AGOURA HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc. (A2 Bio), a clinical-stage cell therapy company developing first-in-class logic-gated cell therapies to selectively target tumor cells and protect normal cells, today announced the closing of its $80 million Series C financing round, supported by a syndicate of investors that includes The Column Group and Samsara BioCapital. Proceeds will fund the company’s three clinical development programs and advancement of its pipeline of CAR-T cell therapies based on its proprietary Tmod™ platform technology.
“We are excited by the initial clinical data from our lead programs, which we believe validates our proprietary logic-gate technology approach to solid tumor cancers,” said Jim Robinson, chief executive officer of A2 Bio. “This funding will enable us to continue ongoing clinical development of our CAR-T cell therapies as well as fund the potential next phase of development.”
A2 Bio is currently conducting two seamless phase 1/2 clinical studies: EVEREST-1 studying A2B530 for pancreatic, lung and colorectal cancers by targeting carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA); and EVEREST-2 studying A2B694 for pancreatic, ovarian, lung, colorectal and mesothelioma cancers by targeting mesothelin (MSLN). Patients are enrolled in EVEREST-1 and EVEREST-2 through the BASECAMP-1 prescreening study. BASECAMP-1 utilizes artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled precision diagnostics, as a cost-effective, high-yield approach to identify eligible patients for all A2 Bio clinical studies.1
A2 Biotherapeutics, established in 2018, is a fully integrated discovery, development and manufacturing company based in Agoura Hills, Calif. A2 Bio plans to direct the Series C funds to support the company’s three clinical studies, as well as to advance preclinical programs using its Tmod™ platform for potential clinical targets representing significant unmet needs in cancer and beyond.
About the Tmod™ Platform
A2 Bio has pioneered a precision-targeting cellular system – the Tmod™ platform – that incorporates two receptors, an activator and a blocker, to aim the powerful armaments of immune cells directly at tumors to unequivocally differentiate tumors from normal tissues. The activator recognizes antigens on tumor cells that trigger their destruction, while the blocker recognizes antigens on normal cells that protect them. This novel blocker technology enables precise, personalized and effective T cell targeting. The blocker component equips Tmod™ cells with the capacity to identify tumors as distinct from normal cells.
About A2 Bio
A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc. (A2 Bio) is a clinical-stage biotech company developing first-in-class logic-gated cell therapies to address the high unmet need in cancers. A2 Bio invented the proprietary Tmod™ cell therapy platform to tackle the fundamental challenge in cancer treatment—the ability of cancer medicines to distinguish between tumor and normal cells. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.a2bio.com.
References
1 Lozac’hmeur A, Danek T, Yang Q, Rosasco MG, Welch JS, Go WY, Ng EW, Mardiros A, Maloney DG, Garon EB, Kirtane K, Simeone DM, Molina JR, Salahudeen AA, Stein MM, Hecht JR. Detecting HLA loss of heterozygosity within a standard diagnostic sequencing workflow for prognostic and therapeutic opportunities. NPJ Precis Oncol. 2024 Aug 5;8(1):174. doi: 10.1038/s41698-024-00665-z. PMID: 39103508; PMCID: PMC11300791.
Contacts
Mary-Frances Faraji
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