CellSight Technologies

What CellSight Technologies does

CellSight Technologies, Inc. is a San Francisco-based private radiopharmaceutical company developing VisAcT (18F-AraG), a proprietary PET imaging tracer that preferentially accumulates in activated T cells, enabling non-invasive, whole-body visualization of immune activation and mitochondrial function. The tracer is positioned as a cross-disease biomarker platform with primary applications in immuno-oncology (patient selection for and early monitoring of checkpoint inhibitor, CAR T, and combination immunotherapies), and secondary applications in neuroinflammation (multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's), cardiology (cardiotoxicity detection, myocardial viability), and infectious disease (post-acute COVID-19, HIV). The company's technology originated in Dr. Sanjiv Sam Gambhir's molecular imaging laboratory at Stanford University, and the scientific program is led by CSO Jelena Levi, PhD, with Aruna Bodapati Gambhir as CEO and Sam Quezada as COO/co-founder.

The business operates a clinical-stage, evidence-generation model rather than a commercial supply model today. CellSight supplies VisAcT precursor and tracer to academic medical centers conducting investigator-sponsored and pilot clinical trials across the United States, the Netherlands, and Japan, frequently providing the precursor free of charge under research agreements. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the company is described only as having a one-time license supply relationship; commercial pricing for any approved diagnostic use has not been announced. Go-to-market relies on peer-reviewed publication, conference presence (SNMMI, WMIC, EMIM, CROI), and academic lecture series to build scientific credibility and clinical demand among nuclear medicine, oncology, and immunology stakeholders.

The company remains pre-commercial at a small scale, with 1-10 employees, a single early-stage funding round disclosed (Propel(X) and TSVC, 2016), and an active pipeline of 16 clinical protocols spanning immuno-oncology, total body PET imaging (UCSF, UC Davis), CAR T imaging, graft-versus-host disease, and systemic immune characterization. The strategic emphasis is on multi-site clinical validation, cross-disease biomarker positioning, and institutional brand-building ahead of any regulatory or commercial inflection.

Name

CellSight Technologies

Legal name

CellSight Technologies, Inc.

Website

https://cellsighttech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CellSight Technologies is a San Francisco-based radiopharmaceutical company developing VisAcT (18F-AraG), a proprietary PET tracer that images activated T cells and mitochondrial function to support patient selection, response monitoring, and adverse-effect assessment in immunotherapy, with extensions into neuroinflammation, cardiology, and infectious disease.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Molecular Imaging Diagnostics

NAICS

In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Diagnostic Radiopharmaceuticals (SPECT/PET Tracers) (HLAIAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Nuclear Medicine Imaging Tracers & PET/SPECT Supply Chain (FDG, Ga-68, logistics/cold chain) (EUAKAIAE)

Keywords

• PET imaging tracers
• Immuno-oncology diagnostics
• Molecular imaging agents
• T cell activation imaging
• Radiopharmaceutical development

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. PET Tracer Supply: CellSight supplies VisAcT (18F-AraG) tracer to clinical trial sites and research institutions. The company provides precursor free of charge for some collaborative studies while commercializing the diagnostic imaging agent.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CellSight Technologies develops and supplies VisAcT (18F-AraG), a proprietary PET (Positron Emission Tomography) imaging radiotracer that preferentially accumulates in activated T cells, enabling whole-body non-invasive tracking of immune responses. The tracer is provided to clinical trial sites and academic medical centers for use in patient selection for immunotherapy, therapy response monitoring, and assessment of immune-related adverse effects in oncology, with additional applications in neuroinflammation and cardiac imaging.

Product overview

CellSight Technologies develops VisAcT (18F-AraG), a molecular imaging PET tracer for tracking activated T cells. The tracer enables visualization of immune responses for applications in immuno-oncology (patient selection for immunotherapy, therapy response monitoring, and assessment of immune-related adverse effects), neuroinflammation imaging (for conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's diseases), and cardiac imaging (early detection of cardiotoxicity and assessment of myocardial viability). The company operates through clinical trial partnerships at leading academic medical centers including Stanford, UCSF, Amsterdam UMC, and Kyoto University.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VisAcT (18F-AraG) VisAcT (18F-AraG) is a PET imaging radiotracer that preferentially accumulates in activated T cells upon interaction with antigen-presenting cells (APCs), enabling whole-body non-invasive tracking of immune activation and assessment of mitochondrial function. It is supplied to clinical trial sites and academic medical centers for patient selection for immunotherapy, therapy response monitoring, assessment of immune-related adverse effects, neuroinflammation imaging, and cardiac mitochondrial function imaging.

