# A2 Biotherapeutics (company)
A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in [Agoura Hills, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/agoura-hills-california), developing logic-gated CAR T-cell therapies for solid tumors using its proprietary Tmod platform. The company's formation record shows a prior entity name, HLA-A2, Inc., dated 2017, while its own press releases describe it as established in 2018.[1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1828750/0001828750-22-000001.txt) • [2](https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/a2-biotherapeutics-closes-80-million-series-c-financing-to-advance-clinical-development-of-its-precision-cell-therapies-using-its-proprietary-tmod-technology-platform) It remains an independent, operating private company as of mid-2026, with no acquisition, merger, renaming, public listing, or closure reported in the available record.[3](https://www.a2bio.com/a2-biotherapeutics-to-highlight-progress-of-car-t-cell-clinical-programs-in-three-poster-presentations-during-the-american-society-of-clinical-oncology-asco-2026-annual-meeting/)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Legal name | A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Delaware corporation; prior entity name HLA-A2, Inc.)[1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1828750/0001828750-22-000001.txt) |
| Founded | 2017 per formation record; 2018 per company statements[1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1828750/0001828750-22-000001.txt) • [2](https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/a2-biotherapeutics-closes-80-million-series-c-financing-to-advance-clinical-development-of-its-precision-cell-therapies-using-its-proprietary-tmod-technology-platform) |
| Headquarters | 30301 Agoura Road, #210, Agoura Hills, CA 91301[1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1828750/0001828750-22-000001.txt) |
| Founders | Alexander Kamb, Michael Gallo, and Paul Kang (per Whiteford Research)[4](http://biobase.whitefordresearch.com/companies/a2-biotherapeutics) |
| Funding | $69.8M Form D offering (Nov 2022); disclosed rounds of $57M Series A, $71.5M Series B, $80M Series C totaling $208.5M plus a $300,000 grant[1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1828750/0001828750-22-000001.txt) • [4](http://biobase.whitefordresearch.com/companies/a2-biotherapeutics) |
| Notable investors | The Column Group, Samsara BioCapital, Vida Ventures, Nextech Invest, Casdin Capital[2](https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/a2-biotherapeutics-closes-80-million-series-c-financing-to-advance-clinical-development-of-its-precision-cell-therapies-using-its-proprietary-tmod-technology-platform) • [4](http://biobase.whitefordresearch.com/companies/a2-biotherapeutics) |
| Status | Operating, clinical-stage, private; ASCO 2026 presentations as latest recorded activity[3](https://www.a2bio.com/a2-biotherapeutics-to-highlight-progress-of-car-t-cell-clinical-programs-in-three-poster-presentations-during-the-american-society-of-clinical-oncology-asco-2026-annual-meeting/) |
## History and founding
The company's SEC record carries a prior related entity name, HLA-A2, Inc., with a 2017 date in the issuer's formation record; company press releases state that A2 Biotherapeutics was established in 2018.[1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1828750/0001828750-22-000001.txt) • [2](https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/a2-biotherapeutics-closes-80-million-series-c-financing-to-advance-clinical-development-of-its-precision-cell-therapies-using-its-proprietary-tmod-technology-platform) Whiteford Research lists Alexander Kamb, Michael Gallo, and Paul Kang as founders.[4](http://biobase.whitefordresearch.com/companies/a2-biotherapeutics)
The Form D filed in November 2022 names the company's related persons. Scott Foraker and Alexander Kamb are listed as executive officers and directors; Srini Akkaraju, Madhavan Balachandran, David Goeddel, Susan L. Kelley, Helen S. Kim, and Jakob Loven are listed as directors; and Thomas Leung, David Lucas, and William Go are listed as executive officers.[1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1828750/0001828750-22-000001.txt)
