What Crescendo Biologics does

Crescendo Biologics is a privately held, clinical-stage immuno-oncology company headquartered at the Babraham Research Campus in Cambridge, UK. Founded in 2009, the company develops novel T cell enhancing therapeutics built on its proprietary Humabody VH platform—a patent-protected transgenic mouse (Crescendo Mouse) system that generates fully human variable heavy (VH) antibody fragments approximately one-tenth the size of conventional antibodies. This miniaturization confers superior tissue penetration, supports multiple administration routes (intravenous, subcutaneous, topical, pulmonary, oral, and ocular), and enables assembly into multi-specific Multibody VH formats via flexible linkers. The proprietary clinical pipeline includes CB307, a trispecific T cell enhancer targeting CD137, PSMA, and human serum albumin, currently in Phase 1b trials for PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer; CB699, a mesothelin-binding CD40/CD137 dual-agonist unveiled at AACR 2024; CB213, a PD-1xLAG-3 bispecific developed with Cancer Research UK; and CB693, a second clinical candidate nominated in 2022. Outside oncology, ZL-1102 (formerly CB001), an IL-17A-targeting Humabody licensed to Zai Lab, has progressed into a global Phase 2 trial in psoriasis following clinical proof-of-concept—the first study to show penetration of a protein biologic through psoriatic skin.

The company operates a partnership-driven, asset-light business model and does not commercialize products directly. Revenue is generated through upfront payments, R&D funding, and potential milestone and royalty streams from licensing and co-development agreements with pharmaceutical partners. Major deals include the 2016 Takeda strategic collaboration (up to $790 million in potential value, covering immuno-oncology modulators, Humabody drug conjugates, and later CAR-T applications), the 2022 BioNTech global multi-target precision immunotherapy collaboration, the 2018 Zai Lab exclusive worldwide license for inflammatory indications, and a 2020 Orano Med collaboration exploring targeted alpha therapy. To date, Crescendo has raised approximately £4.5M in seed funding (2009), £19.5M across Series A closes (2013–2014), $70M in Series B (2018, Andera Partners-led), and $32M in additional financing in July 2023 (with Kreos Capital as a new backer). The company is led by CEO Theodora Harold (appointed April 2019, previously CFO since 2016), with a specialized management team including CSO Philip Bland-Ward, CMO Dr. Kenji Hashimoto, CFO Dr. Michael Booth, and CBO Stewart Kay (ex-GSK). The organization employs 11–50 people, holds multiple granted US and European patents covering the Humabody VH platform, and continues to publish in leading journals (Clinical Cancer Research, British Journal of Cancer, Neoplasia) and present at AACR, ESMO, and PEGS.

Name

Crescendo Biologics

Legal name

Crescendo Biologics Limited

Website

https://crescendobiologics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crescendo Biologics is a Cambridge, UK-based clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing T cell enhancing therapeutics using its proprietary Humabody VH antibody fragment platform, advancing proprietary candidates and licensing the technology to partners including Takeda, BioNTech, and Zai Lab.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biopharmaceutical Therapeutics

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering) (HLAAAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Recombinant Protein Therapeutics (enzymes, hormones, growth factors) (HLAAAAAB)

Keywords

• VH antibody platform
• Immuno-oncology therapeutics
• T cell enhancement
• Antibody fragment therapeutics
• Transgenic mouse platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Licensing and Collaboration Agreements: Crescendo generates revenue through strategic licensing and co-development agreements with pharmaceutical partners. The company enters global, multi-target collaborations where partners select targets and fund development, with potential milestone payments and royalties on commercialized products. Notable agreements include Takeda collaboration (up to $790m potential value), BioNTech global collaboration, and Zai Lab exclusive worldwide license.
2. Equity Financing: Company raises capital through equity funding rounds from institutional investors. Historical funding includes seed funding, Series A (£17.5M in 2013), Series B ($70M in 2018), and recent $32M financing (2023). Proceeds used to advance proprietary pipeline and clinical development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Crescendo Biologics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing T cell enhancing therapeutics for immuno-oncology based on its proprietary Humabody VH platform — a transgenic mouse platform generating fully human VH (variable heavy) antibody fragments roughly one-tenth the size of conventional antibodies. The company monetizes this technology through a pipeline of proprietary candidates (CB307, CB699, CB213, CB693) and through global multi-target licensing and co-development collaborations with major pharmaceutical partners.

