In Besançon, a French startup is shaking up the world of innovative medicine. Oragen Therapeutics, a preclinical-stage biotech company, is developing a unique platform for the oral delivery of therapeutic RNA—a groundbreaking advancement in the treatment of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
“We’re doing what no one else in the world is currently able to do: effectively administer nucleic acids orally” explains Henry Pierre, co-founder and CEO. The secret lies in a sophisticated system of lipid nanoparticles encapsulated within a proprietary microparticle. This microparticle is gastro-resistant and capable of specifically targeting inflamed areas of the intestine, thereby enabling more precise and potentially more effective treatment.
With nearly 500,000 patients affected in France and six million across Europe and the United States, Oragen Therapeutics aims to address the limitations of current treatments, which are often invasive or lack precision. The innovation lies not only in the molecule itself, but in how it is delivered, transforming the management of chronic inflammatory diseases into a technological challenge that has been successfully met.
Local roots play a key role in this ambitious project. Besançon, with its dynamic biomedical ecosystem and cutting-edge infrastructure, provides the startup with solid scientific and technical support. Oragen Therapeutics also benefits from its status as a spin-off of the UMR Right and the support of BIOVALIANCE, which brings together a cluster of excellence in biotherapies and innovative medicine.
Thanks to this synergy between scientific innovation and the region’s network of expertise, Oragen Therapeutics perfectly illustrates the potential of French startups in the healthcare sector. The company is paving the way for a new era of targeted treatments that are less invasive and better tailored to patients’ needs, while positioning France at the forefront of global biomedical innovation.