US-based oncology treatment developer Sensei Biotherapeutics has raised $133m in an upsized initial public offering (IPO) on the Nasdaq Global Market that provided an exit for medical research group Cambrian Biopharma.
The company issued 7 million shares priced at $19 each, above the $16 to $18 range it had set for the offering, valuing it at over $560m.
Sensei is developing immunotherapies that will be used to treat cancer and infectious diseases by generating an immune system response to cancer proteins through genetically engineered viruses called bacteriophage, which it produces through its ImmunoPhage platform.
The company intends to use around $30m to $40m of the IPO proceeds for the clinical development of its lead drug candidate, SNS‑301, in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
Between $15m and $20m of the capital will go to development of a candidate for Merkel cell carcinoma called SNS-401 and $10m to $15m to develop a third candidate, SNS-VISTA.
The remainder of the funding will go towards the development of Sensei’s ImmunoPhage platform and other pipeline-stage candidates as well as general business activities.
Cambrian and H&S Ventures co-led the company’s $28.5m series A round in October 2020, with participation from Future Ventures, Apeiron Investment Group and Presight Capital, a subsidiary of Apeiron Investment Group.
Sensei added $30m in a series B round that closed last month and which was co-led by Apeiron and Catalio Capital Management that also featured Cambrian, Presight Capital, Pura Vida Investment, Moore Strategic Ventures, Future Ventures and unnamed family offices.
Cambrian owned a 20.8% stake in the company that was diluted to 15.9% in the offering. Sensei’s other main investors are H&S Ventures (15.1% post-IPO), Future Ventures (5.4%) and Presight (4.8%).
Citigroup, Piper Sandler & Co and Berenberg are joint bookrunners for the IPO and have a 30-day option to purchase approximately just over 1 milion additional shares, which would increase the offering to more than $152m.