CarThera
CarThera is a clinical-stage medical device company developing SonoCloud®, an implantable ultrasound system that temporarily opens the blood-brain barrier to enhance therapeutic drug delivery, primarily for recurrent glioblastoma and other neurological oncology indications.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What CarThera does
CarThera is a clinical-stage medical device company developing the SonoCloud®, an implantable ultrasound-based system designed to temporarily and repeatedly open the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in order to enhance the delivery of therapeutic agents to the brain. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Lyon, France (legally registered in Paris), with a US subsidiary in New York, the company targets recurrent glioblastoma as its primary indication, with additional programs in brain metastases, Alzheimer's disease, ALS, pediatric brain tumors, and tauopathies. The platform exists in two variants — SonoCloud-1 (single emitter) and SonoCloud-9 (nine emitters, used in the pivotal SONOBIRD trial) — and operates via low-intensity pulsed ultrasound triggered before intravenous chemotherapy infusion to transiently disrupt the BBB.
The company's business model is currently pre-revenue: SonoCloud® is supplied exclusively for investigational use across clinical trial sites and is not approved for commercial sale in any geography. Revenue mechanics will depend on a combination of direct device sales (or capital placement) to neuro-oncology centers, per-procedure consumable economics, and partnership-driven combination therapies with pharmaceutical partners, but none of these revenue streams are yet realized. CarThera has raised approximately €42M cumulatively (most recently a €37.5M Series B in June 2023 extended by €4.5M in December 2023), operates with 29 full-time specialists, runs 5 ongoing clinical trials with 3 international pharma partners, and holds FDA Breakthrough Device Designation and EMA Orphan Medical Device Status alongside ISO 13485:2016 certification.
CarThera firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CarThera
- Legal name
- Carthera S.A.
- Website
- https://carthera.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CarThera is a clinical-stage medical device company developing SonoCloud®, an implantable ultrasound system that temporarily opens the blood-brain barrier to enhance therapeutic drug delivery, primarily for recurrent glioblastoma and other neurological oncology indications.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where CarThera is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
CarThera business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Medical Device Sales: Pre-revenue clinical-stage company. Products are in clinical or preclinical evaluation and not approved for marketing by regulatory authorities (not EMA or FDA approved). Products are not for sale and are for investigational use only. Revenue will be generated upon successful regulatory approval and commercialization of SonoCloud® devices.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
CarThera product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CarThera develops the SonoCloud® platform, an implantable ultrasound-based medical device system that emits low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPU) to temporarily and reversibly open the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The system consists of an intracranial implant (SonoCloud-1 or SonoCloud-9), an external generator, and a transdermal needle for activation. Four minutes of ultrasound opens the BBB for several hours, enabling 4-6x increased concentration of therapeutic molecules in the brain for treatment of glioblastoma, brain metastases, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Product overview
CarThera is a clinical-stage medtech company developing the SonoCloud® platform - an ultrasound-based medical device system designed to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The core product family includes SonoCloud-1 (single-emitter) and SonoCloud-9 (nine-emitter) implantable devices, used in combination with an external generator and transdermal needle. The system delivers low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPU) to create reversible BBB disruption for 4-6 hours, enabling enhanced delivery of chemotherapy and immunotherapy agents. The platform is being developed for glioblastoma, brain metastases, and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's. The SonoCloud-9 is the most clinically advanced version in pivotal Phase 3 trials (SONOBIRD study), while earlier versions and components support the complete therapeutic workflow.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SonoCloud: SonoCloud is an intracranial implant device that emits low-intensity pulsed ultrasound to temporarily open the blood-brain barrier, enabling enhanced drug delivery for brain disorders. Versions include SonoCloud-1 and SonoCloud-9.
- SONOBIRD
- SONOFIRST
- SONOKID
- SONIMEL
- BOREAL
Products and services
- SonoCloud-9 Implant Nine-emitter implantable ultrasound device that temporarily opens the blood-brain barrier using low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPU), enabling 4-6x increased concentration of therapeutic molecules in the brain. The device is implanted in a skull window, below the skin, and activated for a few minutes using a transdermal needle connected to an external control unit. It is MRI-compatible and designed for repeated use during chemotherapy cycles in patients with glioblastoma, brain metastases, and other severe brain disorders.
- SonoCloud-1 Implant First-generation single-emitter intracranial ultrasound implant for temporarily disrupting the blood-brain barrier to facilitate therapeutic agent delivery to the brain. Validated in early Phase I/IIa clinical trials and serves as the precursor to the multi-emitter SonoCloud-9 system.
- SonoCloud-9 System Complete ultrasound-based medical device system for temporarily opening the blood-brain barrier, comprising the SonoCloud-9 implantable device, the transdermal needle, and the external generator. MRI-compatible and designed for repeated use during chemotherapy cycles to enable enhanced drug delivery to the brain.
Quantifiable outcome
- 4-6x increase in drug concentrations in brain tissue after SonoCloud-9 mediated BBB opening
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use CarThera
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CarThera technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
CarThera partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- AgenuscorePartnership with Agenus and Northwestern University for Phase 2a trial combining SonoCloud-9® with checkpoint inhibitors (anti-CTLA-4, anti-PD-1) to treat newly diagnosed glioblastoma. World-first trial that could change standard of care for unmethylated glioblastoma patients.
