13 May 2026
Acquisition of Medigene programs and exclusive Helmholtz Munich license strengthens translational pathway through the Comprehensive Cellular Therapy Centre.
The Champalimaud Foundation today announced the acquisition of a portfolio of T-cell receptor (TCR) programs, platform technologies, and associated assets from Medigene Immunotherapies GmbH, together with the execution of an exclusive license agreement with Helmholtz Munich for key chimeric co-stimulatory receptor technologies.
These two transactions are structurally and strategically connected. The Helmholtz Munich license provides the necessary intellectual property coverage and freedom to operate for elements of the acquired Medigene assets, ensuring continuity of development and enabling their progression toward clinical application.
The acquired portfolio includes TCR programs, development data, platform technologies, and biological materials, forming a substantial foundation for the advancement of engineered T cell therapies. The Helmholtz license grants exclusive rights to patented fusion protein technologies, including PD-1/4-1BB and CD40L/CD28 constructs, which are designed to enhance T cell activation, persistence, and therapeutic efficacy. The acquisition of these assets was made possible through a donation by German philanthropist and entrepreneur, Philipp Meyer-Schmeling.
“The fusion receptor technology was developed to precisely fine-tune T cell activation and function in complex disease settings,” says Prof. Dr. Elfriede Nößner, Head of the Research Group Immunoanalytics, Tissue Control of Immunocytes, at the Institute of Virology (VIRO), Helmholtz Munich. “Combining it with the Medigene TCR platform, which outfits the T cell with exquisite specificity towards the diseased target cell, creates a powerful therapeutic synergy. Within Champalimaud’s robust framework of translational expertise and manufacturing capabilities, I see a unique opportunity to explore the full potential of these tools and accelerate them toward clinical application. Seeing experimental science evolve to benefit patients is profoundly rewarding.”Together, these steps position the Champalimaud Foundation to consolidate and expand its capabilities in next-generation immunotherapies, particularly in the field of adoptive T cell therapy.
Central to this strategy is the Foundation’s Comprehensive Cellular Therapy Centre (CCTC), which integrates discovery science, process development, GMP-compliant manufacturing, quality control, and clinical translation within a single operational framework. The CCTC provides the infrastructure required to move advanced cell therapies from early-stage research into first-in-human clinical studies, with full regulatory and production readiness.
By combining proprietary assets with enabling intellectual property and an integrated translational platform, the Foundation is establishing a coherent pathway from innovation to patient application. This model is designed to reduce development friction, accelerate timelines, and ensure that scientific advances can be translated into clinically relevant therapies with greater efficiency. The therapeutic scope of the combined assets includes TCR-based therapies targeting solid tumors and hematological malignancies, as well as broader applications in engineered T cell approaches. The platform technologies also create opportunities for future development of combination strategies and next-generation cell engineering solutions.
The Foundation also recognises the structural challenge posed by the cost of advanced cell and gene therapies, which today can reach several hundreds of thousands of euros per patient and remain inaccessible to a large proportion of those who could benefit from them.
By integrating discovery, development, manufacturing, and clinical translation within a single institutional framework, the Champalimaud Foundation aims to contribute to more efficient development models and to expand the availability of these therapies. While maintaining the highest scientific and regulatory standards, this approach is designed to support the development of therapeutic alternatives that can be delivered more sustainably, with the longer-term objective of broadening patient access to advanced medicine.
“This is a deliberate step in building a fully integrated cellular therapy capability,” said a representative of the Champalimaud Foundation. “By aligning high-value scientific assets with the necessary intellectual property and a robust translational infrastructure, we are creating the conditions to advance innovative therapies into the clinic in a disciplined and scalable manner.”
The Foundation will continue to evaluate partnership and development opportunities to further expand this platform, with the objective of accelerating clinical translation and contributing to the broader advancement of cell and gene therapy in Europe and internationally.
