Zelluna Immunotherapy announces investment from Takeda Ventures, Inc.

Zelluna Immunotherapy announces investment from Takeda Ventures, Inc.

Oslo, Norway, August 25, 2022 - Zelluna Immunotherapy, the company pioneering allogeneic “off the shelf” T Cell Receptor Natural Killer (TCR-NK) cells for the treatment of cancer, today announced an investment from Takeda Ventures, Inc. (TVI), the strategic investing arm of Takeda. TVI investment joins Zelluna’s latest financing round.

The funds will enable the advancement of a lead TCR-NK product through manufacturing to Clinical Trial Application (CTA) / Investigational New Drug Application (IND) readiness and, continue the advancement of Zelluna’s platform with additional programs reaching the preclinical stage.

TCR-NK products are a novel and proprietary class of allogeneic cell therapies that combine the inherent, pan-cancer killing mechanism, efficiency, and the allogeneic nature of NK cells with the targeting capabilities of TCRs. Arming NK cells with TCRs may unlock the potential to treat a wide range of currently untreatable cancers.

“This announcement signifies a pivotal moment in Zelluna’s evolution. The investment by TVI supports our efforts to develop a novel and proprietary TCR-NK technology platform, and reinforces the strength of our science, IP portfolio, and the expertise of the people across the company. We believe TVI makes for a highly fitting investment partner given Takeda’s immuno-oncology research focus and ongoing efforts to develop allogenic cell therapies. We are excited that TVI shares our view of the potential of the TCR-NK platform technology and look forward to working together on our pioneering journey, ” said Namir Hassan, CEO at Zelluna.

“As part of our R&D partnership strategy, we invest in early-stage opportunities that complement Takeda’s pipeline and products,” said Miles Gerson, Senior Investment Director and Partner at Takeda Ventures, Inc. “Zelluna’s novel approach to TCR based cell therapies aligns with Takeda’s ambition to broaden the impact of immunotherapies by leveraging the power of the innate immune system. We are pleased to support Zelluna as they look to progress their TCR-NK platform toward the clinic.”

“We are delighted to have TVI as a strategic investor in Zelluna. The Company has developed very well from its inception and made significant progress with our TCR- NK technology. This investment from TVI opens further opportunities to fully exploit the potential of our TCR-NK products. I am also delighted that Miles Gerson, Senior Investment Director and Partner at TVI, will be joining the Zelluna board of directors and have no doubt he will make a great addition to our strong team,” said Hans Ivar Robinson, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Zelluna.