Senisca Ltd raises £3.7m seed money

The proceeds of Senisca’s latest funding round led by Lifespan Vision Venture will support  the preclinical development of the company’s senotherapeutic programmes, that target the causes of age-related disease via RNA splicing regulation, resulting in cellular reprogramming and disease modification by attenuating senescence. Additional investors include Emerging Longevity Ventures, QantX, the R42 Group, Trend Investment Group and Apex Ventures. In addition to the total investor capital raised of £7.1 million to date, Senisca, through prestigious Innovate UK grants, awards, and commercial relationships, has also gained an additional £1.1 million in non-dilutive funding and commercial revenue, further validating the potential of the start-up’s scientific approach.

Senisca harnesses RNA biology, more specifically oligonucleotide therapeutics, to renuvenate senescent cells with a pro-inflammatory RNA isoform profile and disrupted function. Initial programs of the company target RNA splicing dysregulation in the context of multiple pharmacological and skin health indications. Most recently the company’s co-founder, director and CSO Lorna Harries identified one of three regulatory miRNAs that contribute to renuvenation processes as not druggable due to side effects.

Most recently, German researchers identified RNA polymerase I blockers as another poteintial anti-ageing medicine. Blocking the enzyme that catalyses rRNA synthesis and ribosome biosynthesis,was observed to decrease oxidative phosphorylation and the subsequent production of reactive oxygen  species (ROS), which create a pro-inflammatory cellular microenvironment in the model organism C. elegans.