T-knife
T-knife is a clinical-stage Berlin-based biopharmaceutical company developing multi-armored TCR-T cell therapies for solid tumors. Its lead candidate TK-6302 targets PRAME-positive cancers and entered the Phase 1 ATLAS trial in Europe in 2026.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What T-knife does
T-knife is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany, with a US operating subsidiary in San Francisco. The company develops T cell receptor engineered T cell therapies (TCR-T) for solid tumors, leveraging two proprietary platforms: the MyT high-throughput TCR/epitope discovery engine and the HuTCR humanized TCR transgenic mouse platform, which together produce fully human, tumor-specific TCRs naturally selected in vivo for high affinity and specificity. Its lead candidate TK-6302 is a multi-armored, CRISPR gene-edited PRAME-targeted TCR-T combining a high-affinity TCR, a costimulatory CD8 coreceptor, and a FAS-based checkpoint converter; it received European CTA authorization for the Phase 1 ATLAS trial in March 2026 across squamous NSCLC, ovarian, endometrial, melanoma, and triple-negative breast cancer indications. Additional pipeline assets include TK-8001 (MAGE-A1 TCR-T in the IMAG1NE Phase 1/2 trial) and TK-2504. T-knife was founded on technology from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin by Prof. Thomas Blankenstein and Dr. Elisa Kieback.
T-knife operates as a pre-commercial biopharma and currently generates no revenue. Its go-to-market model is enterprise field sales to oncologists and cancer treatment centers typical of specialty oncology therapeutics, with future distribution expected through specialty oncology pharmacies and hospital-based cancer treatment centers once products are approved; the company retains worldwide commercial rights to its product candidates and is not currently accepting Expanded Access or Compassionate Use requests. Pricing has not been publicly disclosed as therapies remain in clinical development, but TCR-T autologous cell therapies in oncology are typically priced at premium levels. The company is backed by institutional life sciences investors including Versant Ventures (founding investor), RA Capital Management, Andera Partners, EQT Life Sciences, Fidelity Management & Research Company (lead of the $110M Series B in August 2021), LSP, Qatar Investment Authority, Casdin Capital, Sixty Degree Capital, CaaS Capital, and Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund. Cumulative funding raised across rounds is approximately $197 million; lead executives include CEO Thomas Soloway (ex-Audentes Therapeutics, Ascendis Pharma), CTO/co-founder Elisa Kieback, CBO/CFO Camille Landis (formerly of Relypsa, Eidos, Unity Biotechnology), and CSO Peggy Sotiropoulou (ex-Celyad Oncology).
T-knife firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- T-knife
- Legal name
- T-knife GmbH
- Website
- https://t-knife.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- T-knife is a clinical-stage Berlin-based biopharmaceutical company developing multi-armored TCR-T cell therapies for solid tumors. Its lead candidate TK-6302 targets PRAME-positive cancers and entered the Phase 1 ATLAS trial in Europe in 2026.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
T-knife industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cell Therapy / TCR-T Immunotherapy
- NAICS
- Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- SIC
- Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)
- akta.pro primary industry
- CAR-T & TCR-T Therapies (HLAAABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cell Therapy Enabling Technologies (gene editing, cell engineering, delivery methods) (HLAAABAL)
Keywords
Where T-knife is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
T-knife business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- TCR-T Cell Therapy Development and Commercialization: T-knife is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of TCR-T cell therapy product candidates for solid tumor patients. As a pre-commercial biopharma company, it currently has no revenue. The company retains worldwide commercial rights to its product candidates. Revenue would be generated through commercialization of approved cell therapy products, typically priced at premium levels in oncology.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
T-knife product offering
Product offeringCore offering
T-knife is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing T cell receptor engineered T cell therapies (TCR-T) for solid tumor cancers. Its lead product candidate TK-6302 is a multi-armored, CRISPR gene-edited PRAME-targeted TCR-T therapy combining a high-affinity TCR, costimulatory CD8 coreceptor, and FAS-based checkpoint converter. Additional programs include TK-8001 (MAGE-A1 targeted TCR-T in IMAG1NE Phase 1/2 trial) and TK-2504. Therapies are built using the proprietary MyT platform for TCR discovery and the HuTCR humanized transgenic mouse platform for generating high-affinity, tumor-specific TCRs.
Product overview
T-knife is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of T cell receptor engineered T cell therapies (TCR-Ts) for solid tumors. The company's approach leverages proprietary platforms including the MyT™ platform for TCR discovery and HuTCR platform for generating humanized TCRs. The lead product TK-6302 is a multi-armored PRAME-targeted TCR-T therapy with high affinity TCR, costimulatory CD8 coreceptor, and FAS-based checkpoint converter. Additional products include TK-8001 (MAGE-A1 targeted, in IMAG1NE Phase 1/2 trial) and TK-2504. These supercharged T cell therapies are designed to improve T cell fitness, persistence, and overcome immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments to deliver transformative outcomes in solid tumor cancers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- TK-6302 Lead product candidate: a multi-armored, CRISPR-based PRAME-targeted T cell receptor therapy (TCR-T) engineered with a high affinity TCR, costimulatory CD8 coreceptor, and FAS-based checkpoint converter to improve T cell fitness and persistence and overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment for the treatment of solid tumors including squamous non-small cell lung, ovarian, endometrial, skin, and triple-negative breast cancers.
