What Santersus does

Santersus AG is a privately held Swiss therapeutic apheresis company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Zurich that is developing NucleoCapture, a first-in-class extracorporeal blood purification device designed to selectively remove neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from patient plasma. The platform is built on biocompatible, highly porous polymer beads conjugated with a proprietary human recombinant histone H1.3 protein — leveraging the innate immune system's natural DNA-binding protein — that captures NETs and cfDNA with single-digit nanomolar binding constants, achieving over 95% NET removal in a single pass without compromising neutrophil defensive function. The device is designed to integrate with established hospital infrastructure, notably Terumo BCT's Spectra Optia Apheresis System for plasmapheresis workflows and OrganOx metra normothermic machine perfusion systems for liver graft reconditioning.

The company is advancing a broad clinical pipeline across five indications: sepsis and septic shock (first-in-human trial completed 2021 with 10 patients and over 40 treatment sessions), severe treatment-refractory systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), solid-organ transplantation (liver and lung, targeting prevention of reperfusion injury and primary graft dysfunction), and Alzheimer's disease (exploratory compassionate-use data showing up to 60mg amyloid removal in 2-hour sessions). NucleoCapture has received two U.S. FDA Breakthrough Device Designations — for sepsis in 2022 and for SLE in August 2025 — and Santersus is also developing a cell-free DNA extraction IVD micro-device targeting liquid biopsy and non-invasive prenatal testing markets. The company holds a granted patent portfolio on the device and underlying bead-chemistry technology.

Santersus operates an enterprise B2B medical-device business model that is pre-commercial: it generates no disclosed revenue, has not yet established pricing, and is funded primarily by a CHF 750,000 Family & Friends round (September 2021) and a December 2025 Series A led by Norcliffe Capital with participation from Terumo Ventures, with the Series A amount undisclosed. Commercial go-to-market is structured around direct sales to hospitals, ICUs, and transplant centers, augmented by strategic collaborations with Terumo BCT (Spectra Optia distribution) and OrganOx (liver perfusion), supported by academic partnerships with the University of Oxford, Lund University, University of Edinburgh, and Uppsala University. Leadership is anchored by Executive Chairman Scott Maguire, CEO James Ladtkow (formerly of Terumo BCT for ~30 years and the lead developer of the Spectra Optia system), CMO Andrew Aswani (Guy's & St Thomas' ICU consultant), CFO Aleksander Zaporoztsev, and a board that includes Dmitry Genkin, Moshe Mizrahy, and David Onions.

Name

Santersus

Legal name

Santersus AG

Website

https://santersus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Santersus is a Swiss medical-device company developing NucleoCapture, a first-in-class therapeutic apheresis platform that selectively removes neutrophil extracellular traps and cell-free DNA from patient blood, targeting sepsis, SLE, organ transplantation, and Alzheimer's disease for hospital, ICU, and transplant-center customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. NucleoCapture Therapeutic Apheresis Device Sales: Santersus generates revenue through the sale of its NucleoCapture therapeutic apheresis columns and related devices to hospitals and healthcare institutions. The company is pre-commercial, with pivotal clinical trials ongoing and regulatory approvals (FDA Breakthrough Device Designations) in place. Revenue model is expected to follow medical device commercial pathways upon regulatory approval.
2. Diagnostic IVD Micro-Device (Liquid Biopsy): Development-stage revenue stream from a proprietary cell-free DNA extraction IVD micro-device targeting liquid biopsy and non-invasive prenatal testing markets. The company aims to improve cfDNA isolation sensitivity for cancer diagnostics and NIPT applications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Santersus AG develops and intends to commercialize NucleoCapture, a first-in-class therapeutic apheresis device that uses polymer beads conjugated with proprietary human recombinant histone H1.3 protein to selectively capture and remove neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and cell-free DNA from patient blood or plasma. The device is being advanced across multiple clinical applications including sepsis, systemic lupus erythematosus, liver and lung transplantation, and Alzheimer's disease, with FDA Breakthrough Device Designations in sepsis and SLE.

