Rotterdam-based Pan Cancer T, a biotech startup specialising in advanced T cell therapies for solid cancer treatment, has closed €4.25M in a seed extension round. This round brings the company’s total raised capital to around €11M.
The funding includes backing from new investor InnovationQuarter Capital and ongoing support from existing investors Van Herk Ventures, Thuja Capital, Swanbridge Capital, and Erasmus MC O&O Holdings.
Kees Recourt, Senior Investment Manager at InnovationQuarter, says, “InnovationQuarter is proud to invest in Pan Cancer T, contributing to the development of state-of-the-art cell therapies to combat hard-to-treat cancers.”
“This investment not only supports the company but also strengthens the entrepreneurial Life Sciences and Health cluster in the Province of Zuid-Holland.”
With this round, Nina Satih from InnovationQuarter will join Pan Cancer T’s Supervisory Board as an observer.
Capital utilisation
This funding enables Pan Cancer T to complete its preclinical studies and CMC activities for its lead TCR-T cell therapy, PCT1:CO-STIM, enhancing project value and reducing risks.
It also supports the advancement of pipeline projects for colorectal and ovarian cancers, alongside the development of a new engineering approach.
Rachel Abbott, CEO of Pan Cancer T, says, “We are delighted to have closed this financing round with the support of InnovationQuarter and our existing investors. This enables us to advance our lead product toward the clinic, offering new hope for patients with triple-negative breast cancer.”
“It also provides a firm foundation to secure a Series A round within the coming year and seek business development partnerships with Biotech and Pharma collaborators to further develop our assets, including our TCR:CO-STIM platform that is applicable to other TCRs and tumour indications.”
Next-gen T cell therapy for solid tumours
Adoptive T cell therapies are effective in treating blood cancers, but they struggle to work well against solid cancers. This is because there aren’t enough specific targets in solid cancers for these therapies to attack, limiting who can benefit from them. Also, the solid tumour environment often stops these therapies from working for very long.
Pan-Cancer T, originating from Prof. Reno Debets’ lab at Erasmus Medical Center, is developing solutions to these challenges.
The company’s lead candidate, PCT1:CO-STIM, uses an IP-protected T cell receptor (TCR) developed with their TCR discovery platform. This TCR targets ROPN1, a specific protein found in over 90 per cent of patients with triple-negative breast cancer and melanoma.
Additionally, it includes a solution for the tumour microenvironment (TME), which boosts T cell activity despite the challenging conditions, resulting in significantly improved response duration in preclinical models.
Brief about Pan Cancer T
Pan Cancer T was founded in 2020 as a spin-off from Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with a focus on advancing advanced TCR T cell therapies for challenging solid tumours.
The company’s strategy includes targeting unique targets present in various solid cancers and developing technologies to improve the longevity of T cell therapies.
Pan Cancer T is actively conducting R&D programmes aimed at creating safe and effective adoptive T cell therapies that can benefit a wide range of patients, including those with triple negative breast cancer, bladder cancer, ovarian cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer, esophageal cancer, lung cancer, and brain cancer.
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