Ticairus, a chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) immunotherapy developer, announced Wednesday that it has raised 20.8 billion won ($14.8 million) in Series D funding.
The funding was issued through redeemable convertible preferred shares (RCPS), with participation from specialized venture capital firms including SJ Investment Partners, Kiwoom Securities, and IM Investment Partners. The company plans to use the capital to complete Phase 2 clinical trials for its lead pipeline blood cancer treatment TC011 and accelerate Phase 1 clinical entry for its solid tumor treatment TC091.
TC011 is a CAR-T therapy utilizing Ticairus's proprietary CLIP platform technology. The company recently completed a Phase 1 trial targeting adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma, achieving a 100% objective response rate (ORR) and 100% complete remission (CR) across all nine eligible patients enrolled in low-, medium-, and high-dose cohorts. The treatment demonstrated a favorable safety profile with no neurotoxicity and only one case of cytokine release syndrome (CRS).
The company recently received approval for an additional Phase 2 trial protocol for follicular lymphoma (FL), expanding indications beyond diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).
The CLIP CAR backbone is Ticairus's proprietary CAR structural design technology that enhances immune synapse formation to simultaneously improve CAR-T cell efficacy and safety. The company is currently conducting joint research applying the CLIP CAR backbone with the T-Cell Research Institute at City of Hope in the United States, and maintains a collaboration with Boston-based next-generation in vivo CAR technology developer Mote Therapeutics.