Tessellate BIO
Tessellate BIO is a preclinical-stage precision oncology company developing first-in-class synthetic lethality drugs targeting ALT-positive and RB1-deficient cancers, with operations in the Netherlands and UK and a global ALT license to Boehringer Ingelheim.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersNaarden, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Tessellate BIO does
Tessellate BIO is a preclinical-stage precision oncology company developing first-in-class synthetic lethality drugs targeting cancers that depend on Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) or loss-of-function in the RB1 tumor suppressor. The company was founded on telomere biology research originating from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) and was incubated and launched from stealth in October 2023 with an €8 million seed round co-led by BioGeneration Ventures (BGV) and Forbion. It is incorporated as Tessellate BIO BV in the Netherlands (registered in the Dutch Business Register under number 77580044), headquartered in Naarden, with R&D operations at the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst in the UK and additional offices in Germany. Scientific co-founders Prof. Claus Azzalin (Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine) and Prof. Hilda Pickett (Children's Medical Research Institute) are recognized discoverers of the ALT mechanism.
The company operates two drug discovery programs. The ALT Program targets ALT-positive tumors, which represent an estimated 10-15% of all cancers and are associated with poor prognosis and an estimated one million annual deaths; this asset is globally partnered with Boehringer Ingelheim under a deal announced in April 2025 valued at over €500 million. The in-house Loss-of-Function (LoF) Program targets S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (SKP2) in tumors deficient in RB1, addressing indications including small cell lung cancer (80-100% RB1 LoF prevalence) and triple-negative breast cancer (>40%). Companion diagnostics, notably the C-Circle Assay for ALT detection and NGS-based RB1 testing, are co-developed alongside the drug programs to enable patient stratification.
Tessellate BIO's revenue model is licensing- and milestone-based rather than direct product sales. The company generates income through upfront license fees, research funding, and technical and downstream success-based milestone payments under pharmaceutical partnerships, with the Boehringer Ingelheim agreement as the principal commercial relationship. It is led by CEO Andree Blaukat (former SVP and Head of Oncology Research at Merck KGaA and co-inventor of tepotinib), with Katie Chapman as Chief Scientific Officer, Lara Boyd as Chief Business Officer, and Eliot Forster as Chair of the Board.
Tessellate BIO firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tessellate BIO
- Legal name
- Tessellate BIO BV
- Website
- https://tessellatebio.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Tessellate BIO is a preclinical-stage precision oncology company developing first-in-class synthetic lethality drugs targeting ALT-positive and RB1-deficient cancers, with operations in the Netherlands and UK and a global ALT license to Boehringer Ingelheim.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tessellate BIO industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Precision Oncology Drug Discovery
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)
- SIC
- Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AI/ML-Enabled Biologic Discovery Platforms (computational design, in silico screening) (HLAAAIAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Oncology Diagnostics (tumor profiling, MRD, liquid biopsy) (HLAAALAE), Oncology Pathways & Precision Medicine Decision Support (HLACAGAH)
Keywords
Where Tessellate BIO is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Naarden
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Tessellate BIO business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Licensing and Milestone Payments: Tessellate Bio generates revenue through pharmaceutical partnerships including upfront license fees, research funding, technical milestone payments, and downstream success-based milestone payments. The Boehringer Ingelheim collaboration has a deal value exceeding €500 million.
- Seed Funding: Pre-revenue preclinical biotech company initially funded through €8 million seed round from venture capital firms BGV and Forbion.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Tessellate BIO product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tessellate BIO develops first-in-class precision oncology medicines using synthetic lethality approaches that target mechanisms beyond Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD). Its pipeline includes the ALT Program, which targets cancer cells dependent on Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres, and the Loss-of-Function Program, which addresses RB1-deficient tumors via SKP2 inhibition, with companion diagnostics developed in parallel to identify eligible patients.
Product overview
Tessellate BIO is a preclinical precision oncology company developing a pipeline of first-in-class medicines targeting synthetic lethality mechanisms beyond Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD). The company operates two main programs: the ALT Program (partnered with Boehringer Ingelheim, targeting alternative lengthening of telomeres via the FANCM protein complex) and the Loss-of-Function (LoF) Program (in-house, targeting RB1-deficient cancers via SKP2). Both programs incorporate companion diagnostic development for patient identification. The company was founded in 2023 and is headquartered in the Netherlands with labs in the UK.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ALT (Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres) Program A drug discovery program targeting cancers dependent on Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) for telomere maintenance, partnered with Boehringer Ingelheim under a global license agreement. Targets an undisclosed protein in the ALT mechanism, with blocking leading to DNA damage, replication stress, and tumor cell death in ALT positive cancers while sparing healthy cells.
- Loss-of-Function (LoF) Program An in-house drug discovery program addressing cancers deficient in tumor suppressor retinoblastoma 1 (RB1) by targeting S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (SKP2). Includes small molecule candidates that disrupt the SKP2-p27 interaction, leading to p27 accumulation and apoptosis in RB1 LoF tumors, with indications including small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).
