Function Oncology Raises $28M in Series A

Function Oncology, a San Diego, CA-based precision medicine company, raised $28M in Series A funding.

The round was led by a16z and Section 32, with participation from Casdin Capital and Alexandria Venture Investments.

Led by Srinath Sampath, M.D., Ph.D., MPhil, co-founder and chief executive officer, Function Oncology is a precision medicine company that leverages a CRISPR-powered personalized functional genomics platform to move beyond measuring gene sequence to measuring gene function and identify optimal therapeutic opportunities for patients and advance the targeted cancer therapies.

The functional genomics platform leverages CRISPR-based gene modulation directly in patient clinical samples, enabling personalized, comprehensive profiling of each patients’ tumors to uncover drug target dependencies that cannot be fully identified by conventional genomic profiling. These patient-specific insights may be used to produce tailored treatment strategies and in aggregate will power the development of new therapies against known or novel cancer drivers.

The Management Team includes:

  • Srinath Sampath, M.D., Ph.D., MPhil, co-founder and chief executive officer
  • Srihari Sampath, M.D., Ph.D., MPhil, co-founder and chief scientific officer
  • Christian Schmedt, Ph.D., co-founder and chief technology officer
  • Yali Li, Ph.D., chief data officer
  • Ryan Pinto, Ph.D., MBA, vice president, business development

Advisors include:

  • William Hahn, M.D., Ph.D., William Rosenberg Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School
  • David B. Solit, M.D., Geoffrey Beene Chair; director, Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Board of Directors includes:

  • Vineeta Agarwala, M.D., Ph.D., general partner, a16z and former director of product management at Flatiron Health
  • Steve Kafka, Ph.D., managing partner, Section 32; former chief executive officer of Thrive Earlier Detection (acquired by Exact Sciences) and former president and chief operating officer of Foundation Medicine (acquired by Roche)
  • Srinath Sampath, M.D., Ph.D., MPhil, co-founder and chief executive officer
  • Srihari Sampath, M.D., Ph.D., MPhil, co-founder and chief scientific officer
  • Christian Schmedt, Ph.D., co-founder and chief technology officer
  • Ryan Blicker, CFA, research analyst, Casdin Capital (board observer)
  • Mike Pellini, M.D., managing partner, Section 32 and former chief executive officer of Foundation Medicine (acquired by Roche) (board observer)