Genicity's award-winning innovators want ‘to change oncology and save lives’
High Potential Start-up at University of Galway promises revolution in cancer treatment
In the evolving arena of cancer treatment, cell therapy has emerged as a transformative force. However, despite its promise, this approach grapples with challenges ranging from time constraints to cost implications; scalability issues to adverse side effects.
Enter Genicity - an award-winning, pioneering campus start-up developing an affordable cell therapy approach at scale. Genicity is dedicated to making cancer a chronic disease rather than a life-threatening illness. As an Enterprise Ireland High Potential Start-up (HPSU) the company moved to Galway. It is now based in the University of Galway Innovation Centre where it is leading the way in developing on-the-shelf therapies for solid and liquid tumours using allogenic T-cell receptor therapies.
Genicity’s treatment platform modifies T-cells (white blood cells) from healthy donors and then adds specific antibodies to help destroy cancer cells for the patient. It’s an innovative approach in the fight against cancer.
he team is committed to offering treatments with heightened potency, durability and versatility to greatly expand therapeutic options. Working with the research community, Genicity has completed the Prep4Seed accelerator programme and recently took part in the Merck BioTech Bootcamp in France.
Winner of The Irish Times Innovation Award 2023, the company has raised €900K from investors and is still fundraising.
Genicity was founded in 2021 by two Palestinian-Israeli medical doctors, Muhammad Yassin (MD, PhD) and Muneer Sawaied (MD). The entrepreneurs have 15 years of experience in cancer research between them.
As part of his PhD at Tel Aviv University, Muhammad Yassin conducted research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto. Muneer Sawaied is a graduate of Ben-Gurion University and has publications in the field of oncological surgery.
Over the past two years, Yassin and Sawaied have completed in-vitro and in-vivo studies on a variety of cancer types for efficacy and safety. They have filed a provisional patent application for their solution and the European Medicine Agency has provided them with preliminary guidance regarding their technology and the regulatory requirements for their first clinical trial.
In December 2023, the company won The Irish Times Innovation Award in the Life Science and Healthcare category, sponsored by Science Foundation Ireland.
Genicity also joined the Merck BioTech Bootcamp and Incubator programme in France – a prestigious prize that gave the team the opportunity to collaborate with Merck R&D scientists and engineers to help accelerate their product development process and challenges.
In 2023 the company moved to University of Galway to avail of the regional innovation ecosystem and Ireland’s positive environment for start-ups. The team hopes to raise a significant Series A investment - in the region of €30m - as they proceed to full clinical trial stage.
Dr Muneer explains the reason for situating Genicity in Ireland, specifically in Galway. ‘We considered many countries across Europe as well as the US and Canada. Ireland came out on top as the only English-speaking country in the EU and because of its accessibility for enterprises, including the support of Enterprise Ireland. There has been great support from the team here in University of Galway and we are plugging into the facilities and expertise on campus.
‘In Ireland, we have great freedom to follow our ambitions to make a real difference for cancer patients and we are working hard towards that goal.’
‘We want to change oncology and look to a future where cancer treatment is not just effective, but also accessible and enduring,’ adds Dr Yassin. ‘We want this to be a lifesaver for patients faced with some of the most hard-to-treat cancers.’
We want this to be a lifesaver for patients faced with some of the most hard-to-treat cancers.
Genicity’s treatment platform modifies T-cells (white blood cells) from healthy donors and then adds specific antibodies to help destroy cancer cells for the patient.
Genicity’s treatment platform modifies T-cells (white blood cells) from healthy donors and then adds specific antibodies to help destroy cancer cells for the patient.
Genicity scooped The Irish Times Innovation Award in the Life Science and Healthcare category sponsored by Science Foundation Ireland, now Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland.
Muhammad Yassin and Muneer Sawaied of Genicity at The Irish Times Innovation Awards 2023 final judging day. Photograph: Conor McCabe
Muhammad Yassin and Muneer Sawaied of Genicity at The Irish Times Innovation Awards 2023 final judging day. Photograph: Conor McCabe
Genicity moved to University of Galway to avail of the regional innovation ecosystem and Ireland’s positive environment for start-ups.
Galway is a major medtech hub
Galway is a major medtech hub
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Since 2020, University of Galway has generated 20 new spin-outs, 184 inventions and 60 licensed technologies, with over 240 industry collaborations. Our Innovation Office team empowers researchers with IP protection, legal expertise, and commercial guidance, turning discoveries into real-world impact.
The Innovation Office also mentors early-stage ventures through every stage, from ideation to scaling, providing access to our innovation network, on-campus incubation, and wet labs. At anyone time we have 30 start-ups on campus, and have supported over 100 in the last number of years.
Collaborating with industry, government, and global partners, we drive innovation that reaches far beyond our campus.
