Sightera raises €3M to advance AI-generated molecular glues

Why it matters: Sightera is betting that better biological data, rather than increasingly powerful AI alone, can address one of computational drug discovery’s biggest challenges: translating promising laboratory predictions into medicines that work in patients.

Zoom in: The round was backed by Entourage Ventures, Anacura and Qbic Fund, bringing together investors with technology and life sciences expertise.

How it works: Rather than training its models primarily on public datasets or beginning with a predefined target, Sightera generates its own drug-response data using tissue from patients with advanced, treatment-resistant disease.

The lead asset: SIGHT001 is an AI-designed molecular glue being developed for KRAS-mutant pancreatic, biliary tract and colorectal cancers.

• Molecular glues redirect interactions between proteins and can recruit the cell’s protein-disposal machinery to eliminate disease-driving targets. The modality has attracted growing industry interest because it may offer a route to proteins previously considered difficult to drug.
• Sightera said SIGHT001 has produced promising in vivo results in pancreatic cancer and ex vivo data in colorectal and biliary tract cancer. The company has not disclosed the programme’s molecular target or detailed study results.
• Sightera is also developing SIGHT002, another molecular glue for HER2-positive oesophageal and gastric cancers and SIGHT101, a small molecule fibrosis programme currently in hit-to-lead development.

Backstory: Sightera emerged from more than a decade of translational research at the University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital. The company completed a licence agreement with the two institutions earlier this year, formally establishing it as an academic spin-off.

What’s next: The €3 million round is intended to take SIGHT001 to candidate selection. Sightera is already preparing a larger financing to support the programme’s eventual move into clinical development.