Precision control of glycosylation to open a new era of therapeutic antibodies

GlycoBoost is a 30-month Horizon Europe project funded by the European Union (Project Number 101214245).

It was selected under HORIZON-EIC-2024-TRANSITION-01 and HORIZON-EIC-2024-TRANSITIONOPEN-01, with the consortium starting on 1 April 2025.

Project description

  • Market & Glycan Importance

    The global biologics market ($511B) and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs, $252.6B) rely heavily on N-glycans—sugar molecules critical for therapeutic safety and efficacy.
    Two-thirds of biologics, including all mAbs, are coated with these glycans.

  • Current Challenges

    Poor control over N-glycans creates heterogeneity, complicating large-scale production, regulatory approval, and therapeutic design.
    This limits their potential in precision medicine.

  • GlycoBoost’s Innovation

    Using kyron.bio’s cell engineering combined with glycan analytics powered by Genos, GlycoBoost delivers N-glycans with unprecedented precision, enabling uniform mAbs. The initial focus is to develop safer, more effective treatments for autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), where drug resistance is high.

  • Commercial & Strategic Goals

    The project aims to advance commercialization via glycoanalytics, preclinical testing, scale-up, and partnerships. The vision is to position Europe as a leader in glycobiology and redefine therapeutic drug development.

European Collaboration

The GlycoBoost consortium unites KYRON.BIO (Coordinator, France) and GENOS (Beneficiary, Croatia), leveraging their established collaboration and high synergistic potential.

Together, they aim to provide integrated glyco-engineering and glycoanalytical services, creating a one-stop-shop for precision glycosylation solutions.

  • kyron.bio is using sugar engineering to pioneer a new era of antibody therapeutics. Their proprietary approach has demonstrated ability to solve the challenge of drug resistance in patients, and opens up a novel design space for monoclonal antibody therapeutics.

Learn more at: https://www.kyron.bio/

  • GENOS is a Croatian biotech leader in glycan analysis and DNA diagnostics, born from academia in 2007. It bridges cutting-edge glycobiology research with personalized medicine solutions through its specialized labs and global partnerships.

Learn more at: https://www.genos.hr/

GlycoBoost Project Technical Summary

The GlycoBoost project is structured into 7 work packages (WPs) to advance glyco-engineered biologics. It focuses on robust glycan profiling, preclinical validation, scalable CHO cell line development, and commercialization, while addressing regulatory and competitive challenges.

Market Pathway & Socioeconomic Impact

Business Model

Kyron.bio leads commercialization with Genos, prioritizing B2B licensing (BM1) of glyco-engineered cell lines over internal drug development (BM2) for faster market entry.

Activities include IP management, regulatory compliance, and market validation via client PoCs targeting pharma, biotech, and CDMOs.

EU Socioeconomic Impact

The project boosts EU health, competitiveness, and strategic autonomy.

Health benefits include improved auto-immune treatments and pain-free years, while economic gains stem from productivity boosts, lower healthcare costs, and new market opportunities.

Employment & Gender Equality

Direct jobs at Kyron.bio/Genos and indirect roles via subcontracting will be created, alongside specialized training in glycobiology.

The project promotes gender equality in STEM, with leadership by four women.

Intellectual Property & Open Science Approach

The project prioritizes robust IP protection—maintaining existing patents, filing new ones for glyco-engineered cell lines, and managing IP via structured processes and consortium agreements.

Simultaneously, it commits to open science principles, publishing key results (WP1-5) for credibility while safeguarding IP, releasing technical notes, and sharing non-sensitive data openly.

Emilia McLaughlin, CEO and Founder of kyron.bio

“ Thanks to EU support, this collaboration between kyron.bio and Genos exemplifies the power of European partnerships, driving crucial innovation for patients while reinforcing Europe’s leadership in biotech. By fostering cross-border synergies, we not only advance targeted glyco-engineered biologics but also strengthen Europe’s innovation ecosystem through shared IP, scalable production, and real-world therapeutic impact.”

News

  • Kyron.bio and Genos Launch Collaborative Project with EU Support

    April 2025

    Kyron.bio and Genos have kicked off an innovative glyco-engineering project, backed by EU funding. Focused on advancing next-generation biologics, the partnership aims to optimize bioproduction and strengthen IP protection while fostering open science. More updates to come as the work progresses.

  • Kyron.bio announced a €5.5M Seed Round

    The seed funding round was led by HCVC, with the participation of Verve Ventures, Entrepreneur First, Saras Capital, and coincides with the launch of the company’s EIC Transition project, backed by the European Innovation Council.
    The funds will accelerate the development of kyron.bio’s proprietary glycan-engineering platform, expand the kyron.bio team and fuel preclinical studies.