Belgian biotechnology company Armed Cell Therapeutics (ACTx) has secured more than €50 million through a strategic investment led by Indian pharmaceutical company Mankind Pharma, which will invest €48 million for a majority stake. The funding will support the advancement of two lead CAR-T therapy programmes towards clinical trials and the expansion of the company's R&D teams in Europe and the United States.

The investment follows ACTx's acquisition of a portfolio of preclinical CAR-T programmes from Lakefront Biotherapeutics, formerly Galapagos NV. The programmes target non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC), two indications with significant unmet medical needs.

ACTx is developing next-generation “armed” CAR-T therapies designed to strengthen and sustain the anti-tumour activity of engineered immune cells. The technology combines multiple cancer targets with additional human protein payloads, aiming to improve therapeutic cell persistence and reduce the risk of cancer cells escaping treatment. The programmes remain at the preclinical stage, and their safety and efficacy have yet to be established in human studies.

The company has appointed Willemijn Kremer, former Vice President of Corporate Development for Cell Therapy at Galapagos, as its founding CEO. Paul Stoffels, former CEO of Galapagos and former Chief Scientific Officer of Johnson & Johnson, continues as Chair of the Board.

Headquartered in Belgium, ACTx also has operations in the Netherlands and research and preclinical activities in Pittsburgh, United States.