BrainChild Bio has closed a $116 million Series A financing round, funds that will be used to advance its lead autologous CAR-T cell therapy candidate for a type of incurable pediatric brain tumor into a phase 2 pivotal clinical trial.
The ILLUMINATE phase 2 pivotal clinical trial will evaluate BCB-276, a CAR-T cell therapy targeting the immune checkpoint B7-H3, for the treatment of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). DIPG is a fatal brainstem tumor that affects 200-300 children per year in the U.S. Current standard-of-care treatment remains limited to palliative focal radiation therapy which results in a median overall survival of only 8-11 months from diagnosis.
An undisclosed private family fund and foundation led the financing round, with participation from the company’s initial investor, Seattle Children’s, and new investor WRF Capital.
Funds will also support the continued development of BCB-214, the company’s triple-targeting CAR-T cell therapy being advanced to initial clinical testing in glioblastoma. BrainChild’s pipeline programs leverage the company’s CAR-T cell therapy platform to treat tumors of the central nervous system, based on an exclusive license to technology developed at Seattle Children’s, announced in December 2023.
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