On April 29, 2026 Tacalyx, a leader in the discovery and development of cancer therapies directed at Tumour Associated Carbohydrate Antigens (TACAs), reported the selection of its first clinical candidate, TCX-201, which is being advanced toward clinical development with the goal of filing a clinical trial application (CTA) in 2027. In support of this progress, the company has secured €11 million in a first closing of its seed extension round from its existing international investor syndicate, including Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF), Kurma Partners, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Eurazeo, Creathor Ventures, and Thuja Capital. The company intends to expand the round with additional investors in a subsequent closing. The proceeds will be used to see TCX-201 through preclinical development while advancing the company’s broader pipeline.
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TCX-201 is an antibody drug conjugate (ADC) against an undisclosed TACA, developed using the company’s proprietary platform for the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies and other solid tumours. TACAs represent a largely untapped class of targets found on tumour cell surface structures that may enable the development of highly selective therapies for patients with hard-to-treat tumours. In parallel, the newly secured capital will allow Tacalyx to continue to progress and expand its rich portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class programmes designed to address multiple solid tumour indications with a high unmet medical need. The selection of the next clinical candidate is planned for the end of 2026.
"We are deeply grateful to our investors for their unwavering commitment in our mission to develop novel and effective treatments against solid tumours", said Jean Engela, CEO of Tacalyx. "Over the past years, we have built a powerful platform capable of reliably discovering and developing high-affinity antibodies against TACAs, sugar structures specifically found on tumour cells. Heralding a new stage for the company, Tacalyx has selected a clinical candidate for its TCX-201 programme and is now progressing preclinical activities to prepare for the CTA submission. With that, we are now redoubling our laser focus on translating the cutting-edge science on which the company was founded into transformative cancer therapies. Cancer patients cannot wait."
Klaus Schollmeier, Chairman of the Board of Tacalyx, said: "Tacalyx has delivered on its promise to unlock the therapeutic potential of TACAs, a frontier in oncology that has long been considered undruggable. With the selection of its first clinical candidate and significant advances with its earlier pipeline, the company is now rapidly transitioning from discovery research to a clinical-stage biotech. I am proud of the team’s achievements."
TACAs are distinctive glycan structures that are uniquely expressed or overexpressed on tumour cells and often play critical roles in tumour progression, including cell adhesion, immune evasion and metastasis. Because TACAs are found across a range of diverse cancer types, they represent promising targets for the development of pan-cancer therapeutics. Importantly, TACAs remain consistently expressed even in tumours lacking actionable genomic alterations or after standard therapies fail, positioning them as a differentiated and largely untapped class of cancer-specific targets with the potential to address treatment resistance. However, these novel targets have historically been difficult to address with antibodies, leaving much of this therapeutic space largely unexplored. Tacalyx is a pioneer in the discovery and development of therapies targeting TACAs. The company has built a proprietary discovery platform capable of reliably identifying and generating high-affinity antibodies against TACAs, enabling these previously inaccessible targets to become druggable. These antibodies can be further developed into novel antibody-based therapeutics tailored to specific clinical needs, including ADCs, TCEs and multi-specifics.
(Press release, Tacalyx, APR 29, 2026, View Source [SID1234664923])