Embrics raises undisclosed round from SNU Technology Holdings for in-body CAR-T
What's the deal? Embrics, a South Korean biotech developing next-generation in-body cancer treatment, has raised new funding from Seoul National University Technology HoldingsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and SNU HoldingsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, announced on October 7. The amount was not disclosed.
What's the endgame? Embrics is built around Navibody, a proprietary platform that delivers therapeutic material directly to target cells. Its approach uses a simple injection to convert immune cells inside the body into treatment cells.
That differs from conventional CAR-T cell therapy, which extracts cells from a patient's blood, modifies them externally, then reinfuses them — a process with high costs and long production times. Embrics says its method simplifies manufacturing and expands more easily across diseases.
Why now? The company's lead candidate, MIC-001, recently confirmed in preclinical testing that it reaches target T cells and reduces B cells. Embrics plans to advance autoimmune disease and blood cancer programs while extending Navibody to solid tumors.
What's the money for? Chief executive officer Jung Sang-won said the company will use the round to strengthen its pipeline and prepare for clinical trials. He added that Embrics will accelerate licensing deals with global pharmaceutical firms and clinical entry.
Investor Cha In-hwan, chief executive officer of Seoul National University Technology Holdings, said Embrics has secured "differentiated LNP targeted delivery technology and production efficiency" in the in-vivo CAR-T field that global pharma companies are focused on.
Embrics is led by Jung and backed by a team of professors from Seoul National University and Sungkyunkwan University, researchers from global pharmaceutical firms, and executives with startup and finance experience.
The signal: In-vivo CAR-T is drawing attention from major drugmakers as a potential way around the cost and complexity of traditional cell therapy. The university-backed round points to continued institutional interest in platform biotech that can scale across multiple diseases.
Read more: wowtale.net
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
