_pptx-Photoroom.png)
Advisors
Senticell's advisory board comprises seasoned experts across biotechnology, clinical research, and commercial strategy. Their insights help us navigate complex scientific challenges and accelerate real-world applications of our diagnostic platform. Their collective experience strengthens our vision and supports our journey from discovery to impact.
Mission
To fully harness the unique immune and genetic functions of red blood cells (RBCs) to transform how we detect, monitor, and treat diseases through advanced cfDNA and tDNA diagnostics.
Our goal is to pioneer a new class of non-invasive molecular diagnostics powered by the immune intelligence of RBCs.
Vision
We envision a future where disease detection is early, precision medicine is accessible, and red blood cell DNA technology enables faster, more accurate diagnosis and treatment across global healthcare.
Timeline &
Pipeline
2009:
Discovery of the immune
role of red blood cells
2017–2020:
Preclinical proof-of-concept studies validating diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic potential
2022:
Expansion into RNA payloads and early sepsis detection models
2024–2025:
FDA submissions for
diagnostics in lung, cervical,
and pancreatic cancers
2023:
Early-access clinical deployment through CLIA pathways
2026+:
Pipeline growth into autoimmune, prenatal, and neurological diseases; partnership and global licensing
Founded on groundbreaking research at the University of Pennsylvania, Senticell is a biotechnology company developing a next-generation diagnostic platform that uses red blood cell DNA, cfDNA biomarkers, and molecular diagnostics to identify disease at its earliest stage.
What is Senticell
![Untitled-33 [Recovered].png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/478adf_4f214360f54e4e20b4bbb7476dca37a5~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_102,h_90,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_3,enc_avif,quality_auto/478adf_4f214360f54e4e20b4bbb7476dca37a5~mv2.png)
Timeline &
Pipeline
2009
Discovery of the immune role of red blood cells
2017–2020
Preclinical proof-of-concept studies
validating diagnostic accuracy and
therapeutic potential
2023
Early-access clinical deployment
through CLIA pathways
2022
Expansion into RNA payloads and
early sepsis detection models
2024–2025
FDA submissions for
diagnostics in lung, cervical,and
pancreatic cancers
2026+
Pipeline growth into autoimmune,
prenatal, and neurological diseases;
partnership and global licensing
Senticell's Science
Why RBCs? Red blood cells are the body’s most abundant and immune-active cells, uniquely suited for molecular and genetic biomarker discovery.
Senticell’s research leverages cfDNA and tDNA analysis to access cellular signals that are immune-silent yet rich in diagnostic information, enabling early disease prediction and personalized treatment insights.
Therapeutic Platform
Modulates immune activity and delivers RNA/drug payloads via modified RBCs for targeted action.
Diagnostic Platform
A next-gen, ultra-sensitive, same-day PCR solution that uses RBCs to amplify molecular signals in diseases.
Disease Focus Section
Disease
Cancer
Lung, Cervical, Pancreatic, H&N:
Infectious Disease
Sepsis, Tuberculosis, COVID-19
Autoimmune
SLE (Lupus), Sickle Cell Anemia
Prenatal
Early screening with non-invasive sampling
Senticell's Team
Get to Know Us,
Meet
Nilam Mangalmurti, MD
Founder & Chief Scientific Advisor
-
Defined critical immune functions of red blood cells, establishing RBC immunobiology as a new field of study
-
Elected to ASCI, ATSF, research has been supported by NIH, DoD, ALA, NBF
-
Expertise in sepsis and critical illness
Neha Shah, MBA
Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer
-
25-year exited entrepreneur; co-founded and scaled GEP to over $1.1B in annual revenue, culminating in a multi-billion-dollar exit, supporting clients like J&J, BMS, and Roche
-
Board Chair, McNulty Leadership Program at The Wharton School; Henry Crown Fellow, Aspen Institute
Founders
At the heart of our mission are our founders, Ms. Shah and Dr. Mangalmurti- visionaries with deep expertise in science and business. With a shared commitment to innovation and impact, they bring together a unique blend of scientific rigor and strategic execution to drive our company forward. Their leadership sets the foundation for our bold approach to redefining diagnostics through red blood cell biology.
Steven Albelda,
MD
Scientific Advisor
-
Professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
-
Scientific Advisor to Verismo Therapeutics and Bio4
-
Co-founder, Capstan
-
Tumor immunologist, lung cancer, immunotherapy, CAR T cells (co-founder of Capstan)
-
Wagner Award from the International Mesothelioma Interest Group
Chris Hunter,
PhD
Scientific Advisor
-
Cytokine biologist, inflammation expert, immunologist
-
Founder at Surface Oncology (acquired by Coherus)
-
Scientific Advisor for Anaptsys Bio, CytomX, Coherus, ArsenalBio and Synthekine
David Roth, MD, PhD
Scientific Advisor
-
Scientific interests in cancer biology, DNA repair, precision medicine, and DNA- based diagnostics
-
Former Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania Health System
-
Fellow, College of American Pathologists
-
Founder, Center for Personalised Diagnostics at Penn (clinical next generation sequencing in cancer)
-
Founder, Penn Center for Precision Medicine
Mallik Srivatsan, PhD, MBA
Scientific Advisor
-
Employee #1 at Momenta Pharmaceuticals (acquired by J&J for $6.5 billion)
-
Led strategy and fundraising at Mitra Biotech (now Farcast Life Sciences)
-
Founder & CEO of Accurius Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company developing lung-centric viral immunotherapies
-
Postdoctoral fellowship from MIT and an MBA from Wharton School
Kartik Shah, MS, MBA
Life Sciences Innovator & Entrepreneur
-
Founder & CEO - Tactile Therapeutics, developing molecular glues for neuro-inflammation
-
Founder & Director – Oxeia Biopharmaceuticals, leading first-in-class concussion drug
-
Former Head of Commercial Strategy- Atara Biotherapeutics, drove $640M U.S. rights deal
-
Advisor – StataDx, advancing point-of-care neurology diagnostics
-
Past – Cynvenio Biosystems, Oliver Wyman, GlobalXFunds (> $50B AUM)
-
Education - UPenn (Bioengineering & Biotechnology), Harvard MBA
News &
Publications
RBCs as Immune Sentinels Science Translational Medicine (2021)
Our landmark paper showed that red blood cells express TLR9 and bind extracellular DNA, reshaping how we understand their role in immunity. The discovery received wide coverage in leading outlets including Science, Nature Reviews Immunology, and ScienceDaily.
Nature Reviews Immunology Spotlight (2021)
Nature Reviews Immunology highlighted our discovery that red blood cells bind DNA via TLR9, expanding their role from oxygen carriers to immune regulators.