Product overview

Crescendo Biologics is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing novel T cell enhancing therapeutics based on its proprietary Humabody® VH platform. The platform generates fully human VH antibody fragments that are approximately one-tenth the size of conventional antibodies, enabling superior tissue penetration and multiple administration routes. The core products include CB307 (trispecific Humabody® targeting CD137/PSMA/HSA for PSMA+ tumors), CB699 (CD40/CD137 dual-agonist for MSLN+ tumors), CB213 (PD-1xLAG-3 bispecific), ZL-1102 (IL-17A targeting Humabody® for psoriasis, licensed to Zai Lab), and CB693 (second clinical candidate). The Humabody® platform underpins both proprietary pipeline development and strategic collaborations with BioNTech, Takeda, and Zai Lab. Multibody® VH format enables multi-specific therapeutic constructs with novel mechanisms of action.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Humabody VH Platform: Proprietary platform technology for generating heavy-chain only antibody molecules (Humabodies) for therapeutic applications.
• Multibody VH

Products and services

• CB307 A trispecific Humabody® T cell enhancer co-targeting CD137, PSMA and human serum albumin, currently in Phase 1b clinical trials for PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).
• CB693 Second proprietary clinical candidate from Crescendo's immuno-oncology Humabody VH development portfolio, nominated for clinical development in July 2022.
• CB213 A PD-1xLAG-3 multi-specific Humabody that co-targets PD-1 and LAG-3 on T cells to promote anti-tumour activity, being clinically developed in partnership with Cancer Research UK.
• Humabody® VH Platform Proprietary transgenic mouse platform generating fully human heavy-chain only VH antibody fragments (~1/10th the size of conventional antibodies) that underpin Crescendo's therapeutic pipeline and form the basis of its licensing deals with pharmaceutical partners.
• Multibody® VH Multi-specific, multi-functional therapeutic format assembled by linking multiple Humabody VH domains with flexible linkers, enabling novel mechanisms of action not achievable with standard monoclonal antibodies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clinical proof-of-concept declared for ZL-1102 (Humabody CB001) in Phase 1b trial in psoriasis patients - first study to demonstrate penetration of a protein biologic through psoriatic skin
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BioNTechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 January 2022Global collaboration signed January 2022 to discover, develop and commercialise multi-specific precision immunotherapies. The multi-target collaboration leverages Crescendo's proprietary Humabody VH discovery platform with BioNTech's multimodal immunotherapy expertise. Targets selected by BioNTech with initial discovery collaboration term of three years.
• Cancer Research UKminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2020Clinical Development Partnership signed May 2020 to develop CB213, a novel bispecific Humabody therapeutic. Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development supporting clinical development.
• Orano MedminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2020Pre-clinical collaboration signed March 2020 to explore Targeted Alpha Therapy. Crescendo's Humabody VH technology combined with Orano Med's lead-212 (212Pb) alpha isotope for precise cancer cell targeting while limiting impact on healthy cells.
• Zai LabcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 30 May 2018Exclusive worldwide license agreement signed May 2018 for innovative protein therapeutics for inflammatory indications. ZL-1102 (formerly CB001) is a topically-delivered Humabody therapeutic for psoriasis. Clinical proof-of-concept declared after Phase 1b trial - first study to show penetration of a protein biologic through psoriatic skin.
• Takeda Pharmaceutical Company LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 October 2016Global strategic multi-target collaboration and license agreement signed October 2016 for development and commercialisation of Humabody therapeutics for cancer treatment. Targets include immuno-oncology modulators and Humabody drug conjugates (HDCs). Expanded in 2019 to include Humabody VH domains for Takeda's CAR-T therapies. Deal worth up to $790 million.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/humabody
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crescendo-biologics-ltd
• Facebookfacebook.com/crescendo-biologics-1390587911230647

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors17 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crescendo Biologics