Sernova
Sernova Biotherapeutics is a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company developing the Cell Pouch bio-hybrid organ, an implantable vascularized device for therapeutic cells, primarily targeting a functional cure for type 1 diabetes.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersLondon, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Sernova firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sernova
- Legal name
- Sernova Corp.
- Website
- http://sernova.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sernova Biotherapeutics is a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company developing the Cell Pouch bio-hybrid organ, an implantable vascularized device for therapeutic cells, primarily targeting a functional cure for type 1 diabetes.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sernova industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Regenerative Medicine Cell Therapy
- NAICS
- Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (3391)
- SIC
- Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Organoids & Organ-on-Chip (regenerative models) (HLAAAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Gene Therapy for Rare/Monogenic Diseases (HLAAACAE)
Keywords
Where Sernova is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Sernova business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Future therapeutic product sales: As a clinical-stage company, Sernova does not currently generate revenue. The company is developing regenerative medicine cell therapies targeting a functional cure for chronic diseases including type 1 diabetes, thyroid disease, and hemophilia A. Upon regulatory approval, revenue would be generated from sales of its Cell Pouch bio-hybrid organ and associated therapeutic cell products.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Sernova product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sernova develops the Cell Pouch bio-hybrid organ, an implantable, scalable medical device that creates a natural vascularized tissue environment for therapeutic cells to survive long-term and release essential hormones/proteins. The platform is being advanced through Phase I/II clinical trials for type 1 diabetes (lead indication), with pipeline programs in hypothyroid disease and hemophilia A, supported by partnerships with Evotec SE for iPSC-derived cells and University of Miami for conformal coating immune protection technology.
Product overview
Sernova is a regenerative medicine company developing therapeutic technologies with a platform-based approach centered on the Cell Pouch System. The core product is the Cell Pouch bio-hybrid organ, an implantable medical device that creates a vascularized environment for therapeutic cells. The platform supports multiple therapeutic programs including: the lead Cell Pouch System for type 1 diabetes (partnered with Evotec for iPSC-based islet replacement), Conformal Coating Technology for immune protection, a Hemophilia A gene therapy program, and a Hypothyroid treatment program. The company is conducting Phase 1/2 clinical trials at the University of Chicago.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cell Pouch System (Cell Pouch Bio-Hybrid Organ)
Quantifiable outcome
- 14 months insulin independence achieved in Phase I/II clinical trial patient
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Sernova
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Sernova technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Sernova partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- Eledon PharmaceuticalsmajorCollaboration to advance a potential functional cure for type 1 diabetes. Eledon provides investigational immunomodulatory antibodies (including tegoprubart) for use in Sernova's clinical trials as an alternative to standard immunosuppression.
- Evotec SEcoreGlobal strategic partnership to develop an implantable off-the-shelf iPSC (induced pluripotent stem cells) based islet replacement therapy. Evotec provides scalable GMP manufacturing of islet-like clusters (ILCs) from human GMP-grade iPSC lines, while Sernova provides the Cell Pouch System for implantation. This partnership provides Sernova a potentially unlimited supply of insulin-producing cells to treat millions of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes (type 1 and type 2).
- University of MiamicoreExclusive worldwide license agreement for novel conformal coating immune protection technologies developed by Dr. Alice Tomei, Dr. Jeffrey Hubbell, and Aaron Stock at the Diabetes Research Institute. The technology shields therapeutic cells from immune system attack, potentially eliminating the need for chronic systemic immunosuppression.
- University of ChicagocoreClinical trial partnership for Phase I/II study of Cell Pouch System for type 1 diabetes. Dr. Piotr Witkowski serves as Principal Investigator and Director of the Pancreatic Islet Transplant Program at University of Chicago.
- AstraZenecaminorStrategic partnership and collaboration mentioned on Sernova's partnerships page as one of the industry leaders Sernova collaborates with to bring better therapies to patients.
- BIOTEC CanadaminorMember of BIOTEC Canada, the national trade association for Canada's biotech sector.
- Alliance for Regenerative MedicineminorMember of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, the leading international organization representing the cell and gene therapy sector.
- Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine (OIRM)minorMember of OIRM, Ontario's regenerative medicine research and commercialization organization.
- National Research Council Canada (NRC-CNRC)minorPartner organization supporting Canadian regenerative medicine research.
