{"entity":{"id":"link-cell-therapies","kind":"company","name":"Link Cell Therapies","aka":[],"tldr":"Link Cell Therapies makes CAR-T cells that only attack a cell when they find two cancer markers on it together, which is meant to spare healthy tissue that carries just one. Its first treatment, for advanced kidney cancer, began dosing patients in 2026.","summary":"Link Cell Therapies, founded in 2022 in South San Francisco by Robbie Majzner and Crystal Mackall, launched publicly on 15 December 2025 with a USD 60 million Series A led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation (JJDC) with Samsara BioCapital, Sheatree Capital, Wing Venture Capital, Bristol Myers Squibb, Kyowa Kirin and Sherpa Healthcare Partners. In September 2026 it upsized the Series A to USD 90 million and reported that clinical dosing had begun.\n\nIts logic-gated LINK CAR-T design requires two antigens co-expressed on the cancer cell before the T cell acts, to reduce on-target, off-tumour toxicity. The lead candidate LNK001 targets CAIX and ENPP3 together and is in a phase 1 study (NCT07564232) in advanced or metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma. In January 2026 the company entered a strategic collaboration with Johnson & Johnson to develop logic-gate LINK CAR-T therapies.","asOf":"2026-10-29","links":[{"label":"Official website","url":"https://linkcelltx.com/"},{"label":"Launch and Series A, December 2025","url":"https://linkcelltx.com/link-cell-therapies-launches-with-vision-of-advancing-car-t-therapies-in-solid-and-liquid-tumors/"},{"label":"Clinical dosing and USD 90 million Series A, September 2026","url":"https://linkcelltx.com/link-cell-therapies-initiates-clinical-dosing-with-logic-gated-car-t-therapy-expands-executive-leadership-and-upsizes-series-a-financing-to-90-million/"},{"label":"ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT07564232","url":"https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07564232"}],"tags":[],"related":[],"cancers":["clear-cell-rcc"],"sections":["cell-therapy","immunotherapy"],"technologies":["car-t","armored-car"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":["johnson-johnson","bms"],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":["CAIX and ENPP3 are not yet target records and NCT07564232 is not yet a trial record, so neither is linked."],"hq":"South San Francisco, CA","country":"US","companyType":"cell-therapy","website":"https://linkcelltx.com/","founded":2022,"stage":"startup","investors":["jjdc","samsara-biocapital"],"funding":[{"round":"Series A","year":2025,"amountUsd":60000000,"source":"https://linkcelltx.com/link-cell-therapies-launches-with-vision-of-advancing-car-t-therapies-in-solid-and-liquid-tumors/","note":"Led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation (JJDC); the company reported USD 92 million raised to date including a 2022 seed led by Samsara BioCapital and Sheatree Capital"},{"round":"Series A extension","year":2026,"amountUsd":30000000,"source":"https://linkcelltx.com/link-cell-therapies-initiates-clinical-dosing-with-logic-gated-car-t-therapy-expands-executive-leadership-and-upsizes-series-a-financing-to-90-million/","note":"Series A upsized from USD 60 million to USD 90 million"}]},"route":"/companies/link-cell-therapies/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"clear-cell-rcc","kind":"cancer","name":"Clear cell renal cell carcinoma","route":"/cancers/clear-cell-rcc/"}],"section":[{"id":"cell-therapy","kind":"section","name":"Cell Therapy","route":"/fronts/cell-therapy/"},{"id":"immunotherapy","kind":"section","name":"Immunotherapy","route":"/fronts/immunotherapy/"}],"technology":[{"id":"armored-car","kind":"technology","name":"Armoured, logic-gated & next-gen CARs","route":"/technologies/armored-car/"},{"id":"car-t","kind":"technology","name":"CAR-T cell therapy","route":"/technologies/car-t/"}],"company":[{"id":"bms","kind":"company","name":"Bristol Myers Squibb","route":"/companies/bms/"},{"id":"johnson-johnson","kind":"company","name":"Johnson & Johnson","route":"/companies/johnson-johnson/"},{"id":"jjdc","kind":"company","name":"Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC","route":"/companies/jjdc/"},{"id":"samsara-biocapital","kind":"company","name":"Samsara BioCapital","route":"/companies/samsara-biocapital/"}]}}