Pan Cancer T Secures €10 Million to Advance TCR-T Cell Therapy for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Key Insights
Pan Cancer T (search) raised €10 million in funding to advance its lead TCR-T cell therapy PCT1:CO-STIM (search) into first-in-human trials for triple-negative breast cancer (search) patients.
The therapy targets ROPN1 (search), a tumor-restricted antigen expressed in over 90% of triple-negative breast cancer (search) cases, and incorporates co-stimulatory technology to enhance T cell persistence.
Triple-negative breast cancer (search) patients face severe outcomes with only 12% five-year survival rate after metastatic progression and median overall survival of less than six months.
Rotterdam-based biotech Pan Cancer T (search) has secured €10 million in funding to advance its lead T cell receptor therapy PCT1:CO-STIM (search) into first-in-human clinical trials for women with triple-negative breast cancer (search) (TNBC). The financing combines €5 million from existing investors with a €5 million Innovation Credit loan from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, enabling patient treatment at leading cancer centers in the Netherlands.
Addressing Critical Unmet Medical Need
The upcoming trial will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of PCT1:CO-STIM (search) in TNBC patients, a population facing severe clinical outcomes. According to Pan Cancer T (search), patients with advanced TNBC have a five-year survival rate following metastatic progression of approximately 12% and a median overall survival of less than six months, highlighting the urgent need for new therapeutic approaches.
"Our mission is to empower a patient's own immune cells to tackle hard-to-treat cancers like TNBC," said Rachel Abbott, Chief Executive Officer of Pan Cancer T (search). "This significant investment marks a pivotal moment as we transition from preclinical validation to treating patients with our first novel T-cell receptor (TCR) T cell therapy, PCT1:CO-STIM (search), following our planned regulatory filing with the EMA in 2026."
Novel TCR-T Platform Technology
PCT1:CO-STIM (search) is being developed as an autologous T cell therapy designed to target ROPN1 (search), which Pan Cancer T (search) describes as a tumor-restricted antigen expressed in more than 90% of cases of triple-negative breast cancer (search) and melanoma (search). The therapy incorporates proprietary co-stimulatory technology intended to help engineered T cells persist and function in the immunosuppressive environment common to solid tumors.
The company aims to generate durable responses in patients with few effective treatment options. While the initial approach is autologous, Pan Cancer T (search) noted that the program could later evolve toward an in vivo delivery strategy.
Investment and Development Timeline
The €10 million financing includes participation from existing investors Van Herk Ventures (search), Thuja Capital (search), Erasmus MC O&O Holdings (search), and InnovationQuarter (search). Michel Briejer, Managing Partner at Thuja Capital and member of Pan Cancer T (search)'s Supervisory Board, emphasized the investment's strategic alignment.
"Thuja Capital (search) is dedicated to investing in the most innovative life sciences companies. Pan Cancer T (search)'s TCR-T platform addresses hard-to-treat solid tumours, such as TNBC, that are the greatest challenge in oncology," Briejer said, noting continued momentum in cell and gene therapy following AstraZeneca's acquisition of EsoBiotec (search), another Thuja Capital portfolio company.
Pan Cancer T (search) expects to pursue a regulatory filing with the European Medicines Agency (search) in 2026. The company, founded in 2020 as a spin-out from Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, has raised approximately €21 million to date, including €2 million in grants and the €5 million Innovation Credit loan.
Broader Pipeline Development
Beyond TNBC, Pan Cancer T (search) is building a pipeline of TCR-T programs targeting additional solid tumor indications, including cancers of the skin, colorectum, stomach, esophagus, ovary, and uterus. The company's approach combines exclusive tumor targets robustly expressed across multiple solid cancers with enhanced T cell durability through proprietary technologies.