- TK-8001 CD8 TCR-T cell therapy specific for MAGE-A1, a tumor-specific antigen associated with aggressive cancers and poor clinical prognosis. It was studied in the IMAG1NE Phase 1/2 clinical trial for MAGE-A1 positive solid tumors.
- TK-2504 T cell therapy product candidate in T-knife's pipeline targeting specific solid tumor indications with high unmet medical need.
Quantifiable outcome
- TK-6302 demonstrated best-in-class preclinical anti-tumor efficacy compared to clinical-stage PRAME TCR-T approaches in 3D spheroid tumor models, eliminating multiple rounds of tumors while control T cells were ineffective.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use T-knife
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
T-knife technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
T-knife partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered significant and core.
- Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI)significantJohn Haanen, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Center for Cellular Therapy at NKI in Amsterdam and Professor of Translational Immunotherapy of Cancer at Leiden University, provided expert commentary on TK-6302 preclinical data presented at AACR.
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular MedicinecoreFounding academic partner. T-knife was founded on technology developed at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine together with Charité University Hospital in Berlin. Prof. Thomas Blankenstein is Director of the Institute of Immunology at Charité and research group leader at Max-Delbrück-Center.
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin BerlincoreFounding academic partner. T-knife was founded using technology developed at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine. Prof. Thomas Blankenstein (Scientific Founder of T-knife) leads the Institute of Immunology at Charité.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
T-knife competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Iovance Biotherapeutics: Iovance is the leading commercial tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy company with FDA-approved Amtagvi for melanoma, providing a benchmark for autologous cell therapy commercialization in solid tumors.
- Allogene Therapeutics: Allogene is a clinical-stage allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy company targeting hematologic and solid tumor cancers, operating at greater scale and broader scope than T-knife's autologous TCR-T focus.
- Fate Therapeutics: Fate Therapeutics is a clinical-stage iPSC-derived off-the-shelf NK and T cell therapy company, representing a broader cell therapy peer pursuing different modality but overlapping solid tumor indications.
Emerging players
- Marker Therapeutics: Marker Therapeutics develops multi-tumor-associated antigen (multiTAA)-specific T cell therapies for solid tumors and lymphomas, representing an adjacent emerging TCR-T-like cell therapy approach.
- Cellectis: Cellectis is a clinical-stage gene-edited allogeneic CAR-T and TCR-T company using TALEN gene editing technology, comparable to T-knife on the gene-edited T cell therapy axis though focused on allogeneic products.
- Precision BioSciences: Precision BioSciences uses ARCUS gene editing to develop in vivo and ex vivo cell therapies including allogeneic CAR-T, comparable to T-knife on the gene editing cell engineering axis though in earlier-stage development.
- Caribou Biosciences: Caribou Biosciences is a clinical-stage allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy company using CRISPR gene editing, comparable to T-knife on the CRISPR-engineered cell therapy technology axis.
Direct peers
- Immatics: Immatics develops TCR-based immunotherapies for solid tumors using its XCEPTOR discovery platform and has multiple TCR-T and TCR-bispecific programs in clinical development, making it a directly comparable TCR-T peer.
- Adaptimmune: Adaptimmune is the leading clinical-stage TCR-T company for solid tumors, with FDA-approved Tecelra and active PRAME, MAGE-A4, and other TCR-T programs — the most direct competitor to T-knife's TK-6302 and TK-8001.
- TScan Therapeutics: TScan Therapeutics is a clinical-stage TCR-T company developing engineered T cell therapies for solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, with a discovery platform for TCR identification — closely comparable to T-knife's TCR-T approach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
T-knife social profiles
Digital presenceT-knife compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
T-knife financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
T-knife leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
T-knife subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
T-knife funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
T-knife M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about T-knife
What does T-knife do?
T-knife is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing T cell receptor engineered T cell therapies (TCR-T) for solid tumor cancers. Its lead product candidate TK-6302 is a multi-armored, CRISPR gene-edited PRAME-targeted TCR-T therapy combining a high-affinity TCR, costimulatory CD8 coreceptor, and FAS-based checkpoint converter. Additional programs include TK-8001 (MAGE-A1 targeted TCR-T in IMAG1NE Phase 1/2 trial) and TK-2504. Therapies are built using the proprietary MyT platform for TCR discovery and the HuTCR humanized transgenic mouse platform for generating high-affinity, tumor-specific TCRs.
Is T-knife a public or private company?
T-knife is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was T-knife founded?
T-knife was founded in 2018. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is T-knife based?
T-knife is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does T-knife make money?
One revenue line is on record: TCR-T Cell Therapy Development and Commercialization.
Who are T-knife's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Iovance Biotherapeutics, Allogene Therapeutics and Fate Therapeutics. Emerging players are Marker Therapeutics, Cellectis, Precision BioSciences and Caribou Biosciences. Direct peers are Immatics, Adaptimmune and TScan Therapeutics.
Does T-knife have an API?
No public API is recorded for T-knife.
What industry is T-knife in?
T-knife's product category is Cell Therapy / TCR-T Immunotherapy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAABAC, CAR-T & TCR-T Therapies, with a secondary code of HLAAABAL, Cell Therapy Enabling Technologies (gene editing, cell engineering, delivery methods). Its NAICS code is 325414 and its SIC code is 2836.