BrainChild Bio's $116M Series A Backs CAR T Push Into DIPG and Glioblastoma
An undisclosed private family fund and foundation led the round, with Seattle Children's and WRF Capital participating.
BrainChild Bio, a Seattle, WA-based clinical-stage biotechnology company, has raised $116M in Series A funding to advance its CAR T cell therapies for tumors in the central nervous system.
The round was led by an undisclosed private family fund and foundation, with participation from Seattle Children's and WRF Capital. The company did not disclose additional terms of the financing.
BrainChild Bio develops CAR T cell therapies to treat tumors in the central nervous system. Its platform leverages new synthetic biology technologies, including multiplex targeting and locoregional delivery directly into the cerebrospinal fluid using an in-dwelling reservoir-catheter, an approach designed to allow repetitive infusions, maximize local efficacy and minimize toxicities.
The company intends to use the proceeds to support the ILLUMINATE Phase 2 study evaluating BCB-276 for the treatment of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), and to support continued development of BCB-214 for glioblastoma.
The two programs sketch out the company's twin ambitions: a pediatric brain tumor indication in DIPG, and an adult indication in glioblastoma. CAR T therapy has become an established modality in blood cancers, but applying it to solid tumors inside the central nervous system presents a distinct set of delivery and safety challenges — precisely the problem the reservoir-catheter delivery method is built to address.
The company is led by CEO Steven Brugger.
The raise arrives with backing from a regional pediatric research institution and a Washington-based venture firm alongside the unnamed family fund and foundation, a mix that pairs institutional research ties with private capital. BrainChild Bio did not say how long the funding is expected to last or whether further rounds are planned.
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About the Company
Seattle, WA-based provider of CAR T cell therapies to treat tumors in the central nervous system
BrainChild Bio is a kids-first, clinical-stage biotechnology company harnessing the power of CAR-T cell technology for tumors in the central nervous system (CNS), prioritizing pediatrics with plans to expand our technology platform to adult indications.