- Accord HealthcarecoreStrategic collaboration with Accord Healthcare Limited, a leading pharmaceutical company, for the supply of carboplatin. This partnership ensures reliable drug supply for clinical trials and potential commercialization of the SonoCloud®-carboplatin combination therapy.
- LantheuscoreStrategic collaboration with US-based Lantheus to provide microbubbles for use with the SonoCloud device. Microbubbles are an essential component of the LIPU technology as they oscillate when exposed to ultrasound to trigger BBB opening.
- KIYATECminorClinical collaboration with KIYATEC to advance innovation and improve treatments for patients with glioblastoma, potentially incorporating personalized medicine approaches.
- Northwestern UniversitycoreLong-standing research and clinical collaboration with Northwestern University in Chicago for development of SonoCloud technology. Multiple joint clinical trials including SC9-ABX (Phase 1/2 with nab-paclitaxel) and SC9-IMMUNO (Phase 2a with checkpoint inhibitors). Dr. Amy Heimberger and Dr. Adam Sonabend from Northwestern are key collaborators.
- AP-HP (Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris)coreSpin-off from AP-HP, the largest hospital group in Europe. Ongoing institutional collaboration for multiple clinical trials including SONOFIRST, SONOKID, and BOREAL. Professor Alexandre Carpentier, founder and inventor, is chief of neurosurgery at Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital (AP-HP).
- INSERMminorResearch collaboration with INSERM (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) for pre-clinical and translational research on therapeutic ultrasound.
- UCSFminorCollaboration with University of California San Francisco for clinical research and development of SonoCloud technology. Dr. Mitchel Berger, Director of the Brain Tumor Center at UCSF, serves on Carthera's Scientific Advisory Board.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CarThera competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- InSightec: InSightec develops transcranial MR-guided focused ultrasound systems for non-invasive blood-brain barrier opening and other neurological applications. It is a direct peer in the ultrasound-mediated BBB opening category, though its approach is non-invasive rather than implantable.
- NovoCure: NovoCure markets Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) therapy for newly diagnosed and recurrent glioblastoma. It is a direct commercial peer serving the same primary indication with a novel device-based mechanism, representing the standard-of-care alternative SonoCloud would need to displace or complement.
- Diffusion Pharmaceuticals (Aadi Bioscience): Aadi Bioscience focuses on treating rare cancers including glioblastoma with nanoparticle albumin-bound therapeutics. It is a direct peer serving the same recurrent glioblastoma indication with a complementary drug-delivery approach seeking to overcome the BBB.
Emerging players
- NaviFUS: NaviFUS is a Taiwan-based clinical-stage company developing non-invasive focused ultrasound for blood-brain barrier opening in glioblastoma and other CNS indications. It is an emerging peer pursuing a similar therapeutic mechanism through a different delivery modality.
- Theraclion: Theraclion is a French clinical-stage company developing high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for benign thyroid and breast tumors. It is an emerging peer in the European therapeutic ultrasound space with comparable modality but non-overlapping indications.
- Cordance Medical: Cordance Medical is an emerging company developing non-invasive focused ultrasound for transient BBB opening to enable drug delivery. It targets the same core mechanism as SonoCloud without the implant, making it a thematic emerging peer in the BBB-opening space.
- Medicenna Therapeutics: Medicenna Therapeutics develops IL-2 and IL-4 Superkines for recurrent glioblastoma and other solid tumors. It is an emerging peer competing in the same recurrent GBM indication with a novel immunotherapeutic approach, often cited as a comparable clinical-stage oncology biotech.
Broad incumbents
- EDAP TMS: EDAP TMS is a publicly listed therapeutic ultrasound company commercializing high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for prostate cancer and other urological indications. It is a broad incumbent in therapeutic ultrasound, and CarThera's CEO previously led the launch of EDAP's Ablatherm device.
- Profound Medical: Profound Medical develops MR-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation systems primarily for prostate disease. It is a broad incumbent in the therapeutic ultrasound category using overlapping core technology (focused ultrasound ablation) for adjacent clinical applications.
- SonaCare Medical (Sonablate): Sonablate (SonaCare Medical) commercializes high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation systems for prostate tissue. It is a broad incumbent in the HIFU device category, with overlapping ultrasound ablation technology but a different clinical focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CarThera social profiles
Digital presenceCarThera compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
CarThera financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CarThera leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
CarThera subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
CarThera funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CarThera 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 CarThera
What does CarThera do?
CarThera develops the SonoCloud® platform, an implantable ultrasound-based medical device system that emits low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPU) to temporarily and reversibly open the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The system consists of an intracranial implant (SonoCloud-1 or SonoCloud-9), an external generator, and a transdermal needle for activation. Four minutes of ultrasound opens the BBB for several hours, enabling 4-6x increased concentration of therapeutic molecules in the brain for treatment of glioblastoma, brain metastases, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Is CarThera a public or private company?
CarThera is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was CarThera founded?
CarThera was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CarThera based?
CarThera is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does CarThera make money?
One revenue line is on record: medical Device Sales.
Who are CarThera's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are InSightec, NovoCure and Diffusion Pharmaceuticals (Aadi Bioscience). Emerging players are NaviFUS, Theraclion, Cordance Medical and Medicenna Therapeutics. Broad incumbents are EDAP TMS, Profound Medical and SonaCare Medical (Sonablate).
Does CarThera have an API?
No public API is recorded for CarThera.