- Breakthrough T1DminorPartnership with Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) as part of Sernova's collaborative approach to advancing type 1 diabetes research.
- Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)minorMember of BIO, the world's largest trade association representing the biotechnology industry.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sernova competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals: Vertex is developing zimislecel (VX-880) and VX-264, allogeneic stem-cell-derived islet cell therapies for type 1 diabetes acquired from ViaCyte/Semma. It is the most directly comparable peer to Sernova, targeting the same functional-cure T1D population with cell-based implants.
- ViaCyte: ViaCyte pioneered stem-cell-derived islet cell therapies encapsulated in medical devices for T1D; it was acquired by Vertex in 2022. Its PEC-Direct and PEC-QT programs are the closest historical analogues to Sernova's Cell Pouch approach combining encapsulation devices with stem-cell-derived beta cells.
- Semma Therapeutics: Semma developed stem-cell-derived islet cell therapies for T1D before being acquired by Vertex in 2021 for ~$950M. It represents a comparable platform in regenerative beta-cell replacement and serves as a benchmark for what a successful T1D cell therapy platform can be valued at.
- Sigilon Therapeutics: Sigilon developed encapsulated cell therapies (including for T1D) using its Afibromer sphere technology. Comparable to Sernova as a clinical-stage cell encapsulation company pursuing functional cures through implanted cell-device combinations.
Broad incumbents
- Humacyte: Humacyte is a publicly traded regenerative medicine company developing bioengineered human tissues. It is comparable to Sernova as a clinical-stage public regenerative-medicine platform with a similar capital-markets profile and indication-expansion approach.
- Organogenesis: Organogenesis is a commercial-stage regenerative medicine company focused on wound care and surgical biologics. Comparable as a public peer in the broader regenerative medicine space, though more mature commercially and focused on different indications.
- BioMarin Pharmaceutical: BioMarin markets ROCTAVIAN, a gene therapy for hemophilia A, and is a broad incumbent in rare-disease biologic therapeutics. Comparable to Sernova's hemophilia A program as a competing therapeutic modality for the same patient population.
Emerging players
- Pluristem Therapeutics: Pluristem develops placenta-derived cell therapy products (PLX cells) for multiple indications including inflammatory and ischemic conditions. Comparable as a small-cap public cell-therapy company pursuing platform expansion across chronic diseases.
- Athersys: Athersys developed MultiStem, an off-the-shelf cell therapy platform for regenerative medicine applications. Comparable to Sernova as a clinical-stage public regenerative-medicine company with platform ambitions across multiple chronic indications.
- CRISPR Therapeutics: CRISPR Therapeutics is developing ex vivo gene-edited cell therapies including CASGEVY and is advancing gene therapy programs in hemophilia A and B — directly comparable to Sernova's hemophilia A gene therapy program using Cell Pouch.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sernova social profiles
Digital presenceSernova financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sernova leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Sernova funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds9 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sernova 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 Sernova
What does Sernova do?
Sernova develops the Cell Pouch bio-hybrid organ, an implantable, scalable medical device that creates a natural vascularized tissue environment for therapeutic cells to survive long-term and release essential hormones/proteins. The platform is being advanced through Phase I/II clinical trials for type 1 diabetes (lead indication), with pipeline programs in hypothyroid disease and hemophilia A, supported by partnerships with Evotec SE for iPSC-derived cells and University of Miami for conformal coating immune protection technology.
Is Sernova a public or private company?
Sernova is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Sernova founded?
Sernova was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sernova based?
Sernova is headquartered in London, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Sernova make money?
One revenue line is on record: future therapeutic product sales.
Who are Sernova's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Vertex Pharmaceuticals, ViaCyte, Semma Therapeutics and Sigilon Therapeutics. Broad incumbents are Humacyte, Organogenesis and BioMarin Pharmaceutical. Emerging players are Pluristem Therapeutics, Athersys and CRISPR Therapeutics.
Does Sernova have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sernova.
What industry is Sernova in?
Sernova's product category is Regenerative Medicine Cell Therapy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAGAD, Organoids & Organ-on-Chip (regenerative models), with a secondary code of HLAAACAE, Gene Therapy for Rare/Monogenic Diseases. Its NAICS code is 325414 and its SIC code is 2836.