Antwerp-based biotech startup Sightera Biosciences has secured €3 million in pre-seed funding from Entourage Ventures, Anacura, and Qbic Fund.
- Founded by Hendrik Vercammen, Maxim Le Compte, Christophe Deben, and Lars Vanlommel, Sightera uses artificial intelligence and patient-derived biological data to design new drug candidates.
- Spun out from the University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), the company has developed a platform that combines AI models with proprietary drug-response datasets generated from clinically annotated human samples, including therapy-resistant and heavily pre-treated tumours.
- The system analyses treatment responses in patient-derived disease models to identify biological patterns that can guide the discovery of new medicines.
- The company’s lead programme, SIGHT001, is an AI-designed molecular glue targeting KRAS-mutant pancreatic, biliary tract, and colorectal cancers. It has demonstrated promising in vivo results in pancreatic cancer models and encouraging ex vivo activity in colorectal and bile duct cancer samples, with the programme advancing toward preclinical candidate selection.
- Sightera is also developing SIGHT002 for HER2-positive esophageal and gastric adenocarcinomas, alongside SIGHT101, a small-molecule programme targeting fibrotic diseases. The company is additionally exploring molecular glue antibody conjugate applications through its SIGHT-00X programme.
Details of the deal
- The fresh investment will support the expansion of Sightera’s discovery platform, advance its pipeline toward preclinical development, expand its research and AI teams, and strengthen collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners.
