Sana’s modest proposal: eradicate human disease

Sana Biotechnology came to be last year with storied founders, secretive science, and, depending on whom you believe, up to $1 billion in venture cash to plot its course.

Now, STAT’s Kate Sheridan has unearthed some details on the Seattle-based startup, which has poached a host of Juno Therapeutics executives and set out with an audacious goal: to develop universal cell and gene therapy techniques that will be able to reprogram or replace any cell in the body.

“I know it will seem grandiose. I know it will seem unconnected to the current reality,” said Noubar Afeyan, managing partner of Flagship Pioneering and a member of Sana’s board. “Absolutely. That is what it is.”

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