Sensei Biotherapeutics, a clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company that opened a Boston R&D hub last year, has attracted high-profile investors for its Series B round. The actress Uma Thurman added to the biotech's coffers, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, helping bring the financing round to $30 million.
The round was co-led by Apeiron Investment Group and Catalio Capital Management. Sensei also brought on new investors Pura Vida Investments and several international family offices, as well as existing investors Cambrian Biopharma, Moore Strategic Ventures, Steve Jurvetson’s Future Ventures and Presight Capital.
Founded in Maryland, Sensei announced it would open a new research hub in SmartLab's Seaport facility last March. The company is among a handful of biotechs working on bacteriophage therapy, a type of treatment that uses bacteriophages, or phages — viruses that attack specific types of bacteria — as medicine. Sensei has developed a platform it calls "ImmunoPhage," which uses genetically engineered phages to generate immune responses to human cancer proteins and block key immunosuppressive pathways.
The company will use the funding to advance clinical and preclinical trials of multiple ImmunoPhage products. Its lead candidate is currently in early clinical trials for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Sensei is also moving forward two preclinical programs targeting merkel cell carcinoma and T-cell suppression, respectively.
