Sonire Therapeutics Closes $18 Million Series A Financing for Pancreatic Cancer HIFU Therapy
Sonire Therapeutics has closed an $18 million Series A financing round to advance its High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound therapy system for pancreatic cancer. The round was led by Santé Ventures with participation from Fast Track Initiative, Nomura SPARX Investment, SBI Investment, and other Japanese investors. The company received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation in 2024 and will use the proceeds to accelerate clinical development, support U.S. regulatory progress, and advance global commercialization efforts.
Sonire’s proprietary HIFU system combines real-time imaging guidance with patented technologies, including a noise-cancellation system, cavitation bubble visualization, and a robot-assisted positioning platform. Unlike conventional ultrasound-guided HIFU systems, Sonire’s solution provides clear real-time visualization of the treatment site, requires no anesthesia, and can be performed on an outpatient basis in approximately twenty minutes. The system requires only one physician to administer treatment, which lowers costs and staff burden for hospitals. Pancreatic cancer has a five-year survival rate of only twelve percent, and existing treatments remain limited with high unmet medical needs due to a lack of established standard local therapy options.
“We are grateful for the strong support from our investors, which validates the transformative potential of our sonic technology,” said Tohru Satoh, president and CEO of Sonire Therapeutics. “This funding will enable us to complete our landmark SUNRISE-I randomized controlled trial in Japan, the world’s first HIFU trial for pancreatic cancer. It will also allow us to prepare for U.S. clinical and regulatory milestones.” Dennis McWilliams, managing director at Santé, noted that Sonire has made a significant breakthrough in next-generation HIFU technology by overcoming the core challenges of visualization, precision, and workflow that have limited the field thus far. The ongoing SUNRISE-I study is comparing HIFU with chemotherapy against chemotherapy alone across seven leading Japanese hospitals using Sonire’s current system.
