Houdini Bio has launched a machine learning-guided DNA sequence design platform aimed at addressing cellular silencing mechanisms that limit the long-term effectiveness of gene therapies.

UK-based biotech Houdini Bio has launched a platform designed to improve the durability and efficiency of gene and cell therapies by addressing a key biological barrier that can reduce therapeutic performance.

The company has raised approximately £1.5 million in non-dilutive grant funding alongside an oversubscribed pre-seed round led by SCVC, the venture arm of Science Creates, with participation from Deep Science Ventures and Cambridge Enterprise VC at the University of Cambridge.

According to the company, its platform uses machine learning-guided DNA sequence design to overcome cellular defence mechanisms that can reduce gene expression over time. One of the central biological challenges it targets is the Human Silencing Hub (HUSH) complex, a regulatory system that can recognise and suppress foreign genetic material introduced into cells.

Gene and cell therapies have advanced rapidly in recent years, but maintaining consistent and long-term expression of therapeutic genes remains a challenge. In some cases, cellular defence responses can reduce the effectiveness of treatments, leading to higher dose requirements and limiting durability.

Houdini Bio says its approach focuses on redesigning therapeutic DNA sequences so they are less likely to trigger these silencing mechanisms, with the aim of improving gene expression levels and consistency. The company claims its platform can increase gene expression output compared with existing sequence design approaches, although these findings have not been independently verified.

The underlying biological insight is based on research into the HUSH complex, originally identified through work at the University of Cambridge by Professor Paul Lehner. The system is known to play a role in regulating and suppressing foreign DNA within human cells as part of innate defence pathways.

Houdini Bio chief executive Jonathan Cohen-Gold said: “The industry has made incredible strides, proving genetic medicines can cure previously untreatable diseases, but cellular machinery still rejects these therapies, limiting long-term effectiveness and forcing costly, unsafe doses. Our platform introduces a shift from trial-and-error screening to engineering-driven DNA design. By identifying the molecular rules which allow sequences to escape HUSH, we can rewrite therapeutic DNA to clear cellular checkpoints.”

Co-founder and chief business officer Lee Dunham has previously worked with cell and gene therapy companies, including at Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, where he focused on commercial development across the sector.

SCVC founder and managing partner Harry Destecroix said: “Houdini Bio represents the type of deep tech infrastructure the ecosystem needs. Solving DNA silencing at the biological root could improve long-term efficacy and unit economics across gene and cell therapies.”

Houdini Bio is now planning to expand its team and develop partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies interested in integrating DNA sequence optimisation tools into gene and cell therapy development pipelines.