Genkore
Seoul, KR Β· 3 known investors
Genkore develops ultra-compact gene-editing technology to create therapeutic treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's and ALS. The company's gene scissors technology offers advantages in gene editing efficiency and delivery compared to existing approaches.
Also known as GenKOre Β· μ§μ½μ΄
Founders & leadership
Investors Β· 3
Company profile
researched Aug 2026GenKOre (μ§μ½μ΄) is a South Korean gene-editing company that develops hypercompact CRISPR nucleases and base editors small enough to be packaged into a single adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector. Its core platform is called TaRGET (Tiny nuclease/augment RNA-based Genome Editing Technology), first published in Nature Biotechnology in 2021, and extended in 2022 to hypercompact adenine base editors (ABEs) described in Nature Chemical Biology. Because conventional base editors are built on the comparatively large SpCas9 nuclease and exceed the roughly 4.7 kb AAV payload limit, they have largely been restricted to liver-directed delivery; GenKOre positions its smaller editors as AAV-deliverable and therefore applicable to a wider range of tissues.
The company is a spin-off from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), a government-invested research institute. It operates a hypercompact genome-editing platform business, developing AAV and non-AAV gene therapies as well as edited animals and plants. Therapeutic work is focused on gene-editing treatments for brain genetic disorders including Huntington's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). GenKOre is at the pre-clinical stage and has also moved toward ex vivo gene therapy through alliances with companies working on immune cells and hematopoietic stem cells. Its chief executive is Kim Yong-sam.
Founding story
The company was founded in 2019 as a research-institute spin-off from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), a government-invested research organization in Korea, continuing KRIBB's record of laboratory-based startups.
Business model
Platform-based biotechnology: GenKOre operates a hypercompact genome-editing platform, developing its own AAV and non-AAV gene therapies while also applying the editing system to animals and plants, and seeking collaborations and strategic alliances with pharmaceutical companies and academic groups.
Traction
GenKOre's platform has produced peer-reviewed publications in Nature Biotechnology (2021) and Nature Chemical Biology (2022), the latter including in vivo validation in mice. Its hypercompact gene scissors technology received national strategic technology confirmation from Korean authorities in December 2024. Development programs remain at the pre-clinical stage.
Latest developments
In December 2024 Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT and KISTEP confirmed GenKOre's hypercompact gene scissors technology as a national strategic technology at the third national strategic technology confirmation review, and a certificate ceremony was held on 9 April 2025. In January 2025 the company announced it had raised a KRW 10 billion bridge round with venture capital firm Intervest participating. In August 2025, Ministry of Science and ICT First Vice Minister Koo Hyuk-chae visited GenKOre's Seoul research institute to discuss researcher entrepreneurship and R&D policy. CEO Kim Yong-sam has also appeared at STEPI-UST forums on laboratory startups and at UST orientation events as a deep-tech entrepreneurship lecturer.
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
GenKOre is a pre-clinical in vivo gene-editing therapy developer whose hypercompact gene scissors technology has been formally confirmed as a national strategic technology by Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT and KISTEP, and which is cited as a case study of successful laboratory- and research institute-based entrepreneurship in Korea.
Technology
GenKOre's technology centers on hypercompact CRISPR nucleases marketed as the TaRGET system (Tiny nuclease/augment RNA-based Genome Editing Technology), published in Nature Biotechnology in 2021, and on hypercompact adenine base editors built on TaRGET and published in Nature Chemical Biology on 2 August 2022. The small size allows delivery in a single AAV vector, whose payload is limited to about 4.7 kb, while the company reports high base-editing efficiency and specificity and has validated base editing in mouse in vivo models. The company states its editing and delivery efficiency compares favorably with earlier gene-scissor technologies.
Go-to-market
Patients with genetic diseases, with therapeutic programs aimed at brain genetic disorders such as Huntington's disease and ALS; the platform is also directed at pharmaceutical company and academic partners, and at animal and plant genome-editing applications.
Geography
Headquartered in South Korea, with a Daejeon base and a Seoul research institute located at the Catholic University of Korea's Omnibus Park; the Seoul research facility was expanded in 2022.
History
GenKOre was established in 2019 as a spin-off from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB). It published its TaRGET hypercompact CRISPR system in Nature Biotechnology in 2021 and a hypercompact adenine base editing system in Nature Chemical Biology in August 2022, around which time it expanded its research facility in Seoul. In December 2024 the Ministry of Science and ICT and KISTEP formally confirmed its hypercompact gene scissors as a national strategic technology, with a certificate ceremony held in April 2025. In January 2025 the company announced a bridge financing round, and in August 2025 First Vice Minister Koo Hyuk-chae of the Ministry of Science and ICT visited its Seoul research institute at the Catholic University of Korea Omnibus Park.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
Timeline Β· 8
launches, deals, and filingsFirst Vice Minister Koo Hyuk-chae of the Ministry of Science and ICT visited GenKOre's Seoul research institute at the Catholic University of Korea Omnibus Park to review technology commercialisation and discuss researcher entrepreneurship and R&D activation measures.
GenKOre was among the companies at the national strategic technology certificate ceremony held by Minister of Science and ICT Yoo Sang-im at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
GenKOre announced it had secured a bridge investment of about KRW 10 billion, with venture capital firm Intervest participating; the announcement was made alongside its national strategic technology confirmation.
The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP) confirmed GenKOre's hypercompact gene scissors technology as a national strategic technology at the third national strategic technology confirmation review.
GenKOre reported expanding into ex vivo gene therapy through strategic alliances with companies specialising in immune cells and hematopoietic stem cells, applying its ABE platform to ex vivo gene-editing therapy.
GenKOre announced development of hypercompact adenine base editors (ABEs) built on the TaRGET system, deliverable by a single AAV vector, with base editing feasibility validated in mouse in vivo; the study appeared in Nature Chemical Biology.
GenKOre expanded its research facility in Seoul to recruit additional researchers for hypercompact genome editing-based gene therapy development and to pursue collaborations with pharmaceutical companies and academia.
GenKOre developed a hypercompact CRISPR system compatible with AAV delivery, named TaRGET (Tiny nuclease/augment RNA-based Genome Editing Technology), published in Nature Biotechnology in 2021.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
βΈResearch sources Β· 8
primary sources listed
- Genkoregenkore.com Β· web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Genkore do?
- GenKOre is a Korean biotech developing hypercompact CRISPR gene-editing systems for in vivo therapies targeting brain genetic diseases.
- Who are Genkore's investors?
- Genkore's investors include Intervest, Aju IB Invesment Corporation, Kiwoom Investment.
- Where is Genkore headquartered?
- Genkore is headquartered in Seoul, KR.