DISCO Pharmaceuticals Appoints Mark Manfredi as CEO and Announces Final Close of €36 Million Seed Financing

Mark Manfredi brings over two decades of international biopharmaceutical industry leadership and cancer drug discovery success to DISCO

Financing will support the development of novel surfaceome-targeted therapies for hard-to-treat tumors

Cologne, Germany, December 11, 2025 – DISCO Pharmaceuticals (“DISCO”) today announced the appointment of seasoned biotech leader Mark Manfredi, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), as well as the final close of a €36 million seed financing round to advance the company’s pipeline of surfaceome-targeted drug candidates. The seed expansion was co-led by Ackermans & van Haaren and NRW.Bank, with participation from existing investors, Sofinnova Partners, AbbVie Ventures, M Ventures, and Panakes Partners. The proceeds will enable DISCO to advance multiple lead antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer (MSS-CRC) toward IND-enabling studies and expand its pipeline. Dr. Manfredi succeeds the company’s founder and founding CEO, Roman Thomas, M.D., who will continue to support the company as a strategic advisor.

“DISCO’s talented team has demonstrated that its proprietary platform can identify novel cell-surface target pairs, enabling the development of a truly differentiated pipeline of ADCs and T-cell engagers. Our mission is driven by the urgent need for better treatment options, and we remain focused on advancing our lead programs and expanding our pipeline of indication-specific and pan-tumor therapies that have the potential to truly make a difference,” commented Mark Manfredi, Ph.D., CEO of DISCO. “I would like to thank Roman for the leadership that brought DISCO to this stage and positioned the company for long-term success.”

“DISCO’s platform can open entirely new therapeutic areas by revealing previously unknown targets on the cancer cell surface and their biology,” said Lenny Van Steenhuyse, Investment Manager at Ackermans & van Haaren. “With the addition of Mark Manfredi as CEO, DISCO is poised to become a leader in surfaceome-guided oncology drug development, and we look forward to supporting the company on its path towards the clinic.”

Mark Manfredi, Ph.D., brings over 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and a proven track record in cancer drug development. Mark most recently served as CEO of Ikena Oncology, before which he was an Entrepreneur in Residence at Atlas Venture, a leading early-stage venture capital firm supporting groundbreaking biotech innovation. He served as Chief Scientific Officer of Raze Therapeutics and as Vice President, Oncology Biology at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. During his tenure at Takeda and as part of the senior R&D management team, he contributed to the global oncology R&D strategy, helping translate several novel mechanisms into clinical development, including programs that progressed into Phase 3 trials and gained regulatory approval. Mark received his B.S. from the University of Rhode Island and earned his Ph.D. in biology from Boston College.

“DISCO was founded to discover novel medicines by mapping the entire surface of cells and significantly expanding the addressable target space for any indication,” said Roman Thomas, M.D., founder and founding CEO of DISCO Pharmaceuticals. “Having led DISCO from its inception to the development of several promising programs emerging from our novel target discoveries, I look forward to the company’s next phase of growth under Mark’s leadership.”

About DISCO Pharmaceuticals
DISCO Pharmaceuticals is advancing a differentiated pipeline of highly selective, surfaceome-targeted therapies for hard-to-treat tumors. By uncovering novel cell surface target pairs through our disruptive platform, we are designing bispecific ADCs and T-cell engagers with the potential for unprecedented specificity and a broad therapeutic window to drive potent anti-tumor activity. Our first ADC programs are moving towards the clinic for small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer. With each mapped surfaceome, we unlock new indication-specific and pan-tumor opportunities that can fundamentally shift the cancer treatment paradigm.

Contacts:

DISCO Pharmaceuticals
Roopika Menon 
info@discopharma.de

Media:
Trophic Communications
Jacob Verghese or Anja Heuer
Phone: +49 151 7441 6179 or +49 151 106 199 05
Email: disco@trophic.eu