Cell and gene therapies offer enormous opportunities for patients with serious diseases. But what exactly happens after such a therapy is administered often remains unclear. Laura Mezzanotte, co-founder of Radigene, is developing a technology that makes this process visible. Her goal: better treatments and faster success in clinical trials.
From research to startup
The story of Radigene began in the laboratory. For years, Laura worked on a method to better track cell and gene therapies after they had been administered to patients.
“When the therapy is administered, the cells disappear from the radar,” Laura explains. “It is now impossible to see where the cells are going, whether they are attacking only the right cells, and whether toxicity occurs. Cell therapy is basically a black box.”
This lack of insight has major consequences. Around 90 percent of new cell and gene therapies fail in the late stages of clinical trials. Not only does this cost a great deal of money, it also means that potential treatments never reach patients.
Radigene’s technology aims to change that. By monitoring therapies more effectively, researchers and clinicians can see earlier what works and what doesn’t.
“If you can determine earlier which therapies have a chance of succeeding, you can accelerate development enormously.”
“Right now it’s essentially a black box, we don’t know exactly where the therapy goes in the body.”
The moment everything came together
The idea for a startup emerged when Laura realized that her technology not only worked in experiments, but was also practically applicable.
“When I noticed that we can track cells over a longer period of time, that it was relatively easy to produce, and that this technology fits into existing clinical workflows, I thought: this really has potential.”
Although similar ideas already exist in the field, they often turned out to be too complex for practical use. According to Laura, the simplicity of this approach is precisely what makes it possible to move toward clinical application.
Learning entrepreneurship at Venture Academy
To further develop her technology as a business, Laura participated in Venture Academy. Earlier, she had also completed the Venture Challenge program.
“With Venture Challenge you mainly work on your value proposition and pitch. Venture Academy goes much deeper into the practical side of starting a company.”
They learned about legal structures, financing, and the first steps of venture building. Collaboration with other startups also played an important role.
“At Venture Academy, we were really helpful to each other. You learn a tremendous amount from the experiences of other teams.”
From risk-averse to entrepreneur
The startup journey has also been a personal development for Laura. She describes herself as someone who naturally prefers to gather all the information before making a decision.
“I’m actually quite risk-averse,” she says with a laugh. “But entrepreneurship sometimes requires you to take risks.”
Thanks to the environment and the inspiration from other entrepreneurs, she now feels more confident about taking those steps: “I’ve now become a person who dares to take more risks.”
The biggest challenge: funding
One of the biggest challenges for Radigene is obtaining funding to further validate the technology. Therefore, the team is first focusing on non-dilutive funding, such as grants and research fellowships. In doing so, Radigene is building a strong data package that will more easily attract investors.
What Laura is most proud of since starting her business is the network she has built. “I never thought I would be able to make so many connections,” she says.
The dream: technology in the clinic
The ambition for Radigene is clear. Within five years, Laura hopes the technology will be used in clinical trials. Within ten years, she wants to see the technology actually applied in the clinic.
“Whether I’ll still be the one leading the company then, I don’t know,” she says matter-of-factly. “But what we’ve developed ultimately has to reach the patient.”
In the coming period, the team will focus on further validation of the technology, a market analysis, and developing a strong business plan.
For Laura, the ultimate goal remains clear:
“Everything we do is to better help patients.”
