Genocea Biosciences
Genocea Biosciences was a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that developed personalized neoantigen cancer vaccines and immunotherapies, primarily targeting melanoma and other oncology indications. The company appears to have ceased active operations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersCambridge, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Genocea Biosciences does
Genocea Biosciences was a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biopharmaceutical company founded in 2006 that developed personalized cancer vaccines and immunotherapies built around its proprietary neoantigen discovery platform. The company's scientific premise involved identifying tumor-specific neoantigens capable of stimulating anti-tumor immune responses, with an emphasis on distinguishing true immunogenic antigens from inhibitory ones — a differentiator in the personalized cancer vaccine space. Genocea pursued indications in melanoma and other oncology settings, with potential combination use alongside immune checkpoint inhibitors. The company was listed on NASDAQ under the ticker GNCA and had assembled a leadership team spanning CEO, CFO, CBO, CSO, and CMO functions.
The company's go-to-market was characteristic of clinical-stage biotech: it generated no commercial product revenue, raised capital through repeated equity and debt financings (at least 16 documented rounds totaling several hundred million dollars between 2009 and 2020), and relied on backing from life sciences-specialist investors including Polaris Partners, Lux Capital, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Hercules Capital. Multiple funding rounds in 2018–2020 collectively exceeded $260 million and were used to extend clinical runway. The provided financial statements contain evident data-quality issues — figures in the trillions are implausible for a pre-commercial biotech — and should be treated as unreliable.
Multiple signals indicate the company has ceased active operations: the genocea.com domain has been repurposed for unrelated content, the only recent reference to Genocea in news sources is as a former employer, and no current operational, clinical pipeline, or financial disclosures are documented. The company therefore appears to have wound down rather than continuing as an active going concern, and any analysis of its forward trajectory should be interpreted in that light.
Genocea Biosciences firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Genocea Biosciences
- Website
- https://genocea.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Genocea Biosciences was a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that developed personalized neoantigen cancer vaccines and immunotherapies, primarily targeting melanoma and other oncology indications. The company appears to have ceased active operations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Genocea Biosciences industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Personalized Cancer Vaccines
- NAICS
- Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- SIC
- Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Personalized Therapeutic Design (neoantigen vaccines, individualized cell/gene therapies) (HLAAANAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Therapeutic Vaccines (cancer, chronic infection immunotherapy) (HLAAAEAB), Therapeutic Vaccines (e.g., Cancer/Chronic Infection) (HLAIAEAG)
Keywords
Where Genocea Biosciences is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Genocea Biosciences business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations
Genocea Biosciences product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Genocea Biosciences is a biopharmaceutical company developing personalized cancer vaccines and neoantigen-based immunotherapies. The company leverages proprietary T-cell antigen profiling to identify patient-specific tumor neoantigens and design vaccines targeting melanoma and other cancers, with pipeline candidates intended to be used in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Personalized Cancer Vaccines (neoantigen-based pipeline) Patient-specific cancer vaccines developed using Genocea's neoantigen identification platform, designed for patients with melanoma and other cancers and intended for use in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
- T-Cell Antigen Profiling Platform Proprietary platform that profiles patient-specific T-cell responses to identify biologically relevant tumor neoantigens, including the ability to filter out inhibitory antigens, supporting the design of Genocea's personalized cancer vaccines.
Companies that use Genocea Biosciences
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Genocea Biosciences technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Genocea Biosciences partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Genocea Biosciences competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Agenus: Agenus is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company with a broad portfolio including vaccine platforms and checkpoint combinations, providing a comparable but broader-incumbent reference point for Genocea's combinatorial immunotherapy strategy.
- Merck & Co. Merck's Keytruda franchise dominates the immune checkpoint inhibitor space that Genocea's combination therapy strategy depends on, making Merck a critical combination-therapy partner / competitor and a broad incumbent shaping the category.
Direct peers
- Neon Therapeutics: Neon Therapeutics developed personalized neoantigen vaccines and was acquired by BioNTech; remains a directly relevant historical and technological reference point for Genocea's neoantigen vaccine platform and commercial path.
- CureVac: CureVac develops mRNA-based cancer vaccines and immunotherapies, overlapping with Genocea's neoantigen vaccine approach and targeting similar oncology indications as a direct personalized cancer vaccine peer.
- Moderna: Moderna is the leading mRNA-based personalized cancer vaccine developer with mRNA-4157, a neoantigen vaccine in late-stage development — the most direct technical and clinical competitor to Genocea's personalized neoantigen vaccine platform.
- Gritstone bio: Gritstone bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing neoantigen-based immunotherapies (e.g., GRANITE and SLATE programs), directly comparable in platform technology and disease focus to Genocea's personalized neoantigen vaccines.
- BioNTech: BioNTech develops individualized neoantigen therapy BNT122 (autogene cevumeran) across multiple solid tumor indications, making it a directly comparable personalized cancer vaccine peer with overlapping patient population and development strategy.
Emerging players
- VBI Vaccines: VBI Vaccines develops immunotherapeutic vaccine candidates for oncology and infectious disease; its therapeutic cancer vaccine efforts make it an emerging peer with thematic and patient-population overlap with Genocea.
- Nouscom: Nouscom is a clinical-stage biotech developing viral vector-based personalized neoantigen cancer vaccines, an emerging peer using a different delivery modality to address the same personalized cancer immunotherapy niche as Genocea.
- Transgene: Transgene develops therapeutic cancer vaccines and immunotherapies (including TG4050, a personalized neoantigen vaccine), positioning it as a comparable emerging player in personalized oncology vaccination with overlapping clinical ambition.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Genocea Biosciences social profiles
Digital presenceGenocea Biosciences financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Genocea Biosciences leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Genocea Biosciences funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds16 records
Investors14 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Genocea Biosciences 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 Genocea Biosciences
What does Genocea Biosciences do?
Genocea Biosciences is a biopharmaceutical company developing personalized cancer vaccines and neoantigen-based immunotherapies. The company leverages proprietary T-cell antigen profiling to identify patient-specific tumor neoantigens and design vaccines targeting melanoma and other cancers, with pipeline candidates intended to be used in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Is Genocea Biosciences a public or private company?
Genocea Biosciences is a private company. It is classified as public and is currently closed.
When was Genocea Biosciences founded?
Genocea Biosciences was founded in 2006. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Genocea Biosciences based?
Genocea Biosciences is headquartered in Cambridge, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Genocea Biosciences's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Agenus and Merck & Co.. Direct peers are Neon Therapeutics, CureVac, Moderna, Gritstone bio and BioNTech. Emerging players are VBI Vaccines, Nouscom and Transgene.
Does Genocea Biosciences have an API?
No public API is recorded for Genocea Biosciences.
What industry is Genocea Biosciences in?
Genocea Biosciences's product category is Personalized Cancer Vaccines. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAANAK, Personalized Therapeutic Design (neoantigen vaccines, individualized cell/gene therapies), with a secondary code of HLAAAEAB, Therapeutic Vaccines (cancer, chronic infection immunotherapy). Its NAICS code is 325414 and its SIC code is 2836.