Engitix

About Engitix

Engitix is a biotechnology firm specializing in the development of therapies for cancer and fibrosis by targeting the extracellular matrix (ECM). The company was founded in 2016 by Dr. Giuseppe Mazza and Professor Massimo Pinzani as a spin-out to commercialize research from University College London's (UCL) Institute for Liver and Digestive Health.

The company's core technology is a proprietary, end-to-end discovery platform that leverages a large bioarchive of human ECM to create more predictive preclinical insights. This platform combines ECM science with advanced AI and machine learning to analyze tissue- and disease-specific human ECM scaffolds, allowing for the study of disease mechanisms in 3D cell models. The objective is to identify novel drug targets, biomarkers, and therapeutic strategies for fibro-inflammatory diseases and solid tumors. Engitix's approach focuses on the ECM as an active driver of disease, rather than just a structural support, which differentiates it from other drug discovery methods.

Engitix's business model involves developing its own pipeline of therapeutic programs and forming strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. The company makes money through these collaborations, which include upfront payments, milestone fees, and potential royalties on marketed products. Notable partnerships include multi-year discovery and development collaborations with Takeda Pharmaceuticals in areas like advanced fibrotic liver diseases and inflammatory bowel disease, and a strategic collaboration with Dompé Farmaceutici to utilize its AI supercomputing platform for drug design in fibrosis and solid tumors.

Since its inception, Engitix has secured significant funding. After a seed round of approximately $7 million in 2018, it raised $54 million in a Series A round in 2022, co-led by Netherton Investments and new investor Dompé Farmaceutici. Most recently, in January 2026, the company closed a $25 million (£18.6 million) Series A extension financing from Netherton Investments, a fund associated with Mike Platt, the co-founder of BlueCrest Capital Management. This funding is intended to advance the preclinical development of its ECM-targeted pipeline and to expand its proprietary ECM dataset.