DAAN Biotherapeutics
DAAN Biotherapeutics is a Seoul-based, clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2020 that develops TCR-T cell therapies, TCR-mimic T-cell engagers, and conditionally activated T-cell engagers targeting EGFR-mutant lung cancer and other solid tumors, monetizing assets via technology licensing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSeoul, South Korea
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What DAAN Biotherapeutics does
DAAN Biotherapeutics (주식회사 다안바이오테라퓨틱스) is a private, clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2020 in Seoul, South Korea, developing next-generation T-cell immunotherapies for solid tumors, with a primary focus on EGFR-mutant lung cancer that has developed resistance to existing targeted therapies. The company's pipeline is anchored by DN-101, a TCR-T cell therapy candidate planned for IND filing and global market entry by 2026, and is supported by three complementary proprietary technology platforms: a TCR-T cell therapy platform that targets intracellular tumor antigens presented by peptide-HLA complexes, expanding addressable targets beyond conventional surface antigens; TCR-mimic T-cell engagers that combine antibody druggability with TCR specificity for off-the-shelf delivery; and the TACTIC (Tumor tArgeting Conditionally acTIvated T-Cell engager) platform, which uses cleavable linkers to keep engagers inactive in normal tissue and selectively activate them within the tumor microenvironment. A fourth modality, the Probody bispecific antibody platform, targets CD3 and tumor-specific markers in solid tumors including colorectal, lung, and gastric cancers.
The company's business model centers on technology licensing and transfer, with revenue generated through exclusive and non-exclusive deals that monetize non-core assets while retaining rights to the core TCR-T and T-cell engager pipeline. Key agreements include an exclusive technology transfer to LigaChemBio for ADC development (signed February 2025), an exclusive technology transfer to GC Cell for CAR-T and CAR-NK applications (signed April 2025), and a strategic licensing arrangement with OmniAb for antibody discovery (signed June 2024). DAAN was founded by Professor Jo Byeong-cheol, head of the Lung Cancer Center at Yonsei Cancer Hospital and the principal investigator behind Yuhan Corporation's FDA-approved lung cancer drug Leclaza (lazertinib), and has secured two consecutive Korean National Drug Development Program selections (2024 for DN-101, 2025 for the Probody platform) plus approximately 23 billion KRW (~$17 million) in Series A funding in January 2024.
DAAN Biotherapeutics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DAAN Biotherapeutics
- Legal name
- 주식회사 다안바이오테라퓨틱스
- Website
- https://daanbiotpx.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- DAAN Biotherapeutics is a Seoul-based, clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2020 that develops TCR-T cell therapies, TCR-mimic T-cell engagers, and conditionally activated T-cell engagers targeting EGFR-mutant lung cancer and other solid tumors, monetizing assets via technology licensing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DAAN Biotherapeutics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cancer 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 DAAN Biotherapeutics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seoul
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
DAAN Biotherapeutics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Licensing and Technology Transfer: DAAN generates revenue through licensing out proprietary antibody sequences and technology to partner companies, including exclusive technology transfers for ADC development (LigaChemBio), CAR-T/CAR-NK applications (GC Cell), and antibody development (OmniAb).
- Drug Development and Commercialization: Pre-revenue clinical-stage biotech developing TCR-T cell therapy DN-101 and T-cell engagers targeting EGFR-mutant lung cancer and other solid tumors. Planning global market entry by 2026 for its core pipeline.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
DAAN Biotherapeutics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DAAN Biotherapeutics develops T-cell immunotherapies for cancer, anchored by lead drug candidate DN-101 (a TCR-T cell therapy targeting EGFR-mutant lung cancer resistant to existing treatments) and supported by three proprietary platforms: a TCR-T cell therapy platform, TCR-mimic T-cell engagers, and the TACTIC conditionally activated T-cell engager platform. The company licenses its antibody sequences and platform technologies to pharma partners while independently advancing its own pipeline toward IND filing and global commercialization.
