Dr. Avencia Sánchez-Mejías is CEO and co-founder of Integra Therapeutics, a Barcelona-based biotech company developing next-generation gene-editing tools. With a background in molecular biology and clinical genetics, she brings over 15 years of experience in genetic therapy research across Europe, the US, and Asia.
In this exclusive interview, Avencia shares insights on transitioning from academia to entrepreneurship, building a sustainable biotech company, and leveraging strategic partnerships to bring innovative gene therapy solutions to market.
“Having a technology that can address genetic conditions and new diseases that today are not treatable, can have a huge impact. Not only for the patient but also for the cost of the health system.”, she says.
Strategic Evolution: From Platform to Product Development
One of Integra’s most significant strategic decisions was expanding beyond being purely a platform technology company to developing their own therapeutic products. This transition required careful consideration of sustainable growth and market validation strategies.
“This is probably one of the most strategic decisions that we had to take,” Avencia explains. “We think hard and long on which first indication should be to be successful. It also changed the type of company that we were. We were very technological, and now we are building therapeutic products. So the kind of talent that you need also changes.”
Leveraging Outsourcing for Clinical Development
For Integra, outsourcing plays a crucial role in their clinical development strategy. Avencia emphasizes the importance of strategic partnerships in managing costs and accessing expertise.
“As a small company, and even if we grow to 100 people, we will still be a small company compared to global pharma. Outsourcing these activities is key because it allows us to better budget the cost of building the products and getting this into the patient,” she notes. “You don’t need to have all the experts in-house, and you can use talent that has already gone through the process of doing clinical trials with Advanced Therapy products.”
Building a Sustainable Biotech Enterprise
Despite challenging market conditions, particularly in 2023, Integra has successfully secured significant funding, including over €10 million from the European Investment Bank. The company’s growth strategy combines internal product development with platform licensing opportunities.
“Our aspiration is also for the platform to be used by others,” Avencia shares. “It’s a very large field out there, and we cannot build it all alone. So we are open for strategic partnerships in which partners use our platform for their own products, and this will allow us to impact more patients.”
Market Potential and Future Impact
The potential impact of Integra’s gene-editing technology extends far beyond individual products. With thousands of genetic conditions affecting millions of people, and less than 5% of rare genetic conditions having available therapies, the market opportunity is substantial.
“We are talking here that there are thousands of genetic conditions that affect millions of people, and there is only less than 5% of these rare genetic conditions that have available therapy, and not only Advanced Therapy, but any kind of therapy available,” Avencia explains. “For gene therapy, it’s about 12 products approved.”
This gap in the market represents both a significant business opportunity and a chance to transform healthcare outcomes. “Having a technology that can address these indications can have a huge impact, not only for the patient but also for the cost of the health system,” she notes. “Because of society for taking care of some of these patients that are dependent on the community and their families.”
Advice for Aspiring Biotech Entrepreneurs
Drawing from her experience transitioning from academia to entrepreneurship, Avencia offers valuable insights for aspiring biotech founders:
“Make sure that your idea is an innovative breakthrough. Very few people in the world have something that is similar, probably being the only one,” she advises. “Make sure that you have something innovative and relatively unique that you are passionate about, because the journey is long and it has high and lows.”
She emphasizes three key success factors:
- Innovation uniqueness in the global market
- Personal passion and commitment to the mission
- Strong partnerships and support networks
“Surround yourself with very good partners that will be with you during the journey, because it’s a very tough work, and it’s much better shared,” she concludes.
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