NuCana
NuCana plc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing ProTide-based anti-cancer medicines, including candidates NUC-7738, NUC-3373, and Acelarin, using proprietary phosphoramidate chemistry to improve on conventional chemotherapy for oncology patients.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What NuCana does
NuCana plc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Edinburgh, UK, and listed on Nasdaq (ticker: NCNA). Founded in 2008 and operating with 11-50 employees, the company is developing a pipeline of anti-cancer medicines using its proprietary ProTide (phosphoramidate) chemistry platform, which is designed to transform widely prescribed nucleoside analog chemotherapy agents into more effective and safer drugs. The pipeline includes three clinical-stage candidates: NUC-7738 (in Phase 2 for melanoma and explored in renal cell carcinoma), NUC-3373 (a phosphoramidate modification of FUDR with over 300 patients dosed across four clinical studies, being explored in combination with pembrolizumab), and Acelarin/NUC-1031 (previously studied in Phase 3 biliary tract cancer, holding FDA Fast Track and Orphan Drug Designations from both FDA and EMA). NuCana is pre-revenue with no commercialized products; its business model is to advance candidates through clinical development toward regulatory approval and eventual commercialization or licensing. The company communicates clinical progress through scientific conference presentations (ESMO, AACR, ASCO), peer-reviewed publications, press releases, and investor relations activities.
The company has raised approximately $307 million cumulatively through a Series A ($11M, 2011), Series B ($57M, 2014, led by Sofinnova Ventures), Nasdaq IPO ($114M, October 2017), follow-on offering ($80M, 2020), and 2025 financings ($38M + $7M direct offering), with cash runway stated to extend into 2029. The intellectual property estate includes 389+ granted patents and 300+ pending applications, with composition-of-matter patents for NUC-7738 granted in the US (September 2024) and China (November 2025). Leadership includes founder/CEO Hugh Griffith (also an inventor on the patent estate and a prior acquisition executive at Bioenvision/Genzyme and Edixomed/Convatec), Chairman Andrew Kay (former Algeta CEO, sold to Bayer for $2.9 billion), and board representation from former senior executives at Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Sanofi.
NuCana firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NuCana
- Legal name
- NuCana plc
- Website
- https://nucana.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- NuCana plc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing ProTide-based anti-cancer medicines, including candidates NUC-7738, NUC-3373, and Acelarin, using proprietary phosphoramidate chemistry to improve on conventional chemotherapy for oncology patients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NuCana industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Oncology Pharmaceuticals
- NAICS
- Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412)
- SIC
- Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regulatory Strategy & IND/NDA/BLA Submissions Support (HLAIALAH)
Keywords
Where NuCana is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
NuCana business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization: NuCana is a pre-revenue clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. The company is focused on developing its pipeline of ProTide-based anti-cancer medicines (NUC-7738, NUC-3373, Acelarin) through clinical trials with the goal of obtaining regulatory approval and commercializing products. No revenue has been generated from product sales as all candidates remain in clinical development.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
NuCana product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NuCana is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops anti-cancer medicines using its proprietary phosphoramidate (ProTide) chemistry platform. The company is advancing a pipeline of three drug candidates — NUC-7738, NUC-3373, and Acelarin (NUC-1031) — designed to transform widely prescribed chemotherapy agents into more effective and safer therapies for solid tumors.
Product overview
NuCana is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a platform-based approach, utilizing its proprietary ProTide (phosphoramidate) technology to transform widely prescribed chemotherapy agents into more effective and safer anti-cancer medicines. The company operates a pipeline of drug candidates including NUC-7738, NUC-3373, and Acelarin (NUC-1031), each developed using the ProTide platform to improve on existing nucleoside analog chemotherapy agents.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Acelarin: A registered trademark of NuCana, a ProTide anti-cancer agent (also known as NUC-1031).
Products and services
- NUC-7738 Novel ProTide-based anti-cancer agent currently in Phase 2 clinical development for treatment of solid tumors, including PD-1-resistant metastatic melanoma. Designed to be more effective and safer than conventional chemotherapy and to potentiate PD-1 inhibitors such as pembrolizumab.
