Novasenta is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and validation of novel therapeutic targets to develop cancer therapies. It develops antibody-based therapeutics and has built a proprietary single-cell RNA–based analysis platform applied to high-quality human tumor samples, combined with advanced data mining and target validation capabilities. The company’s pipeline includes three programs representing next-generation immuno-oncology targets and drug candidates. Novasenta plans to use recent funding to advance its pipeline programs, expand its computational platforms for target discovery, and continue recruiting top talent. The company was co-founded in late 2018 by Robert Ferris, M.D., Ph.D., Dario Vignali, Ph.D., and Greg Delgoffe, Ph.D., all affiliated with the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh. Novasenta focuses on developing cancer immunotherapies by targeting the tumor microenvironment. It leverages a proprietary platform that combines cell analyses, animal models and machine learning to discover novel drug targets. The company is currently focused on T-cell targets and aims to launch its first clinical trial by the end of 2023. Novasenta was founded in 2018 by Dr. Robert Ferris, Dario Vignali and Greg Delgoffe, who work at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh, and is based in Pittsburgh. UPMC invested $20 million in a seed round through its innovation and venture capital arm, UPMC Enterprises. The company was incubated by UPMC Enterprises in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh and is led by CEO Mani Mohindru, who previously held leadership roles at CereXis and Cara Therapeutics. The article notes the global oncology drugs market was valued at about $128 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach $222 billion by 2027, underscoring a crowded but growing competitive landscape.

Total raised

$60M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Aug 2022