TraffikGene, spinoff company from USC, is born in Santiago to bring new advanced therapies to its target cells
The company, established after seven years of research at CIQUS and born from the Ignicia program of the Xunta de Galicia, has already raised more than 3.5 million euros in non-dilutive funding and has recently signed its first international agreement with a European biotechnology company. Santiago de Compostela, July 17, 2026. TraffikGene S.L., based in Santiago de Compostela, has been formally incorporated as a commercial company, after seven years of development at the Singular Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CIQUS) of the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC). The company was created under the Ignicia Proof of Concept program of the Xunta de Galicia to commercialize the TraffikGeneÒ technology, a platform that facilitates the transport of drugs based on genetic material to the cells of the body where they must act, and which has the support of strategic institutional partners such as the USC and the Axencia Galega de Innovación (GAIN). The technology is based on carrier molecules (peptides) capable of encapsulating genetic material (messenger RNA, interfering RNA, DNA, or gene-editing proteins) and directing it to specific tissues, including some that are difficult to reach systemically. Its promoters point out that, compared to other alternatives already on the market, it is easier to manufacture and less toxic. «The incorporation of the company is an important milestone for us; it means that we are one step closer to this technology reaching society and, eventually, the patients who need it», explains Marisa Juanes, a co-founder and researcher on the USC team who now assumes the role of technical director. The project has been in the making for seven years in the group led by the researcher of the Xunta de Galicia’s Oportunius programme Javier Montenegro, together with Marisa Juanes, Irene Lostalé-Seijo and Alberto Fuertes, linked to technology since its origin. The USC will transfer the intellectual and industrial property of the patent exclusively to the new company. «The involvement of the USC in this new venture reflects our commitment to the transfer of knowledge and the promotion of innovative business initiatives,» says the rector Rosa Crujeiras, who highlights the support of the USC’s Valorization, Transfer and Entrepreneurship Area (AVTE) throughout the process. To date, TraffikGene has raised more than €3.5 million in non-dilutive funding, including grants from the European Innovation Council (Pathfinder and Transition programmes) and the Xunta de Galicia’s Ignicia-Proof of Concept call through the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN). “Projects such as TraffikGene represent the perfect example of the Xunta de Galicia’s commitment to high-impact strategic areas, knowledge transfer and scientific entrepreneurship that strengthens the competitiveness of the Galician productive fabric», says Carmen Cotelo, director of the Galician Innovation Agency. This support, says Alberto Fuertes, made it possible to «consolidate the first preclinical results in relevant animal models and strengthen the team with strategic profiles closer to the industry». In this line, Mark Mayhew, with more than 20 years of experience in business development in the pharmaceutical industry, and who had already accompanied the project during its last academic stage, has taken office as Chairman of the Board of Directors. The project has recently signed its first collaboration agreement with the Norwegian biotechnology company Circio, a proof, according to its promoters, of the interest of a clearly expanding market in this technology. As an independent company, TraffikGene’s next steps include consolidating new co-development projects with strategic partners and raising a seed funding round on which the team is already working. From a scientific point of view, the internal preclinical development of RNA-based therapies in the medium term will be addressed. «We are at an ideal time to make this leap into the industry. This project has grown substantially in the academic field, where we were already working with an entrepreneurial mentality supported by very competitive funding for technology transfer,» says Javier Montenegro. Attached Picture – From left to right: Yolanda Álvarez (non-director secretary), Alberto Fuertes, Irene Lostalé Seijo, Marisa Juanes, Javier Montenegro, Mark Mayhew, Rosa Crujeiras, Carmen Cotelo. About TraffikGene TraffikGene S.L. is a spinoff of the University of Santiago de Compostela born in July 2026 to commercialize TraffikGeneÒ, a proprietary platform for delivering genetic material for the development of advanced therapies. The technology comes from the CiQUS research group led by Javier Montenegro and has the institutional support of the USC and the Galician Innovation Agency. About CIQUS and USC The Singular Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CIQUS) is a research center of the CIGUS network of the University of Santiago de Compostela dedicated to biological chemistry. The USC, through its Valorisation, Transfer and Entrepreneurship Area (AVTE), promotes the creation of technology-based companies arising from its research activity. About the Galician Innovation Agency of the Xunta de Galicia The Galician Innovation Agency is the body of the Xunta de Galicia in charge of promoting innovation and the transfer of knowledge to the productive fabric of the Galician community.