Link Cell Therapies Raises $60M Series A to Advance Logic-Gated CAR-T Therapies for Solid and Liquid Tumors
Link Cell Therapies, a South San Francisco–based biotechnology company developing next-generation CAR-T cell therapies for solid and liquid tumors, has officially launched from stealth with a $60 million Series A financing, bringing its total funding to approximately $92 million since the company’s 2022 founding. The financing round will support expansion of the company’s proprietary logic-gating technology platform and accelerate development of its lead clinical programs targeting renal and colorectal cancers.
The Series A round was led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation ‒ JJDC, Inc., the corporate venture capital arm of Johnson & Johnson, and included participation from founding investors Samsara BioCapital and Sheatree Capital. New strategic and financial backers joining the syndicate included Wing Venture Capital, Bristol Myers Squibb, Kyowa Kirin, and Sherpa Healthcare Partners, reflecting broad confidence in the company’s vision and technology.
Link’s logic-gating platform is engineered to overcome one of the major challenges facing CAR-T therapies for solid tumors: identifying antigen combinations that are truly cancer-specific while avoiding damage to healthy tissues. The proprietary “AND-gate” mechanism requires CAR-T cells to engage with two distinct tumor antigens before activating, enabling therapeutic precision that could expand the range of cancers treatable by cell therapy beyond current limitations.
Founded by Dr. Robbie Majzner and Dr. Crystal Mackall, both pioneers in cellular immunotherapy research, Link Cell Therapies emerged from years of academic work that produced foundational science in logic-gated CAR-T constructs. The company’s leadership includes experienced biotech and cell therapy executives tasked with translating this platform into multiple clinical candidates capable of addressing significant unmet needs in oncology.
The $60 million Series A financing will be used to advance Link’s lead program, LNK001, toward an Investigational New Drug (IND) application and initiation of Phase I clinical dosing in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in 2026. LNK001 targets a pair of antigens highly co-expressed in RCC tumors and is designed to deliver potent tumor-specific efficacy while minimizing on-target, off-tumor toxicity — a common challenge in CAR-T development. The company’s second major program, focused on colorectal cancer, is expected to reach Development Candidate selection in 2026 with plans to begin human studies in 2027. Link also has additional earlier-stage CAR-T programs for both solid and liquid cancers that it plans to develop internally and through strategic partnerships.
Link Cell Therapies’ emergence from stealth with a robust funding base places it among a select group of biotech startups pushing CAR-T technology into new therapeutic frontiers. Most approved CAR-T therapies to date have focused on hematologic malignancies, but solid tumors have posed additional biological and safety hurdles. By tackling these challenges with a logic-gated approach, Link aims to extend the promise of CAR-T modalities to a broader patient population.
Investor enthusiasm for Link’s platform underscores broader trends in oncology biotech where cell therapies and engineered immune approaches continue to attract significant capital. Corporate venture participation from Johnson & Johnson Innovation highlights strategic interest from major pharmaceutical players in supporting advances in cell therapy that may ultimately complement or extend existing treatment portfolios. In addition, participation from biopharma companies like Bristol Myers Squibb and Kyowa Kirin brings industry validation of Link’s scientific strategy.
Since its 2022 seed financing led by Samsara BioCapital and Sheatree Capital, Link has steadily built its pipeline and technical capabilities, now positioning the company to move beyond preclinical validation toward clinical proof-of-concept studies. The involvement of diverse investors, ranging from venture specialists to strategic biopharma partners, reflects confidence not just in the technology but in the leadership team’s ability to navigate development and regulatory pathways in a complex therapeutic space.
The company’s launch and new funding coincide with growing industry interest in expanding the reach of CAR-T therapies into solid tumors, a frontier that has historically seen slower progress due to biological complexity. Link’s logic-gated CAR-T constructs aim to address safety and specificity challenges that have limited broader application, offering a potential route to new treatment options for patients with cancers previously considered difficult for immune-cell approaches.
With Phase I clinical milestones on the horizon and a financial foundation supported by major strategic and financial investors, Link Cell Therapies is poised to contribute meaningfully to the evolving CAR-T landscape. As it advances its pipeline, the company seeks to deliver therapies that combine precision targeting with potent antitumor activity — a combination that could reshape expectations for cell therapy in both solid and liquid tumors.