- C-Circle Assay Companion Diagnostic ALT-specific companion diagnostic tool co-developed for identifying treatment-eligible patients with ALT positive cancers. Detects C-Circles as the gold standard biomarker for ALT status.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10-15% of all cancers depend on ALT mechanism, with approximately 1 million annual deaths
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Tessellate BIO
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Tessellate BIO technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Tessellate BIO partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Boehringer IngelheimcoreResearch collaboration and global license agreement to develop first-in-class, oral precision treatments targeting ALT positive tumors. Tessellate Bio is entitled to receive near-term payments including upfront license fee, research funding, and technical milestone payments, as well as downstream success-based milestones, with overall deal value exceeding €500 million.
- OmicocoreMulti-year collaboration to advance understanding of ALT prevalence across tumor types and genetic factors involved, and accelerate development of precision medicine tools and new cancer therapies. Utilizing the MoST (Cancer Molecular Screening and Therapeutics) program genomically-characterized patient cohort.
- Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI)coreResearch collaboration building on co-founder Prof. Hilda Pickett's work at CMRI. Collaboration to explore ALT prevalence in primary tissue samples utilizing the C-Circle Assay and validate companion diagnostic for patient identification.
- Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM)coreResearch collaboration based on cutting-edge research from co-founder Prof. Claus Azzalin's work at iMM (now GIMM). Focus on telomere biology and ALT cancer mechanisms.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Tessellate BIO competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Repare Therapeutics: Clinical-stage precision oncology company developing synthetic lethality-based therapies using proprietary SNIPRx platform. Closely comparable to Tessellate in approach (computationally-discovered synthetic lethal targets) and therapeutic area, but Repare has multiple programs in clinical trials and substantially more capital.
- Artios Pharma: UK-based private precision oncology company focused on DNA damage response (DDR) and synthetic lethality. Highly comparable mission and discovery approach; Artios has multiple programs in clinical development and similar European DNA damage response focus.
- Tango Therapeutics: Public clinical-stage biotech using CRISPR-enabled functional genomics to discover synthetic lethal targets in oncology. Directly comparable to Tessellate's approach of computationally identifying previously unexplored synthetic lethal interactions, with multiple clinical-stage programs.
- FoRx Therapeutics: European preclinical biotech focused on novel synthetic lethal targets in DNA damage response for oncology. Similar stage and European base to Tessellate, with comparable mission to address previously unexplored synthetic lethal interactions.
- IDEAYA Biosciences: Public precision oncology company developing synthetic lethality-based therapies, particularly in DDR and MTAP-deleted cancers. Comparable synthetic lethality approach with multiple clinical-stage assets and major pharma partnerships (GSK, Pfizer).
Broad incumbents
- Merck KGaA: Global healthcare company where Tessellate's CEO Andree Blaukat previously led oncology research and co-invented TEPMETKO. Comparable as a broad oncology player with significant precision medicine programs; provides a reference point for career executives who built synthetic lethality expertise within big pharma before moving to biotech.
- AstraZeneca: Major pharmaceutical company with leading PARP inhibitor franchise (Lynparza) in HRD-targeted synthetic lethality. Comparable as the established incumbent in synthetic lethality-based precision oncology, demonstrating the commercial validation of the broader therapeutic category Tessellate is pursuing.
Emerging players
- Blacksmith Medicines: Discovery-stage biotech applying metalloenzyme-targeted drug discovery. Comparable as a small, science-driven precision medicine company, though with a different core technology (metalloenzymes vs synthetic lethality).
Others
- SkylineDx: Dutch molecular diagnostics company developing companion diagnostics for oncology. Comparable as Tessellate's Head of Companion Diagnostics Joris Schuurmans serves as SkylineDx's CDO; provides insight into the diagnostic development ecosystem Tessellate leverages for its CDx strategy.
- Domainex: UK-based drug discovery CRO with expertise in integrated drug discovery services. Comparable as a previous employer of Tessellate CSO Katie Chapman; reflects the drug discovery services ecosystem in which Tessellate operates its Stevenage-based R&D.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tessellate BIO social profiles
Digital presenceTessellate BIO compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Tessellate BIO financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tessellate BIO leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Tessellate BIO funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tessellate BIO M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tessellate BIO
What does Tessellate BIO do?
Tessellate BIO develops first-in-class precision oncology medicines using synthetic lethality approaches that target mechanisms beyond Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD). Its pipeline includes the ALT Program, which targets cancer cells dependent on Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres, and the Loss-of-Function Program, which addresses RB1-deficient tumors via SKP2 inhibition, with companion diagnostics developed in parallel to identify eligible patients.
Is Tessellate BIO a public or private company?
Tessellate BIO is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Tessellate BIO founded?
Tessellate BIO was founded in 2023. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Tessellate BIO based?
Tessellate BIO is headquartered in Naarden, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Tessellate BIO make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Licensing and Milestone Payments are the primary driver. The others are seed Funding.
Who are Tessellate BIO's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Repare Therapeutics, Artios Pharma, Tango Therapeutics, FoRx Therapeutics and IDEAYA Biosciences. Broad incumbents are Merck KGaA and AstraZeneca. Blacksmith Medicines is listed as an emerging player. Others are SkylineDx and Domainex.
Does Tessellate BIO have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tessellate BIO.
What industry is Tessellate BIO in?
Tessellate BIO's product category is Precision Oncology Drug Discovery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAIAE, AI/ML-Enabled Biologic Discovery Platforms (computational design, in silico screening), with a secondary code of HLAAALAE, Oncology Diagnostics (tumor profiling, MRD, liquid biopsy). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 2834.