## The Tmod platform: how it works
The Tmod system uses two receptors on the same [T cell](https://www.edgepedia.org/t-cell). The activator recognizes an antigen on tumor cells and triggers their destruction; the blocker recognizes an antigen on normal cells and protects them.[3](https://www.a2bio.com/a2-biotherapeutics-to-highlight-progress-of-car-t-cell-clinical-programs-in-three-poster-presentations-during-the-american-society-of-clinical-oncology-asco-2026-annual-meeting/) This dual-receptor design functions as a biological "AND gate": the T cell acts only when the activator engages a tumor antigen and the blocker signal is absent, a discriminatory capacity earlier-generation CAR T therapies lack.[4](http://biobase.whitefordresearch.com/companies/a2-biotherapeutics)
The gate exploits HLA-A*02 loss of heterozygosity. In patients who carry HLA-A*02 germline, tumor cells commonly lose the antigen while normal cells retain it, so A2 Bio's lead constructs use HLA-A*02 as the blocker: A2B694 pairs a mesothelin (MSLN)-targeted activator with an HLA-A*02-targeted blocker, killing only cells that express mesothelin and have lost HLA-A*02.[5](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260106828941/en/A2-Biotherapeutics-Announces-FDA-Clearance-of-IND-for-A2B543-for-Treatment-of-Adults-with-Recurrent-Unresectable-Locally-Advanced-or-Metastatic-Solid-Tumors-that-Express-Mesothelin-and-Have-Lost-HLA-A02-Expression)
A2B543 is the armored version of A2B694. It uses a second lentiviral vector expressing an inducible, membrane-tethered IL-12 booster that activates only upon engagement with tumor antigens, a design the company says is intended to reduce the toxicity associated with systemic IL-12 while enhancing potency and persistence.[5](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260106828941/en/A2-Biotherapeutics-Announces-FDA-Clearance-of-IND-for-A2B543-for-Treatment-of-Adults-with-Recurrent-Unresectable-Locally-Advanced-or-Metastatic-Solid-Tumors-that-Express-Mesothelin-and-Have-Lost-HLA-A02-Expression) • [6](https://www.a2bio.com/our-pipeline/) The company states that the platform's modularity allows pipeline expansion by varying activator and blocker combinations.[6](https://www.a2bio.com/our-pipeline/)
## Funding (by the numbers)
The company's Form D filings are the primary record: the November 17, 2022 filing reported a total offering amount of $69,788,005, with $60,855,105 sold as of the filing date, first sale on November 4, 2022, and 26 investors.[1](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1828750/0001828750-22-000001.txt)
Whiteford Research compiles three disclosed institutional equity rounds totaling $208.5 million: a $57 million Series A on November 5, 2019; a $71.5 million Series B on October 6, 2020; and an $80 million Series C on January 9, 2025, plus a $300,000 manufacturing grant from ScaleReady (in collaboration with Wilson Wolf, Bio-Techne Corporation, and CellReady) on May 6, 2025. No company-disclosed valuations and no IPO filing were found in the reviewed sources.[4](http://biobase.whitefordresearch.com/companies/a2-biotherapeutics) Series B investors included [The Column Group](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-column-group), Vida Ventures, Samsara BioCapital, Nextech Invest, Casdin Capital, Euclidean Capital, UC Investments, and Hartford HealthCare Endowment.[4](http://biobase.whitefordresearch.com/companies/a2-biotherapeutics) The company's own announcement of the Series C names The Column Group and Samsara BioCapital in the syndicate and directs proceeds to three clinical studies plus preclinical Tmod programs.[2](https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/a2-biotherapeutics-closes-80-million-series-c-financing-to-advance-clinical-development-of-its-precision-cell-therapies-using-its-proprietary-tmod-technology-platform)
PitchBook, a directory source whose figures here are unverified, additionally records a $7.5 million Series A1 on April 1, 2018 and Series B tranches in September 2020, February 2021, and December 2022 with undisclosed amounts.[7](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/227813-59)
## Clinical programs and traction
The lead program is EVEREST-2 (NCT06051695), a seamless Phase 1/2 study evaluating A2B694 (Arm 1) and A2B543 (Arm 2) in mesothelin-expressing, HLA-A*02-lost solid tumors, including colorectal, pancreatic, and non-small cell lung cancer, ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.[5](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260106828941/en/A2-Biotherapeutics-Announces-FDA-Clearance-of-IND-for-A2B543-for-Treatment-of-Adults-with-Recurrent-Unresectable-Locally-Advanced-or-Metastatic-Solid-Tumors-that-Express-Mesothelin-and-Have-Lost-HLA-A02-Expression) On October 31, 2025, the company presented initial safety and efficacy data from the ongoing study, including the first reported complete response to its [CAR T-cell therapy](https://www.edgepedia.org/car-t-cell-therapy) in a patient with non-small cell lung cancer.