Link Cell Therapies begins clinical dosing, raises $90 million
Oncology firm Link Cell Therapies has initiated clinical dosing of its novel CAR-T therapy and closed a $90 million Series A financing round.
Link Cell Therapies has commenced clinical dosing for its lead CAR-T therapy program, LNK001. The company also announced an expansion of its executive leadership team and a $30 million increase to its Series A financing, bringing the total to $90 million.
The LNK001 therapy is being evaluated in a Phase 1 study for patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Initial patient dosing began at MD Anderson Cancer Center. This new CAR-T therapy is designed to target cancer cells expressing two specific antigens, CAIX and ENPP3. While many conventional CAR-T therapies have faced limitations due to on-target, off-tumor toxicities, LNK001's "logic-gating technology" aims to mitigate this risk.
The company has also strengthened its executive team. Jie D'Elia has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer, and Friedrich Graf Finckenstein has joined as Chief Medical Officer. Co-founder Brian Slingerland will transition to Executive Chairman. These appointments support the company's strategy to advance its pipeline.
The Series A financing now totals $90 million, an increase from the initial $60 million. The additional funding will enable the company to advance a second solid tumor program targeting colorectal cancer and expand its pipeline.