Product overview
DAAN Biotherapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering next-generation T-cell immunotherapies to redefine cancer treatment. The company's integrated product portfolio centers on DN-101, its lead TCR-T cell therapy pipeline targeting EGFR mutant lung cancer, supported by three complementary technology platforms: the TCR-T Cell Therapy Platform for intracellular antigen recognition, the TCR-mimic T-cell Engagers for off-the-shelf immunotherapy, and the TACTIC (conditionally activated T-cell engager) platform and Probody Bispecific Antibody platform for tumor-selective activation. Together, these platforms address major challenges limiting current immunotherapies including tumor heterogeneity, off-tumor toxicity, insufficient tumor selectivity, and T-cell dysfunction within the tumor microenvironment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- DN-101 TCR-T Cell Therapy Lead clinical pipeline candidate: a TCR-T cell therapy targeting EGFR-mutant lung cancer resistant to existing treatments, designed for patients with limited therapeutic options on current targeted therapies and immunotherapies. Being advanced toward preclinical and clinical development with the goal of global market entry by 2026.
- TCR-T Cell Therapy Platform Platform technology that recognizes intracellular tumor-specific antigens presented by peptide–HLA complexes, enabling access to a broader target space beyond conventional surface antigens for solid tumor treatment. Licensable to partners and applied to DN-101 and other internal programs.
- TCR-mimic T-Cell Engager Platform Off-the-shelf immunotherapy approach combining the druggability of antibodies with the specificity of TCR biology to selectively target cancer-associated peptide–MHC complexes. Licensed to partners for CAR-T, CAR-NK, and ADC applications.
- TACTIC (Tumor tArgeting Conditionally acTIvated T-Cell engager) Platform Proprietary conditionally-activated T-cell engager technology using cleavable linkers that remain inactive in normal tissues and become selectively activated within the tumor microenvironment, minimizing systemic toxicity while maximizing anti-tumor activity. Applied to Probody bispecific antibody development.
- Probody Bispecific Antibody Platform Tumor-microenvironment-responsive bispecific antibody platform targeting CD3 on T lymphocytes and tumor-specific markers overexpressed in solid tumors such as colorectal, lung, and gastric cancers. Selected for the 2025 National Drug Development Program.
Quantifiable outcome
- Series A funding of 23 billion KRW raised in January 2024
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use DAAN Biotherapeutics
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
DAAN Biotherapeutics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
DAAN Biotherapeutics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.
- Triose (트리오어)supportingDAAN and Triose signed an MOU for collaboration in the ADC (Antibody-Drug Conjugate) field. The partnership covers antibody-based new drug technology exchange, ADC candidate substance discovery and evaluation, and future joint research and development expansion. The goal is to leverage DAAN's target discovery platform and antibody development technology combined with Triose's proprietary ADC platform for globally competitive ADC pipeline development.
- ACROBiosystems Group (아크로바이오시템즈)supportingDAAN and ACROBiosystems signed an MOU for precision immunotherapy development. ACROBiosystems provides stable supply of high-performance bio-reagents, technology cooperation for immuno-oncology drug development, and joint research and data sharing. ACROBiosystems offers GMP-grade raw materials and QC solutions for cell and gene therapy CMC stages.
- GC Cell (지씨셀)coreDAAN signed an exclusive technology transfer agreement with GC Cell for tumor antigen-specific antibody sequences to advance CAR-T and CAR-NK cell therapies. GC Cell validated the antibodies in CAR-T and CAR-NK formats, confirming strong efficacy and confirming DAAN's antibody engineering capabilities.
- Protina (프로티나)supportingDAAN and Protina signed an MOU for research and development cooperation focused on TCR therapy development and optimization. Protina contributes its SPID (Single molecule Protein Interaction Detection) platform for ultra-high-speed analysis of protein interactions at the single-molecule level, which will be applied to optimize DAAN's TCR therapy candidates.
- OmniAbsupportingDAAN entered a strategic licensing agreement with OmniAb for antibody treatment development. OmniAb, which possesses platform technology for human antibody-producing transgenic animals (mice, birds), shares its technology with DAAN to accelerate DAAN's antibody therapeutic development and strengthen its competitiveness in the global biopharmaceutical market.
