed to continuously deliver the enzyme sulfamidase to the central nervous system. It is the second therapeutic programme built on Release's platform, which uses engineered human myoblasts housed in a pin-sized macroencapsulation device.
The implant aims to replace intermittent enzyme replacement therapy with steady, in-body production. In preclinical studies, the platform has sustained therapeutic protein delivery for more than 10 months.
Why now? MPS IIIA is an ultra-rare lysosomal storage disorder that causes progressive neurodegeneration from early childhood, with patients often reaching profound disability and death by around age 15. In September 2026, the gene therapy FAYUVI became the first disease-modifying treatment approved for the condition — a different subtype and approach, but validation that restoring sulfamidase can work.
What could go wrong? The grant funds a still-preclinical candidate, not clinical testing. It aims to establish proof-of-concept that the implant can reach the brain across the blood-brain barrier — an unproven hurdle for the programme.
Release raised a US$3.03M seed round in 2024 and is also pursuing metachromatic leukodystrophy. The Innosuisse award is modest; our data puts the amount in the 32.7th percentile for comparable rounds.
"This award represents important recognition of both our technology and our development strategy," said Nicolas Mach, chief scientific officer and co-founder.
The signal: Non-dilutive grants remain a key lifeline for early-stage European biotechs expanding into rare, underserved indications. The money signals institutional backing to broaden a preclinical platform — not proof that a treatment is nearing the clinic.
Read more: ipo.einnews.com
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