Sightera Biosciences has successfully secured €3 million in pre-seed funding to enhance its AI-driven drug discovery platform, focusing on oncology and fibrosis.
The Antwerp-based startup plans to utilize this funding to expand its team, advance its technology, and move its lead oncology program toward preclinical candidate selection. Additionally, Sightera aims to strengthen partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotech firms. The funding round was led by Entourage, Anacura, and QBIC, highlighting investor confidence in Sightera's innovative approach to drug discovery.
What sets Sightera apart is its strategy of allowing biology to inform AI, rather than the other way around. By leveraging proprietary data derived from patient samples with advanced, treatment-resistant diseases, Sightera develops scalable preclinical models. This method, which the company refers to as "extreme biology," enables the generation of dynamic datasets that reflect real patient responses over time, significantly speeding up the identification of promising drug candidates.
CEO Hendrik Vercammen emphasized that Sightera's approach reverses traditional drug discovery paradigms. Instead of designing molecules based on predefined targets, the company starts with complex biological data from patients, thereby increasing the likelihood of clinical success. This funding is seen as a stepping stone toward larger financing aimed at advancing their lead program, SIGHT001, into human clinical trials, positioning Sightera to play a crucial role in the future of drug development.