Founded by former executives of Juno Therapeutics, Sana Biotech launched in 2019, with the goal of aggregating R&D and manufacturing capabilities across the cell and gene therapy treatment paradigms.

In April 2023, the company's President and CEO, Steve Harr, said  that Sana is "making rapid progress in transitioning from a research-based company to one focused on delivering innovative gene and cell-based medicines to patients across multiple disease areas."