Ticaros

Ticaros is a clinical-stage South Korean biotechnology company founded in June 2018 that develops immunotherapeutics for cancers. The company was co-founded by CEO Jaewon Lee, CTO Kyungho Choi, and CSO Eun Young Choi. Jaewon Lee has a background in business administration and investment, while Kyungho Choi and Eun Young Choi are immunologists from Seoul National University College of Medicine, where much of the company's foundational technology was developed.

Ticaros focuses on developing CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) and CAR-NK (Natural Killer) cell therapies aimed at treating both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. The company's business model revolves around the research and development of these advanced cancer treatments, with a strategy that includes securing patents, conducting clinical trials, and forming strategic partnerships for co-development and licensing. Ticaros operates its own GMP manufacturing facility and is a portfolio company of JLABS, Johnson & Johnson's innovation incubator.

The company has developed several proprietary platform technologies. The CLIP (Clamping-based Immunological Synapse Potentiating) CAR platform enhances the efficacy of CAR-T cells by stabilizing the connection between the therapy cell and the cancer cell. The Converter CAR technology transforms inhibitory immune signals in the tumor microenvironment into activating signals to boost anti-tumor activity. Another platform, Switchable CAR, is designed to improve the safety profile of engineered T-cells by using an adapter to control their cancer-killing activity, thereby reducing toxicity to normal tissues.

Ticaros' lead product candidate, TC011, is a CLIP-CAR-T therapy targeting CD19 for relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma. In March 2023, the company received IND (Investigational New Drug) approval from the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for Phase I and II clinical trials for TC011. Phase 1 trials have shown high complete response rates. The company has secured significant funding through multiple rounds, including Series A, B, C, and a Series D round in March 2026, to advance its clinical trials and develop its pipeline, which also includes treatments for solid tumors like TC071 and TC031.

Keywords: CAR-T therapy, immunotherapy, oncology, cancer treatment, biotechnology, cell therapy, gene therapy, hematologic malignancies, solid tumors, clinical-stage, CLIP CAR, Converter CAR, Switchable CAR, TC011, Seoul National University, Jaewon Lee, Kyungho Choi, Eun Young Choi, immuno-oncology, JLABS, CD19, B-cell lymphoma, preclinical, drug development, T-cell engineering