[8](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251031980313/en/A2-Biotherapeutics-Presents-Initial-Safety-and-Efficacy-Data-from-Ongoing-Phase-12-EVEREST-2-Study-Including-First-Report-of-a-Complete-Response-to-CAR-T-Cell-Therapy-in-a-Patient-with-NSCLC) On January 6, 2026, the company announced FDA clearance of its Investigational New Drug application for A2B543 in adults with recurrent unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic solid tumors.[5](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260106828941/en/A2-Biotherapeutics-Announces-FDA-Clearance-of-IND-for-A2B543-for-Treatment-of-Adults-with-Recurrent-Unresectable-Locally-Advanced-or-Metastatic-Solid-Tumors-that-Express-Mesothelin-and-Have-Lost-HLA-A02-Expression)
A second clinical asset, A2B395, is an allogeneic Tmod therapy targeting EGFR-expressing, HLA-A*02-lost tumors in the DENALI-1 trial.[6](https://www.a2bio.com/our-pipeline/) In 2026 the company presented three posters on its CAR T-cell clinical programs at the ASCO annual meeting.[3](https://www.a2bio.com/a2-biotherapeutics-to-highlight-progress-of-car-t-cell-clinical-programs-in-three-poster-presentations-during-the-american-society-of-clinical-oncology-asco-2026-annual-meeting/)
## Recent developments
Four developments mark the period after late 2023: the $80 million Series C closed in January 2025;[2](https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/a2-biotherapeutics-closes-80-million-series-c-financing-to-advance-clinical-development-of-its-precision-cell-therapies-using-its-proprietary-tmod-technology-platform) a $300,000 ScaleReady manufacturing grant followed in May 2025;[4](http://biobase.whitefordresearch.com/companies/a2-biotherapeutics) initial EVEREST-2 data, including the first reported complete response in an NSCLC patient, were presented in October 2025;[8](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251031980313/en/A2-Biotherapeutics-Presents-Initial-Safety-and-Efficacy-Data-from-Ongoing-Phase-12-EVEREST-2-Study-Including-First-Report-of-a-Complete-Response-to-CAR-T-Cell-Therapy-in-a-Patient-with-NSCLC) and the FDA cleared the A2B543 IND in January 2026, extending the armored construct into clinical testing.[5](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260106828941/en/A2-Biotherapeutics-Announces-FDA-Clearance-of-IND-for-A2B543-for-Treatment-of-Adults-with-Recurrent-Unresectable-Locally-Advanced-or-Metastatic-Solid-Tumors-that-Express-Mesothelin-and-Have-Lost-HLA-A02-Expression)
## References
1. [SEC Form D filing for A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc. (filed 2022-11-17)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1828750/0001828750-22-000001.txt)
2. [A2 Biotherapeutics Closes $80 Million Series C Financing (Business Wire via BioSpace, January 2025)](https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/a2-biotherapeutics-closes-80-million-series-c-financing-to-advance-clinical-development-of-its-precision-cell-therapies-using-its-proprietary-tmod-technology-platform)
3. [A2 Highlights Progress of CAR T-Cell Programs at ASCO 2026 (company newsroom)](https://www.a2bio.com/a2-biotherapeutics-to-highlight-progress-of-car-t-cell-clinical-programs-in-three-poster-presentations-during-the-american-society-of-clinical-oncology-asco-2026-annual-meeting/)
4. [A2 Biotherapeutics — Whiteford Research Biobase](http://biobase.whitefordresearch.com/companies/a2-biotherapeutics)
5. [A2 Biotherapeutics Announces FDA Clearance of IND for A2B543 (Business Wire, January 6, 2026)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260106828941/en/A2-Biotherapeutics-Announces-FDA-Clearance-of-IND-for-A2B543-for-Treatment-of-Adults-with-Recurrent-Unresectable-Locally-Advanced-or-Metastatic-Solid-Tumors-that-Express-Mesothelin-and-Have-Lost-HLA-A02-Expression)
6. [Our Pipeline | A2 Biotherapeutics](https://www.a2bio.com/our-pipeline/)
7. [A2 Bio Company Profile | PitchBook (unverified directory data)](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/227813-59)
8. [A2 Biotherapeutics Presents Initial Safety and Efficacy Data from Ongoing Phase 1/2 EVEREST-2 Study (Business Wire, October 31, 2025)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251031980313/en/A2-Biotherapeutics-Presents-Initial-Safety-and-Efficacy-Data-from-Ongoing-Phase-12-EVEREST-2-Study-Including-First-Report-of-a-Complete-Response-to-CAR-T-Cell-Therapy-in-a-Patient-with-NSCLC)
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