T-CURX has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pantherna Therapeutics, combining non-viral CAR-T technology with mRNA engineering and lipid nanoparticle delivery capabilities.
Pantherna, a German biotechnology company specialising in mRNA and LNP delivery technologies, will continue to operate as Pantherna Therapeutics as a wholly owned subsidiary of T-CURX. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
The acquisition follows an earlier collaboration between the two companies and is expected to accelerate T-CURX’s in vivo CAR-T programmes into clinical trials one year earlier. In vivo CAR-T strategies seek to engineer immune cells inside the patient, rather than relying solely on conventional ex vivo cell collection, modification, expansion, and reinfusion workflows.
T-CURX brings proprietary and clinically validated transposon-based, non-viral CAR-T technology. Pantherna adds PTXmRNA and PTXΔLNP platforms, giving the combined company internal delivery capabilities that are increasingly central to next-generation cell and gene therapy development.
“With this acquisition, we are bringing together two highly complementary technology platforms and teams. We are taking a decisive step forward to accelerate the clinical development of differentiated, next-generation in vivo CAR-T therapies,” said Ulf Grawunder, CEO and co-founder of T-CURX. “Our strength in clinical translation of non-viral transposon-based CAR-T therapies combined with Pantherna’s proprietary mRNA and LNP-based delivery capabilities allows us to build an efficient engine to expedite clinical development of differentiated in vivo CAR-T assets in cancer, as well as in other indications.”
By placing CAR-T and LNP technologies under one roof, T-CURX is aiming to integrate discovery, engineering, delivery, and clinical development more closely across its pipeline. Delivery technology, manufacturability, and translational control have become decisive factors in the development of next-generation cell and gene therapies, alongside target selection and clinical positioning.
“Joining T-CURX is a natural evolution of our collaboration,” said Ansgar Santel, CEO of Pantherna Therapeutics. “This integration allows us to address both stable and transient cell engineering strategies based on powerful and proven proprietary platforms. We believe this positions us uniquely to efficiently drive CAR-T innovation forward for patients in need, particularly for in vivo CAR-T strategies across a broad range of therapeutic applications.”
The combined company will have 35 employees and a portfolio of 16 patent families covering its technologies and assets. Pantherna’s investors, including High-Tech Gründerfonds, will become new shareholders in T-CURX, which closed a $20.5 million Series A financing round at the end of 2025.
