San Francisco, Dec 15, 2025 — Link Cell, a newly launched oncology cell therapy company, completed a Link Cell Series A funding round of $60 million led by Johnson & Johnson through its venture unit JJDC, Inc. The capital will support the company’s work on new CAR-T treatments for both solid and liquid tumours. This Series A was announced at the company launch from stealth mode, marking a major step in advancing targeted cancer cell therapies.
The fundraising brings Link Cell’s total capital raised to $92 million, including an earlier seed round. Investors include founding backers Samsara BioCapital and Sheatree Capital, existing and new strategic partners such as Wing Venture Capital, Bristol Myers Squibb and Kyowa Kirin.
Link Cell Series A Funding and Investors
The Link Cell Series A round was led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc., the corporate venture arm of Johnson & Johnson. Participation came from both previous supporters and new investors. The seed financing started in 2022, led by Samsara and Sheatree, and the Series A added strength with further biotech and strategic capital.
This funding aims to accelerate Link Cell’s research and development of cancer cell therapies. The company’s technology focuses on proprietary logic-gating methods that help CAR-T cells distinguish between cancer cells and healthy tissue by recognising combinations of tumour antigens. This approach may improve safety and effectiveness of treatments.
Technology and Clinical Focus
Link Cell’s logic-gating platform is designed to enable a CAR-T therapeutic to activate only when multiple antigens commonly found together on cancer cells are detected. This could allow the therapy to target a wider range of tumours while avoiding healthy cells that express only one of those antigens. The technology, developed with academic roots, is part of the company’s plan to expand CAR-T therapy beyond current limits.
The company’s focus covers both solid and liquid tumours, areas where traditional CAR-T therapies have shown challenges, especially in solid cancers due to limited specific targets and safety concerns. The logic-gated CAR-T cells aim to offer a more precise cancer attack while reducing harm to normal tissues.
The successful Series A comes at a time when investment in cell therapy and oncology innovation remains strong. With the backing of global biopharma investors and strategic partners, Link Cell plans to advance its programmes toward clinical development and broaden the impact of CAR-T therapies on difficult-to-treat cancers.