The air is fresh and bright. The neon light reflects on the working tools that fill the room. White lab coats. Latex gloves. A large refrigerator to keep dozens of test tubes at a controlled temperature.
It is in this lab at Cibio, the Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology at the University of Trento, that in 2018 a team of researchers decided to found Alia Therapeutics, the first company in Italy specializing in gene editing.
And it is right here, in the laboratory on floor -1 of the Polo Ferrari in Povo (where the company still carries out its research activities) that we decide to meet the co-founder and CTO of Alia Therapeutics: Antonio Casini.
It has been 5 years since the project, which started in the academic field, became in effect a successful business idea. In these 5 years, the company has grown and raised significant investments from public and private groups. The latest one, led by Sofinnova Partners, was closed in April and has brought new funds that will allow the company to make a qualitative leap forward, with a new CEO, a redesigned corporate structure, and the possibility of expanding the research team by bringing on board new talents and skills.
A story, that of Alia Therapeutics, that we are proud to tell, because it is strongly connected with the Trentino system of innovation. A system made up of universities, research centers, companies, organizations and institutions that work together to give life to valuable ideas and projects. Which often, as in this case, are destined to change the world for the better.
Interview with Antonio Casini, CTO and co-founder of Alia Therapeutics
What does Alia Therapeutics deal with?
We deal with gene editing and, in particular, with developing tools that allow us to correct genetic mutations in the cells of people and cure the diseases that these mutations generate. Specifically, our goal is to discover CRISPR family nucleases that are particularly suitable for use in the clinic and present less risk in patients.
When we talk about CRISPR, what are we referring to?
CRISPR is a gene editing technique that allows the targeted correction of a DNA sequence through the use of particular proteins, which function like molecular scissors. They are able to cut DNA at the desired point, allowing us to eliminate or replace harmful sequences.
What types of genetic diseases are you working on?
Right now we are working on eye diseases, but our goal is to make this technology applicable to all genetic diseases. To do this, we have developed a platform that allows us to isolate and discover new tools.
When was Alia Therapeutics founded?
The idea behind Alia Therapeutics was born in 2017. Attending scientific conferences, we realized that even the world of industry was beginning to be really interested in the technologies in the CRISPR field that we were developing in the lab led by Professor Anna Cereseto. From there it was a short step, and in 2018 we founded the company.
What were the first few years like?
We immediately participated in the Bootstrap, the acceleration path for innovative startups of Hub Innovazione Trentino, which the following year then became part of the Trentino Startup Valley program, run together with Trentino Sviluppo. It was very useful for us because it gave us the skills to think about ourselves as entrepreneurs and become a company for real.
From there you started and haven't stopped since.
That's right. In 2019 we got our first investment, which was led by BiovelocITA, the first Italian accelerator specialized in biotech based in Milan, in which Trentino Invest also participated and believed in our project. In the following years we obtained other investments, until we reached this latest one in April: 4.4 million that will give us the resources to make a real jump in quality.
What is your relationship with Trentino?
We have a very close relationship with the area, and we decided to stay in Trentino in this phase. First of all, because we are born as a spinoff of the university, which in our field is really an excellence at the national level. Also for the future we are looking with great interest at the developments of the biotech reality in the territory. The project to create a new technological pole in Rovereto dedicated to life sciences is a strong signal of the Province's willingness to invest in biotech and meets one of our greatest needs: to find adequate spaces where we can continue to grow and expand.
