Sano Genetics, a Cambridge-based startup with an aim to support personalised medicine research by increasing participation in clinical trials and guiding patients all through the process has recently grabbed £2.5M seed funding from a slew of investors.
Eyes to accelerate research into Long Covid
The financing round was led by Episode1 Ventures along with participation from Cambridge Enterprise, Seedcamp, January Venture and a slew of angel investors from UK, Europe and US. Previously, Sano Genetics raised £500K pre-seed funding in 2018.
The latest funding round includes a grant from Innovate UK, which will cover the cost of free at-home DNA testing kits for 3,000 people affected by Long Covid. Also, the investment will be used for the continuous development of its private-by-design tech platform, which gives full control and transparency for users regarding how and where their personal data is used by researchers.
Chief operating officer of Sano Genetics, Charlotte Guzzo, explained: “This tranche of funding will help us further develop the end-to-end experience for the many people keen to contribute to personalised medical research, including clinical trials of potentially life-changing medicines and, in doing so, improve the outlook for people living with chronic and often debilitating conditions.”
Partnership with Genomics England
Besides the funding, Sano Genetics partnered with Genomics England to develop software that will be used for national-scale precision medicine initiatives. It will improve the participant’s experience in research. This software will add a vital layer of information reported directly by participants including daily symptom tracking or via wearable devices monitoring activity or sleep.
Sano Genetics was founded in 2017 by Charlotte Guzzo, Patrick Short and William Jones while pursuing genomics at Cambridge University. They observed, first hand, the high failure rate of clinical trials and the poor experience for those taking part. The startup’s digital platform and at-home genetic testing capabilities are already empowering greater participation in crucial research into multiple sclerosis, ankylosing spondylitis, NAFLD, and ulcerative colitis. Also, it plans for a research programme for Parkinson’s disease for late this year.