Anocca secures £32m to advance pancreatic cancer trial
Ella Day | August 18, 2025 | News story | Research and Development | Anocca, Oncology, Pancreatic cancer, research funding
Swedish biopharma Anocca has raised approximately £32m (SEK 440m) to support the early-stage clinical development of VIDAR-1, its lead TCR-T cell therapy programme targeting pancreatic cancer. The funding round was led by Mellby Gård, with participation from AMF, Ramsbury, existing shareholders and new investors.
VIDAR-1 is the first non-viral gene-edited TCR-T cell therapy in Europe to enter clinical trials. Recruitment is open for phase 1 of a multicentre trial taking place across Sweden, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. The study will target oncogenic driver mutations in the KRAS gene within pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, one of the most aggressive forms of cancer.
Reagan Jarvis, co-founder and CEO of Anocca, said: “We thank our investors for their strong and continued support as we advance our first TCR-T cell therapy products into the clinic. The team has built a discovery platform and in-house manufacturing capability, and we are now excited to see the first products reaching patients with high unmet need.”
Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survival rates, with fewer than 10% of patients surviving five years after diagnosis. Around 90% of cases involve KRAS mutations. By developing gene-edited therapies to target these mutations, Anocca aims to address a significant gap in treatment options.
The company also plans to use the financing to progress its broader preclinical pipeline of TCR-T therapies.
Ella Day
18/8/25
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