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Leucid Bio
Next-generation CAR-T cell therapies for refractory cancers
About Leucid Bio
Leucid Bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2014 as a spin-out from King's College London (KCL). The company was established to translate over 20 years of pioneering Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) research led by its founder, Dr. John Maher, who serves as the Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Maher, a clinical immunologist, has been instrumental in the CAR-T field, contributing to the early development of second-generation CAR technology. His research group at KCL, known as the "CAR Mechanics," focuses on developing adoptive immunotherapy for solid tumors, which remains the company's primary emphasis.
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The company's core technology is its proprietary Lateral CAR Platform, which engineers CAR molecules to adopt a more natural, side-by-side biological configuration rather than a traditional linear one. This design aims to enhance the potency, persistence, and durability of the T-cell response while potentially reducing toxicity, addressing key challenges that have limited the efficacy of CAR-T therapies against solid tumors. Leucid Bio's business model centers on the research, clinical development, and eventual commercialization of these advanced cell therapies. The company serves patients with hard-to-treat cancers, particularly solid tumors, that have not responded to previous treatments.
Leucid Bio's lead product candidate is LEU011, an autologous CAR-T therapy targeting NKG2D ligands, which are stress proteins expressed on over 80% of human tumor cells. To improve the therapy's ability to reach tumors, LEU011 is also engineered with the CXCR2 chemokine receptor to enhance cell trafficking and infiltration into the tumor microenvironment. The company initiated the Phase 1 "AERIAL" clinical trial for LEU011 in late 2023 to evaluate its safety and efficacy in patients with various relapsed or refractory solid tumors. The first patient was dosed in May 2025. Headquartered in London with operations at Guy's Hospital, Leucid Bio has secured significant funding, including an £11.5 million Series A round in 2021, to advance its clinical programs.
At a glance
- Status
- Operational
- Founded
- 2014
- Headquarters
- London, United Kingdom
- Employees
- 23
- Open positions
- None listed
- Dealroom signal
- 69.1/100
- Industry
- Health
- Sub-industry
- Pharmaceutical, BioTechnology
- Sector
- Biotech & Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Oncology, Drug Development, Spinout, Biotech and Pharma, DT and LS, uk is8 life sciences, UKSU, UKSU2010
- Business model
- Manufacturing
- Client focus
- b2b
Knowledge graph
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Funding history
Company financing events and reported valuations.
| Deal type | Date | Amount | Valuation | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERIES A✓Equity / VC | Feb 2025 | $9.5M | $76M | 2invest · Epidarex Capital | ↗ |
| SERIES A✓Equity / VC | Oct 2021 | $15M | $61M | Sofinnova Partners · British Business Bank · 2invest · Epidarex Capital | — |
Growth signals
Latest recorded traffic for Leucid Bio is 2.6K monthly website visits, up 136.4% over the last three months. Leucid Bio's team declined 4.2% over the past year.
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Investments and acquisitions
Recent portfolio relationships for companies that also act as investors or acquirers.
Investors
From Dealroom's funding and investor records, grouped by the round each investor first entered.
Series A5 investors entered at this stage
Epidarex CapitalVulpes Investment Management
Sofinnova Partners
British Business Bank
2invest
Other known investors1 additional known investor
King's College London
Source: Dealroom Talent Intelligence.
Global footprint
team presence
Market sentiment
An AI-synthesised read of the highest-engagement posts about Leucid Bio on X, ranked by likes and reposts, corporate channels excluded.
Reading the room on X — pulling top posts and synthesizing themes…
Source: X recent search ranked by engagement (likes + retweets) · Synthesis by Claude · Cached for 1 hour
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