Captain T Cell secures seed financing round
Start-up develops first-in-class efficacy-enhanced TCR-T cells for solid tumors that are not addressed by existing therapies
Captain T Cell, a spin-off from the Max Delbrück Center, raised €8.5 million in startup funding. The startup focuses on developing T cells to target solid tumors. The funds are intended to move a new generation of T cell therapies towards the clinic.
Captain T Cell GmbH announced the successful closing of a seed financing round totaling €8.5 million. The company announced this on May 22, 2024. A syndicate of experienced life science investors including i&i Biotech Fund I SCSp, Brandenburg Kapital GmbH, and HIL-INVENT Ges.m.b.H participated in the round. In addition, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), is supporting the Company, which is based in Berlin-Schoenefeld, as part of its GO-Bio program. Biotech expert Jörn Aldag has been appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Captain T Cell is a spin-off from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association. The startup builds on years of research and innovations conducted in the labs on Campus Buch and utilizes technologies developed there. Furthermore, the Max Delbrück Center provided significant financial and infrastructural support throughout the pre-seed phase and remains a close partner of the company, along with technology transfer consultancy Ascenion. Ascenion had supported the Captain T Cell team for several years before its foundation and negotiated the license agreement with Captain T Cell for the Max Delbrück Center.
The funds will be used to accelerate a new generation of T cell therapies against solid tumors towards the clinic. Captain T Cell develops first-in-class efficacy-enhanced TCR-T cells for solid tumors that are not addressed by existing therapies. In preclinical in vivo models, the Company has been able to completely eradicate aggressive tumors using these efficacy-enhanced T cells. A key technology established by the Captain T Cell team is its proprietary TCR-ALLO platform for off-the-shelf treatment of solid tumors. The tool can be expanded to a variety of cancer indications.
Dr. Felix Lorenz, CEO of Captain T Cell, said: “This successful financing round allows us to accelerate our high-potential therapies and brings us closer to providing life-saving options for patients underserved by current treatments. We are steadfast in our mission to progress our lead candidate towards the clinic and to establish our TCR-ALLO platform as a leader in off-the-shelf solid tumor therapeutics.”
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