Product overview

Santersus is an innovative therapeutic apheresis company developing NucleoCapture, a first-in-class extracorporeal blood purification platform that selectively removes neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and cell-free DNA from patient blood. The core NucleoCapture device uses histone H1.3-conjugated polymer beads and is being advanced across multiple clinical applications including sepsis (FDA Breakthrough Designation), systemic lupus erythematosus (FDA Breakthrough Designation), solid-organ transplantation (liver and lung), and Alzheimer's disease. The company also develops a diagnostic IVD micro-device for cell-free DNA extraction in liquid biopsy applications. NucleoCapture integrates with established therapeutic apheresis systems (Spectra Optia) and normothermic perfusion devices (OrganOx metra) to create a modular treatment approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NucleoCapture Therapeutic Apheresis Device First-in-class therapeutic apheresis device designed to capture and remove circulating neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and cell-free DNA from patient blood using biocompatible porous polymer beads conjugated with proprietary human recombinant histone H1.3 protein, achieving over 95% NET removal in a single pass without compromising neutrophil defensive function. Advanced across clinical applications including sepsis (FDA Breakthrough Device Designation, January 2022), systemic lupus erythematosus (FDA Breakthrough Device Designation, August 2025), solid-organ liver and lung transplantation via integration with OrganOx metra normothermic machine perfusion, and Alzheimer's disease for amyloid removal. Integrates with Terumo BCT's Spectra Optia Apheresis System for use within existing plasmapheresis workflows.
• cfDNA Extraction IVD Micro-Device In vitro diagnostic micro-device leveraging Santersus' proprietary histone H1.3 conjugation technology for efficient isolation of cell-free DNA (cfDNA), designed to improve the sensitivity and diagnostic utility of liquid biopsy assays for cancer diagnostics and non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). Targets the global liquid biopsy market projected at $12.062 billion by 2025 and the global NIPT market projected at $7.3 billion by 2024.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 95% NET removal achieved in a single pass through the NucleoCapture device
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Terumo CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Strategic collaboration with Terumo Corporation as parent company of Terumo BCT, encompassing the Spectra Optia integration partnership and broader development of NucleoCapture for sepsis treatment.
• Terumo Blood and Cell TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Strategic collaboration to develop therapeutic apheresis technology combining Santersus' NucleoCapture blood purification device with Terumo BCT's Spectra Optia Apheresis System for sepsis treatment. Terumo BCT supports clinical development and Santersus leads the pivotal NUC-CAP clinical trial across US, UK, Switzerland, and Europe.
• OrganOx LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Alliance partner in donor liver perfusion using NucleoCapture during OrganOx metra normothermic machine perfusion. Santersus congratulated OrganOx on its acquisition by Terumo Corporation for up to $1.5 billion, underscoring ongoing collaboration.
• University of OxfordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical development collaboration for organ transplantation applications including liver and lung transplantation. Dr. Fungai Dengu (Transplant Surgery, University of Oxford) has represented Santersus at international conferences presenting preclinical and clinical data.
• Lund UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic clinical development partner in organ transplantation programs alongside University of Oxford.
• University of EdinburghsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhD program partnership studying the physiology and biological impact of removing circulating cfDNA/NET on modifying lung injury using human ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) models. Research conducted at the Centre for Inflammation Research.
• Uppsala UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership conducting compatibility studies of NucleoCapture with therapeutic apheresis systems, confirming integration with industry-standard apheresis platforms.
• VolitionRx LimitedsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration using Volition's Nu.Q nucleosome assay to measure NETs as a surrogate marker in NucleoCapture preclinical and clinical studies. Dr. Jake Micallef, Volition's Chief Scientific Officer, contributed to validation of NET monitoring methodology.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies: Industry-leading therapeutic apheresis platform provider (Spectra Optia) and Santersus' strategic commercial partner. Operates the installed base of hospital apheresis systems that NucleoCapture integrates with, making it both a peer in apheresis technology and a critical commercial channel.
• Haemonetics Corporation: Major apheresis and blood component processing platform company with PCS2 and other apheresis systems. Broader incumbent in therapeutic apheresis infrastructure competing for hospital budgets alongside Terumo BCT and presenting both competitive and partnership dynamics.
• Fresenius Kabi: Global medical device and pharmaceutical company with the Com.Tec apheresis system and a significant blood therapy portfolio. Competes broadly with Santersus in hospital apheresis and blood purification with greater scale and broader geographic reach.
• Baxter International: Major medical device incumbent with the Prismax and other blood therapy systems used in ICUs and dialysis centers. Represents large incumbent competition with established hospital relationships and broader renal/critical care product portfolios.

Direct peers

• CytoSorbents Corporation: Develops CytoSorb, a blood purification polymer bead cartridge targeting cytokine storm and inflammation in sepsis, cardiac surgery, and other critical care indications. Closest direct competitor in the extracorporeal blood purification space addressing overlapping sepsis and inflammation markets with a similar bead-based capture mechanism.
• ExThera Medical: Develops the Seraph 100 blood purification device for pathogen and inflammatory mediator removal in sepsis and COVID-19. Competes directly with NucleoCapture in the extracorporeal sepsis treatment market with similar hospital-targeted GTM and regulatory pathway.
• Spectral Medical: Develops PMX (polymyxin B hemoperfusion) for endotoxemic septic shock — the most clinically advanced blood purification therapy for sepsis. Direct peer in the targeted sepsis apheresis space with FDA approval pathway in progress and overlapping critical care customer base.

Emerging players

• Aethlon Medical: Develops the Hemopurifier, a blood filtration device targeting circulating viruses and tumor-derived exosomes. Smaller, earlier-stage peer in extracorporeal blood purification with overlapping therapeutic apheresis GTM to critical care settings.
• Jafron Biomedical: Chinese manufacturer of HA series hemoperfusion cartridges for blood purification in critical care and toxicology. Emerging peer with similar bead-based blood purification technology and a comparable hospital-focused GTM, but primarily serving China and select emerging markets.

Regional players

• Kaneka Corporation: Japan-based developer of Lixelle and other apheresis columns for beta-2-microglobulin removal in dialysis patients. Comparable bead-based blood purification mechanism and an overlapping therapeutic apheresis indication, though primarily serving Asian markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/santersus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/santersus

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Santersus