October 30, 2025
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Kindling Bio and the University of Sussex have announced a new strategic collaboration to accelerate the development of Kindling Bio’s innovative approach to tackling childhood and hard-to-treat cancers.
The partnership brings together Kindling Bio’s gene therapy platform with the deep cancer biology and immunology expertise of Professors Leandro Castellano and Florian Kern at the University of Sussex. The collaboration will focus on advancing the underlying science behind Kindling Bio’s approach and exploring new ways to reprogramme tumour biology to improve treatment outcomes across multiple cancer types.
“Collaborating with the University of Sussex allows us to accelerate our mission to make gene therapy a curative reality for children facing cancer. This partnership strengthens the scientific foundation of our work and creates a bridge between cutting-edge academic discovery and real-world therapeutic innovation.” — Dr. Aleck Jones, Co-founder of Kindling Bio
“We’re delighted to start such an important partnership with Kindling Bio, a company at the forefront of gene therapy innovation. Their bold and imaginative approach to tackling rare childhood cancers aligns perfectly with the University of Sussex’s mission to support transformative science. By contributing our world-leading scientific expertise, we’re helping accelerate the development of a therapy that could make a profound difference to children and families affected by cancer.” — Nick Bull, Business Partnerships Manager, University of Sussex
Building on the University’s internationally recognised research in molecular oncology and immune regulation, this collaboration aims to validate and expand Kindling Bio’s pre-clinical pipeline. By combining the company’s translational focus with the University’s research strengths, the partnership will help accelerate the discovery of new mechanisms that underpin the company’s approach to reprogramming cancer cells from within.
“The expertise of Professor Castellano and Professor Kern in tumour biology and immune regulation perfectly complements our work to reprogramme cancer cells and harness the immune system’s power. It’s exciting to collaborate with a team whose scientific insight and curiosity so strongly align with our mission.” — Dr. Jeff Drew, Co-founder of Kindling Bio
“I’m excited to collaborate with Kindling Bio on this innovative project. Childhood cancers remain among the most devastating and least understood diseases, and we believe this collaboration will open new paths toward safer and more effective therapies.” — Prof. Leandro Castellano, Professor of RNA Biology, University of Sussex
“This truly groundbreaking initiative by Kindling Bio exploits the immune system’s ability to eliminate virus infected cells to target a range of malignancies at the same time. If successful, this might redefine the way we fight childhood cancer.” — Prof. Florian Kern, Professor of Immunology, University of Sussex
Looking Ahead
The collaboration represents a key milestone for Kindling Bio as the company continues to advance its cancer gene therapy platform toward clinical development. Both teams will work closely to derisk the therapeutic mechanism, strengthen pre-clinical validation, and explore future joint research initiatives.
About Kindling Bio
Kindling Bio is a biotechnology company advancing paediatric-led, next-generation cancer gene therapies designed to reprogramme tumour biology and harness the power of children’s immune systems to fight a wide range of tumours.
About the University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is a leading broad-based research-intensive institution known for its strengths in life science, innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. It contributes globally through cutting-edge work in areas such as quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, sustainability and genome damage and stability.
