i&i Biotech Fund I SCSp, Brandenburg Kapital GmbH and HIL-INVENT Ges.m.b.H. participated in the seed round Funds will be used to accelerate a new generation of T cell therapies against solid tumors towards the clinic Schoenefeld/Berlin, Germany, May 22, 2024 --- Captain T Cell GmbH, a biotechnology company developing next-generation T cells against solid tumors, today announced the successful closing of a seed financing round totaling € 8.5 million. 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 through its prestigious GO-Bio program. The financing also marks the appointment of biotech veteran Jörn Aldag as Chairman of the Board of Directors. The funds will be used to further progress Captain T Cell's first-in-class lead program towards the clinic along with a novel allogeneic platform for off-the-shelf treatments of solid tumors. Captain T Cell develops first-in-class efficacy-enhanced TCR-T cells for solid tumors that are not addressed by existing therapies. Using a toolbox of next-generation technologies, Captain T Cell generates TCR-T cells with enhanced persistence and the capacity to cope with the hostile tumor microenvironment of difficult-to-treat solid tumors. 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 TCR-ALLO platform is a versatile tool that can be expanded to a variety of cancer indications. The Company is a spin-off from the renowned Max Delbrück Center, Berlin, Germany, a leading European biomedical research institution. The institute provided valuable financial and infrastructural support throughout the pre-seed phase and together with its technology transfer partner Ascenion remains a close partner for future endeavors. 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." "We have been following the Captain T Cell team for some time and ...