Captain T Cell Raises €20M for Tumor Treatment
The Captain T Cell founders: Janna Hachmann (COO) and Felix Lorenz (CEO/CSO) - © Captain T Cell
Berlin's Captain T Cell successfully closed an equity financing round that brings its total available funding to €20 million. According to the company's press release, the round attracted both new investors including Springboard Health Angels, Pluton Asset Holding AG, Sintra Limited, and Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen, alongside existing backers.
So what exactly does Captain T Cell do? The company engineers T cells, a type of immune cell, to better fight solid tumors. Think of it as giving the body's own defense system an upgrade. Using their proprietary technology toolbox, they modify these cells to survive and function effectively within hostile tumor environments, where cancer cells typically suppress immune responses.
Their lead program, CTC127, targets MAGE-A4-positive solid tumors and will soon enter a Phase I clinical trial called TOMATA. The study, led by Professor Antonia Busse at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, will involve eight leading cancer centers across Germany and enroll patients with advanced lung, bladder, gastroesophageal, ovarian, and head and neck cancers.
Simultaneously, Captain T Cell is developing an allogeneic, or off-the-shelf, therapy platform that has already demonstrated complete tumor elimination in preclinical studies. This approach could eventually make treatment more accessible since it wouldn't require using each patient's own cells.
"Despite a challenging fundraising environment, we have gained broad investor support," said Dr. Felix Lorenz, CEO of Captain T Cell, in the press release. The funding will carry the company through Phase I readouts and advance their allogeneic platform toward clinical trial readiness.
Founded as a spin-off from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Captain T Cell exemplifies Berlin's growing reputation as a hub for cutting-edge life sciences innovation.
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