A2 Biotherapeutics Secures $80M to Advance Precision Cell Therapies

A2 Biotherapeutics is a company founded in 2018 in Agoura Hills, California. It is at the forefront of developing innovative cell therapies designed to selectively target tumor cells while sparing normal tissues. 

The proprietary Tmod™ platform utilizes a dual-receptor system to achieve precise tumor targeting, which is one of the significant challenges in cancer treatment. A2 Bio announced successful completion of its $80 million Series C financing round on January 9, 2025. A2 Bio is proud of the deep confidence investors have shown in its technology and therapeutic approach.

A significant investment in life sciences and biotechnology, as two of the top venture capital firms, namely Column Group and Samsara BioCapital, have jointly co-led a Series C funding round for the company. It will bring a total funding sum of $80 million to date. A2 Bio can now enhance its clinical development programs and strengthen its pipeline for CAR-T cell therapies.

Read also: Leyden Labs a Dutch biotech has raised $70M in funding

Development of Clinical Programs

A2 Bio is running two seamless Phase 1/2 clinical studies:

• EVEREST-1 (A2B530): This is a study of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in pancreatic, lung, and colorectal cancers. The study is to determine the safety and efficacy of A2B530, a CAR-T cell therapy engineered to recognize and eliminate CEA-expressing tumor cells.
• EVEREST-2 (A2B694): With the focus being mesothelin, MSLN, this work includes pancreatic, ovarian, lung, colorectal, and mesothelioma cancers. A2B694 has been developed with selective targeting towards the MSLN expressing tumor cells to exploit the TmodTM precision that avoids off-tumor effects.

Enrolled for these trials, the prescreening is from the study named BASECAMP-1 where the participant identification of candidates can be made based on artificial intelligence precision diagnostics efficiently. Patient selection increases when these selections target only patients with the possibility to receive utmost benefits from therapy.

Tmod(tm) Platform-A Novel Cancer Therapy

A2 Bio’s Tmod™ platform is the first-ever advancement in this field of cell therapy that means it introduces two receptors-one activator and one blocker-to the immune cells so that it can tell apart between tumor and normal tissues precisely:

• Activator Receptor: It binds with specific antigens present on the surface of tumor cells, to which its interaction is fatal for the tumor cell.
• Blocker Receptor: It binds with antigens that are on normal cells, thus protecting them from an activator receptor attack.

This logic-gated system only activates CAR-T cells in the presence of tumor-specific antigens, thus avoiding the risk of off-target effects and improving the safety profile of the therapy.

Strategic Goals and Future Developments

A2 Bio will continue the advancement of clinical trials, specifically the EVEREST-1 and EVEREST-2 studies, for demonstrating safety and efficacy in targeting solid tumors with the new funding.

• Expand the Therapeutic Pipeline: Utilize the Tmod™ platform to develop additional CAR-T cell therapies targeting other tumor-associated antigens, thereby expanding the number of cancers that can be treated.
• Manufacturing Capability: Invest in scalable manufacturing processes to support clinical trials and future commercialization efforts, ensuring that high-quality cell therapy products are available.
• New Indications: Study the possibility of extending the indications of the Tmod™ technology beyond oncology to other diseases for which selective cell targeting would be valuable.

Read also: AusperBio Therapeutics Completes $73 Million Series B

Implication for the Biotechnology Industry

The success in a Series C round of financing combined with the moving progression of A2 Bio’s clinical programs points towards this increased focus and investment toward cell therapies into their next gen versions. It stands by resolving specific deficiencies of this emerging drug development: nonselective treatment delivery and an insufficient safety index-a gap found significantly within current versions of solid tumors where classic CAR-T based cell therapies fall under its realm.

Summary

A2 Biotherapeutics’s recent successes point to its dedication to advancing precision medicine through innovative cell therapy solutions. The $80 million Series C funding will allow the company to advance its clinical programs and expand its pipeline of therapies, getting it closer to delivering effective treatments for patients suffering from challenging solid tumors. In the evolving biotechnology landscape, A2 Bio’s Tmod™ platform promises to be an exciting step toward safer and more effective cancer therapies.