Link Cell expands Series A to $90M as dual-target CAR-T enters the clinic

Link Cell Therapies is developing CAR-T cells that activate only when two markers appear on the same cancer cell, an approach meant to help the treatment distinguish tumors from healthy tissue. The company added $30 million to its Series A, expanding the round from $60 million to $90 million as its first program began dosing patients.

The lead candidate, LNK001, is in a Phase 1 study at MD Anderson Cancer Center for people with advanced or metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma. The therapy is manufactured by CTMC, a joint venture between Resilience and MD Anderson. Link disclosed the start of dosing, but no clinical safety or efficacy results.

LNK001 is designed to switch on only when it detects both CAIX and ENPP3. Link says the two antigens are highly expressed together in most tumors of this type, while CAIX alone also appears in healthy biliary tissue. That overlap has limited conventional CAR-T cells aimed only at CAIX because they can attack healthy cells as well as cancer.

Johnson & Johnson’s venture arm led the previously announced $60 million portion of the Series A. The expansion adds investors including Bristol Myers Squibb, Kyowa Kirin, Sherpa Healthcare Partners, Western Technology Investment and the MD Anderson Cancer Focus Fund.

The clinical transition also comes with new leadership. Former SystImmune chief executive Jie D’Elia becomes Link’s chief executive, while former Iovance chief medical officer Friedrich Graf Finckenstein takes the same role at Link. Co-founder Brian Slingerland moves from the board to executive chair.

Link plans to use the additional capital for clinical and preclinical development across its pipeline. A second solid-tumor program is aimed at colorectal cancer, with a first human trial planned for 2027, while earlier programs in solid tumors and blood cancers may be developed internally or through partnerships.