MMC leads $11 milllion Series A for genetic disease research platform, Sano Genetics

Sano Genetics is building patient-friendly technology to connect people and research that will help pharmaceutical companies and biobanks to develop personalised treatments more quickly and cost-effectively.

Sano has developed a software platform that connects patients living with rare and chronic conditions, such as Long Covid, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, directly with biotech and pharmacetuical companies leading personalised medicine research – a market worth $52.4B in 2020 and predicted to reach $112.8B by 2027.

Sano Genetics also offers its biotech and pharmaceutical clients the ability to power branded portals for participant recruitment and engagement, on a national or global scale.

It still takes 10 to 15 years for new drugs to reach patients, and many will never make it out of R&D because costs are prohibitive. This funding takes us closer to our mission to build the platform that we, and many others – patients and researchers – wish was available a decade ago. One that will make research much faster, more cost-effective, and a vastly better experience for patients.

DR PATRICK SHORTCEO AND CO-FOUNDER, SANO GENETICS

MMC has led an $11 million Series A funding round, with participation from existing investors Episode 1, Seedcamp, and several experienced operators in software and life sciences including Paul Forster, a co-founder and former CEO of Indeed, Paul Wicks, former VP of innovation at PatientsLikeMe, and Margo Georgiadis, the former CEO of Ancestry.com.

The company will use this latest round of funding to grow its team in the US and Europe and develop its platform to meet demand in 50+ diseases and 6+ countries by mid-2023.

Since meeting Patrick and the Sano team, we have been consistently impressed with their unwavering purpose-led strategy to promote access to, and the success of, personalised medicine. To deliver on the promise of this new approach to treatment, there is an urgent need to solve the largest problems in clinical trials: patient recruitment and engagement. This is where Sano’s innovative software platform, which allows them to interact directly with patients, biotech, and broader healthcare communities, can be transformational for the future of personalised medicine.

CHARLOTTE BARTTELOTMMC VENTURES

As well as speeding up the development of new medicines, Sano Genetics aims to dramatically improve the experience for those who take part in potentially life-changing research. Participants receive regular updates as well as insights based on their genetic profiles and have total control over their data from the intuitive, private-by-design user interface.

There is no cost to participants, who use at-home DNA kits to take part. Sano Genetics operates a subscription model, charging its pharmaceutical, biotech, and population health clients for use of its platform.

Read more on the story, and see the deck Sano Genetics used to raise the round, via Business Insider.