Quantifiable outcome

• Vertebral bone marrow [18F]F-AraG uptake predicts survival in immunotherapy-treated NSCLC patients
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Amsterdam UMCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Active clinical trial collaboration with Dr. Idris Bahce conducting multiple NSCLC studies including the SHARP trial investigating [18F]F-AraG uptake changes following anti-PD-1 therapy and the ATTAIN trial for tumor infiltrating T-cell activation imaging.
• Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Foundational research originated from Dr. Sanjiv Sam Gambhir's lab at Stanford. Ongoing collaboration includes CAR T cell therapy imaging studies (Dr. David Miklos), Graft Versus Host Disease detection, and head and neck cancer studies.
• Holden Comprehensive Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Pilot studies led by Dr. Muhammad Furqan evaluating [18F]F-AraG PET imaging for immunological response to PD-1/PD-L1 directed therapy in advanced NSCLC, including test-retest variability evaluation.
• Dana-Farber Cancer InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaborative project with CellSight, UCSF, UC Davis, and Stanford demonstrating connection between neuroinflammation and adipose tissue using 18F-AraG imaging, presented at SNMMI 2024.
• Kyoto UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Clinical study led by Dr. Yuji Nakamoto and Dr. Tomomi W Nobashi exploring tumoral uptake of [18F]F-AraG and its association with treatment effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors for stage 4 NSCLC patients. CellSight provides tracer precursor free of charge.
• Oregon Health and Science UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Clinical study with Drs. Shivaani Kummar, Erik Mittra, and Carina Mari Aparici using [18F]F-AraG PET/CT imaging to assess changes in tracer uptake in patients with advanced solid tumors following checkpoint inhibitor therapy.
• University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Multiple collaborative studies including COVID-19 immune activation imaging (Dr. Timothy Henrich), healthy subject and lung cancer patient total body PET imaging (Dr. Simon Cherry), and urothelial carcinoma response imaging.
• University of California, DaviscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborative research on total body PET imaging using the uEXPLORER scanner to obtain pharmacokinetics and biodistribution data in healthy volunteers and NSCLC patients.
• Johns Hopkins UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Prospective clinical trial with Dr. Martin Pomper in NSCLC patients undergoing PD-1/PD-L1-directed therapy to evaluate [18F]F-AraG as imaging agent for detecting changes in anti-tumor immune response.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bracco Imaging: Imaging diagnostics company with a portfolio including the Blue Earth Diagnostics radiopharmaceuticals business. Comparable as a broader imaging agent player with PET tracer interest.
• Lantheus Holdings: Established radiopharmaceutical company with multiple commercial PET and SPECT products (e.g., PYLARIFY for PSMA PET imaging). Comparable as a vertically integrated radiopharma with commercial-scale manufacturing and distribution.
• Curium: Global nuclear medicine company producing diagnostic PET and SPECT radiopharmaceuticals at industrial scale. Comparable as an established supplier with cyclotron and distribution infrastructure.
• GE HealthCare: Diversified imaging and radiopharmaceutical business with PET tracers and global manufacturing infrastructure. Comparable as a broad incumbent that could develop or acquire T cell activation tracers.
• Novartis (Pluvicto / Advanced Accelerator Applications): Through Pluvicto (Lu-177 PSMA) and the AAA acquisition, Novartis is the leader in therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals with deep immuno-oncology pharma reach. Comparable as a radiopharma-adjacent oncology powerhouse.

Direct peers

• Telix Pharmaceuticals: Commercial-stage radiopharmaceutical company developing PET imaging agents for oncology (e.g., Illuccix for PSMA imaging). Most directly comparable to CellSight as a focused radiopharma developing targeted PET tracers with pharma partnership potential.

Emerging players

• ImaginAb: Clinical-stage immuno-PET imaging company developing minibody-based tracers targeting immune cells including CD8 T cells. Closest emerging competitor to CellSight's T cell activation imaging thesis.
• Y-mAbs Therapeutics: Clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company developing therapeutic and imaging agents targeting tumors. Comparable as a focused oncology radiopharma pursuing companion imaging approaches.
• Blue Earth Diagnostics (Bracco): Specialized PET radiopharmaceutical developer (Axumin, Posluma) for oncology, now part of Bracco. Comparable as a focused PET tracer company with commercial-stage assets in oncology imaging.

Others

• Philips (Radiopharma / Molecular Imaging): Imaging equipment OEM with growing radiopharma partnerships and PET/CT installations at academic centers where CellSight trials run. Comparable as an enabling infrastructure partner in the molecular imaging ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cellsight-technologies-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CellSight Technologies