Siren Biotechnology
Siren Biotechnology is developing universal AAV immuno-gene therapy for cancer, a single treatment that combines AAV gene therapy with cytokine immunotherapy.
- Category
- Bio and Healthcare
- Fund
- NZVC I
- Website
- sirenbiotechnology.com
What Siren Biotechnology does
The therapy delivers engineered cytokines directly into a tumor so the immune system attacks it, and unlike most gene therapies it is designed to be universal rather than made for each patient. Brain cancer is the first target, and in June 2026 the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine awarded Siren $8 million in grant funding to support clinical development of SRN-101 in high-grade glioma. Nicole Paulk founded the company as a spin-out of her lab at UCSF, after nearly two decades working in AAV gene therapy.
The secret behind Siren Biotechnology
Cytokines are among the strongest weapons the immune system has against cancer, but given through the bloodstream they are too toxic to reach a useful dose in the tumor. Having the tumor's own cells produce them through gene therapy puts the dose where it works.
Why NZVC invested in Siren Biotechnology
We backed Siren because solid tumors such as high-grade glioma have few effective treatments, and delivering immunotherapy through gene therapy attacks the reasons earlier approaches failed. Nicole Paulk is one of the leading scientists in AAV gene therapy, and an off-the-shelf design gives the platform a path from brain cancer to other solid tumors.