- LigaChem Biosciences (리가켐바이오)coreDAAN transferred a tumor antigen-targeting antibody sequence to LigaChemBio for use in ADC (Antibody-Drug Conjugate) development. The antibody demonstrated strong anti-tumor activity in solid tumor models and showed competitive performance compared to global pharma ADCs. This was DAAN's first technology transfer, validated through approximately one year of MTA-based joint preclinical studies.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DAAN Biotherapeutics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Immatics: Immatics develops TCR-based immunotherapies and TCR-mimic (XEPURE) bispecifics targeting intracellular tumor antigens presented on HLA—the closest technological analogue to DAAN's TCR-T and TCR-mimic platforms, targeting solid tumors with similar modalities.
- Adaptimmune Therapeutics: Adaptimmune is a clinical-stage TCR-T cell therapy company with FDA-approved Tecelra for synovial sarcoma, directly competing with DAAN in autologous TCR-T for solid tumors with a similar target-discovery approach.
- Poseida Therapeutics: Poseida develops non-viral CAR-T and TCR-T cell therapies for solid and hematologic cancers, sharing DAAN's focus on engineered T-cell modalities and TCR-based targeting of solid tumor antigens.
Broad incumbents
- Allogene Therapeutics: Allogene is a leading allogeneic CAR-T company pursuing off-the-shelf cell therapy strategies; comparable to DAAN in modality category (engineered T-cell therapies) but broader in indication scope and at a later clinical stage.
- Cellectis: Cellectis develops gene-edited allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies using TALEN technology, sharing DAAN's gene-engineering approach to T-cell biology but with a broader pipeline in hematologic malignancies.
- Fate Therapeutics: Fate Therapeutics is a clinical-stage cell therapy company developing off-the-shelf iPSC-derived NK and T-cell therapies, comparable to DAAN's pursuit of off-the-shelf modalities through its TCR-mimic platform.
- 2seventy bio: 2seventy bio is a cell therapy company with the approved BCMA-directed CAR-T Abecma; comparable to DAAN as a T-cell-redirecting therapy developer though focused on hematologic rather than solid tumors.
- Genmab: Genmab is a leading bispecific antibody developer (DuoBody platform) with multiple approved products; comparable to DAAN's Probody bispecific T-cell engager platform in targeting solid tumors via T-cell engagement, but at far greater scale and commercialization.
- Crispr Therapeutics: Crispr Therapeutics develops gene-edited cell therapies including allogeneic CAR-T products, comparable to DAAN in leveraging advanced cell engineering for next-generation T-cell therapies, though at a later clinical and commercialization stage.
Regional players
- JW Therapeutics: JW Therapeutics is a China-based clinical-stage cell therapy company with an approved CAR-T (Carteyva), serving as the closest Asia-Pacific peer to DAAN in modality and stage, though currently focused on hematologic indications.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
DAAN Biotherapeutics compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
DAAN Biotherapeutics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DAAN Biotherapeutics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
DAAN Biotherapeutics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors15 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DAAN Biotherapeutics 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 DAAN Biotherapeutics
What does DAAN Biotherapeutics do?
DAAN Biotherapeutics develops T-cell immunotherapies for cancer, anchored by lead drug candidate DN-101 (a TCR-T cell therapy targeting EGFR-mutant lung cancer resistant to existing treatments) and supported by three proprietary platforms: a TCR-T cell therapy platform, TCR-mimic T-cell engagers, and the TACTIC conditionally activated T-cell engager platform. The company licenses its antibody sequences and platform technologies to pharma partners while independently advancing its own pipeline toward IND filing and global commercialization.
Is DAAN Biotherapeutics a public or private company?
DAAN Biotherapeutics is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was DAAN Biotherapeutics founded?
DAAN Biotherapeutics was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is DAAN Biotherapeutics based?
DAAN Biotherapeutics is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does DAAN Biotherapeutics make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Licensing and Technology Transfer is the primary driver. The others are drug Development and Commercialization.
Who are DAAN Biotherapeutics's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Immatics, Adaptimmune Therapeutics and Poseida Therapeutics. Broad incumbents are Allogene Therapeutics, Cellectis, Fate Therapeutics, 2seventy bio, Genmab and Crispr Therapeutics. JW Therapeutics is listed as a regional player.
Does DAAN Biotherapeutics have an API?
No public API is recorded for DAAN Biotherapeutics.
What industry is DAAN Biotherapeutics in?
DAAN Biotherapeutics's product category is Cancer 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.