CDR-Life
↗Schlieren, Zurich, Switzerland
CDR-Life is a Swiss biopharmaceutical company founded in 2017 that develops innovative T cell engager (TCE) therapeutics to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company has developed a proprietary M-gager® platform technology that uniquely targets intracellular tumor antigens presented on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, enabling highly specific T cell engagement against solid tumors. CDR-Life's platform generates potent, selective, and off-the-shelf cancer immunotherapies by leveraging a phage display library with billions of small antibody fragments to achieve unparalleled antigen specificity in the TCE format. The company has successfully generated 6 novel development candidates through its platform, with 2 currently in human testing, representing a significant advancement in targeting previously difficult-to-access intracellular antigens.
CLASSIFICATION
Company Type:Biotech
Therapeutic Areas:
Industry:Biotechnology
Sub-Industry:Immuno-oncology / T Cell Engagers
SIZE & FINANCIALS
Employees:51-200
Founded:2017
Ownership:private
Status:operating
FUNDING
Stage:Series A
Total Raised:$86.4M
Investors:Jeito Capital, RA Capital Management, Omega Funds, Venture Leaders
PIPELINE
Stage:Phase 1
Lead Drug Stage:Phase 1 (CDR404)
Modalities:T Cell Engagers (TCE), Bispecific Antibodies, Trispecific Molecules, Antibody Fragments
Active Trials:1
Trial Phases:Phase 1: 1
FDA Approvals:0
EMA Approvals:0
CORPORATE STRUCTURE
Key Partnerships:Boehringer Ingelheim: Collaboration and licensing agreement for antibody fragment-based therapeutics. Originally partnered for geographic atrophy (macular degeneration) treatment; expanded in November 2025 for CDR111 (autoimmune diseases), Dassault Systèmes: R&D acceleration partnership
COMPETITION
Position:Emerging Leader
Competitors:Janux Therapeutics (JANX007 for prostate cancer), Lava Therapeutics (LAVA-1207 for castration-resistant prostate cancer), Regeneron (approved TCE for blood cancers), Amgen (tarlatamab for small-cell lung cancer), AstraZeneca (acquiring TCE assets)
LEADERSHIP
Key Executives:
Christian Leisner - CEO & Co-founder
Dominik Escher - Executive Chairman & Co-founder
Swethajit Biswas - Chief Medical Officer (CMO)
Leonardo Borras - Chief Scientific Officer & Co-founder
Konstantin von Schulthess - Chief Financial Officer & Co-founder
Sarah Holland - Chief Business Officer
Scientific Founders:Christian Leisner, Dominik Escher, Leonardo Borras, Rouven Bingel-Erlenmeyer
Board Members:Christian Leisner (CEO & Founder), Dominik Escher (Executive Chairman & Co-founder), Pascal Touchon (Board Member), Claudio Nessi (Board Member), Dan Marks (Board Member), Dieter Gericke (Board Member)
LINKS
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