Santersus AG Announces Advancement of NucleoCapture into Pivotal Clinical Development strengthened by Strategic Collaboration with Terumo
Zurich, Switzerland, 1st Dec 2025 – Santersus AG today announced the successful completion of its Series A financing, led by Norcliffe, a UK life sciences fund with participation from Terumo Ventures. The financing will support the advancement of Santersus’ NucleoCapture into pivotal clinical development while accelerating progress across Santersus’ broader pipeline.
Santersus has entered a strategic collaboration with Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies to advance NucleoCapture(TM) for the treatment of sepsis, a disease that kills 11M people worldwide each year. The collaboration integrates Santersus’ first-in-class NucleoCapture blood purification device with Terumo BCT’s industry-leading Spectra Optia Apheresis System, creating a novel therapeutic apheresis approach designed to selectively remove neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs)— a major contributor to systemic inflammation and sepsis-related organ dysfunction. NucleoCapture has previously been granted two U.S. FDA Breakthrough Device Designations, including one for the treatment of sepsis.
Under this collaboration, Santersus will lead the pivotal NUC-CAP clinical trial across the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Europe. Terumo BCT will support the clinical development of the program, and Terumo Ventures – the corporate VC arm of Terumo – has invested in Santersus’ Series A financing round to accelerate the development of this technology for a critical unmet need with high mortality.
“Therapeutic apheresis has untapped potential to address serious unmet medical needs,” said Veerle d’Haenens, General Manager of Global Therapy Innovations at Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies. “Our partnership with Santersus reflects our commitment to advancing innovative treatment options for critically ill patients.”
The Series A financing will also support Santersus’ preparation for pivotal clinical trials in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), where NucleoCapture has received its second U.S. FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for treatment-refractory disease. The pivotal SLE program addressing an estimated $4bn global treatment market – will expand Santersus’ late-stage clinical portfolio beyond critical care and is expected to begin following the sepsis study launch.
Santersus is also advancing NucleoCapture technology into solid-organ transplantation, including a program designed to perfuse and recondition heavily damaged donor livers prior to transplantation. The global organ transplantation market is projected to reach $61.5bn by 2027. In parallel, Santersus is expanding a NucleoCapture program in lung transplantation focused on the prevention of primary graft dysfunction (PGD). Together, these initiatives support the application of NucleoCapture across solid-organ transplantation.
Santersus is also advancing early-stage development of NucleoCapture for Alzheimer’s disease, with an exploratory clinical study under way to assess its effects on amyloid removal. The global Alzheimer’s therapeutics market is valued at approximately $5bn in 2025 and is projected to double over the next decade.
These integrated programs reflect Santersus’ transition towards a multi-indication, late-stage clinical development company and position Santersus as a leading developer of NETs-targeted therapeutic apheresis technologies across critical care, autoimmunity, solid-organ transplantation, and neurodegeneration.
About Santersus AG
Zurich-based Santersus AG is a biotechnology company developing NucleoCapture, a novel, patent-protected extracorporeal blood purification technology designed to selectively remove cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). NucleoCapture has received two U.S. FDA Breakthrough Device Designations: one for the treatment of sepsis and one for systemic lupus erythematosus. Santersus is advancing a diversified clinical pipeline across sepsis, systemic lupus erythematosus, solid-organ transplantation (liver and lung), and Alzheimer’s disease.
For more information, please visit www.santersus.com
Media Contact
Organization: Santersus AG
Contact Person: Aleksander Zaporoztsev
Website: https://www.santersus.com
Email:
info@santersus.com
Country:Switzerland
Release id:38172
View source version on King Newswire:
Santersus AG Completes Series A Financing and Announces Strategic Collaboration with Terumo Corporation
