Industry Insight | CREATE Medicines Raises $122 Million to Advance In Vivo CAR-T Programs

May 2026 - CREATE Medicines announced the completion of a $122 million Series B financing to advance its in vivo CAR-T and immune programming platform for oncology and autoimmune diseases.

The funding round was co-led by Newpath Partners, ARCH Venture Partners, and Hatteras Venture Partners, with participation from Alexandria Venture Investments and existing investors. The company plans to use the new capital to accelerate its lead programs and expand its broader in vivo immune engineering platform.

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Unlike conventional CAR-T therapies, which require cells to be collected, modified ex vivo, and reinfused, CREATE Medicines is developing an mRNA-LNP-based approach that engineers immune cells directly in the patient. This approach aims to simplify manufacturing, improve scalability, and potentially broaden patient access.

The company reports that more than 50 patients have been treated across its clinical programs, which include a CD19-targeted in vivo CAR-T therapy for autoimmune diseases and oncology programs targeting solid tumors.

Industry observers note that while clinical innovation remains strong, manufacturing scalability continues to be the primary bottleneck for cell therapies. Technologies that support robust immune cell expansion are therefore increasingly important for both CAR-T and CAR-NK development.

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In this context, companies such as Hillgene Biopharma are providing engineered K562 feeder-cell platforms to support NK and CAR-NK cell expansion, addressing critical needs in research and manufacturing workflows.

Sources: BioPharma Dive – “Create Medicines raises $122M to bolster in vivo CAR-T therapies” (May 14, 2026)