- NUC-3373 Novel phosphoramidate modification of FUDR that generates high intracellular levels of FUDR-MP, producing potent thymidylate synthase inhibition, DNA damage, and cancer cell death. Over 300 patients with advanced solid tumors have received NUC-3373 across four clinical studies, including in second-line colorectal cancer and in combination with pembrolizumab.
- Acelarin (NUC-1031)
Quantifiable outcome
- NUC-7738 demonstrated clinical activity and favorable safety for patients with PD-1-resistant melanoma
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use NuCana
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
NuCana technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
NuCana partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
NuCana competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Nuvation Bio: Clinical-stage oncology biopharmaceutical company developing differentiated therapeutic candidates across multiple cancer indications. Comparable as a similarly-sized, pre-revenue, publicly-traded oncology biotech with a multi-asset platform approach.
- Tempest Therapeutics: Clinical-stage oncology company developing immunotherapy combinations targeting PD-1 resistance and other immune evasion mechanisms. Highly comparable given the shared focus on overcoming PD-1 inhibitor resistance with novel combinations.
- Compugen: Clinical-stage immuno-oncology company using computational discovery to identify novel drug targets and develop first-in-class therapeutics. Comparable as a pre-revenue oncology biotech with a platform-based approach to address I/O resistance.
- Arcus Biosciences: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing cancer immunotherapies, including combinations targeting PD-1 pathways. Comparable as an I/O-focused clinical-stage biotech pursuing combination regimens in solid tumors.
- Bicycle Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel class of bicyclic peptide-based therapeutics (Bicycles) for oncology. Comparable as a UK-headquartered clinical-stage oncology platform biotech with broad IP protection.
- Cogent Biosciences: Clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision therapies for genetically defined diseases including oncology indications. Comparable as a similarly-sized clinical-stage biotech focused on targeted oncology drug development.
- Erasca: Clinical-stage precision oncology company developing small molecule therapies targeting the RAS/MAPK pathway. Comparable as a clinical-stage oncology platform with multiple candidates in development.
- Day One Biopharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing targeted therapies for pediatric and adult cancers of high unmet need. Comparable as a clinical-stage oncology company advancing differentiated drug candidates through pivotal studies.
- Black Diamond Therapeutics: Clinical-stage oncology company applying a proprietary discovery platform to develop precision medicines against undrugged oncogenic drivers. Comparable as a clinical-stage biotech with platform technology generating multiple oncology candidates.
Broad incumbents
- Mirati Therapeutics: Clinical-stage oncology company (acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2024) that developed targeted oncology therapeutics including I/O combinations. Comparable as a historically relevant clinical-stage oncology peer at similar stage before its exit, providing relevant M&A benchmark for clinical-stage oncology biotechs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
NuCana social profiles
Digital presenceNuCana financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NuCana leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
NuCana funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NuCana 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 NuCana
What does NuCana do?
NuCana is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops anti-cancer medicines using its proprietary phosphoramidate (ProTide) chemistry platform. The company is advancing a pipeline of three drug candidates — NUC-7738, NUC-3373, and Acelarin (NUC-1031) — designed to transform widely prescribed chemotherapy agents into more effective and safer therapies for solid tumors.
Is NuCana a public or private company?
NuCana is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was NuCana founded?
NuCana was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is NuCana based?
NuCana is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does NuCana make money?
One revenue line is on record: pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization.
Who are NuCana's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Nuvation Bio, Tempest Therapeutics, Compugen, Arcus Biosciences, Bicycle Therapeutics, Cogent Biosciences, Erasca, Day One Biopharmaceuticals and Black Diamond Therapeutics. Mirati Therapeutics is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does NuCana have an API?
No public API is recorded for NuCana.
What industry is NuCana in?
NuCana's product category is Oncology Pharmaceuticals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAIALAH, Regulatory Strategy & IND/NDA/BLA Submissions Support. Its NAICS code is 325412 and its SIC code is 2834.