Funding will advance Phase 2 pivotal clinical trial for BCB-276 in an aggressive pediatric brain cancer, and support early pipeline programs for other CAR T cell therapies for pediatric and adult brain tumors

SEATTLE and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BrainChild Bio, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing CAR T cell therapies to treat tumors in the central nervous system, today announced that the company has closed a $116 million Series A financing. An undisclosed private family fund and foundation, aligned with BrainChild Bio’s mission, led the financing round, with participation from the company’s initial investor, Seattle Children’s, and new investor WRF Capital.

Proceeds from the Series A financing will be used to support the ILLUMINATE Phase 2 study, a pivotal clinical trial (NCT07680439) to evaluate BCB-276, the company’s investigational B7-H3-targeted autologous CAR T cell therapy, for the treatment of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare and aggressive pediatric brainstem tumor with limited treatment options. In addition, these funds will support the continued development of BCB-214, the company’s triple-targeting CAR T cell therapy being advanced to initial clinical testing in glioblastoma. BrainChild Bio’s pipeline programs leverage the company’s CAR T cell therapy platform to treat tumors of the central nervous system (CNS), based on an exclusive license to technology developed at Seattle Children’s, announced in December 2023.

“Our path to building BrainChild Bio has led us to secure the support of a unique and committed syndicate of investors who share our mission to prioritize therapeutic innovation for children with cancer, while also rapidly advancing new science that can change the course of brain cancers for a wider population,” said Steven Brugger, Chief Executive Office of BrainChild Bio. “We believe the time is right to show the breakthrough potential for our CAR T cell therapeutic approach with BCB-276 for DIPG which is a devastating pediatric brain cancer, as well as accelerate our efforts to advance other CAR T cell therapies for pediatric and adult brain tumors.”

Since the company’s launch, BrainChild Bio has advanced BCB-276 into a registration-stage clinical development program for DIPG. Building on the foundational clinical experience generated at Seattle Children's, the company optimized the therapeutic product for late-stage clinical development, established the manufacturing, quality, and regulatory infrastructure required to support a registrational program. These efforts culminated in the initiation of the ILLUMINATE Phase 2 clinical trial, a pivotal registrational study designed to support a future Biologics License Application (BLA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of DIPG.

“This financing enables us to chart our path forward to serve the children and families afflicted with devastating brain tumors and represents a new paradigm for treating CNS brain tumors in children and adults,” stated Michael Jensen, MD, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of BrainChild Bio. “Our team at BrainChild Bio is steadfast in its commitment to harness CAR T cell technology in CNS tumors and we are uniquely positioned to do so.”

About Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) and Application of CAR T cell Therapies

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a primary high-grade brain tumor that arises in the pons and is uniformly fatal. DIPG affects approximately 300 children per year in the U.S. with the majority of diagnoses made in children between 5 and 10 years of age. Current standard-of-care treatment remains limited to palliative focal radiation therapy which results in a median overall survival of only about 11 months from diagnosis.1 

BrainChild Bio’s autologous CAR T cell therapy offers the potential to overcome barriers to effective therapies for DIPG, including the precarious location of the tumor in the brainstem, the infiltrative growth of the tumor throughout normal brainstem functional anatomy, and the blood brain barrier that remains relatively intact during tumor progression. BrainChild Bio’s CAR T cell therapies are engineered to be administered by locoregional delivery directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, permitting infused CAR T cells to directly access the tumor bed using an in-dwelling reservoir-catheter. This allows for extensive exposure of the pons to cerebrospinal fluid flow from the ventricular system, repetitive infusions of CAR T cells for more durable and sustained efficacy, and local therapeutic administration to minimize on-target, off-tumor toxicities.

About BrainChild Bio

BrainChild Bio, Inc., is a kids-first, clinical-stage biotechnology company harnessing the power of CAR T cell technology to treat tumors in the central nervous system, prioritizing pediatric indications with plans to expand into adult CNS tumors, specifically glioblastoma.

BrainChild Bio is advancing a next-generation CAR T cell therapy platform for tumors of the CNS that integrates synthetic biology technologies, including multiplex targeting to address multiple tumor antigens, novel approaches to enhance CAR T cell functionality, delivery technologies intended to support durable efficacy, and streamlined CAR T cell design and manufacturing.

BrainChild Bio’s lead drug candidate is BCB-276, an autologous CAR T cell therapy that targets the immune checkpoint B7-H3, that is advancing in clinical trials for the treatment of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a pediatric cancer that forms in the brainstem which currently has limited treatment options. More information is available at www.brainchildbio.com.

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1 DIPG Registry.

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Kathryn Morris
The Yates Network LLC
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