3T Biosciences, headquartered in South San Francisco, was founded in 2017 as a spin-out of pioneering immunology and structural biology research conducted at Stanford University. The company emerged with a singular mission: to overcome long-standing barriers in treating solid tumors through next-generation immunotherapies designed with precision, safety and real-world patient data at their core.
From the outset, 3T positioned itself not just as another biotech startup, but as a research-driven innovator aiming to fundamentally reshape how the immune system is leveraged against cancer. Its approach is grounded in an understanding that the most reliable signals for therapeutic development come not from theoretical prediction but from the immune responses of patients themselves.
Building a Platform That Starts With the Immune System
Central to 3T Biosciences’ strategy is 3T-TRACE, a proprietary discovery engine that marries large-scale wet-lab biology with active machine learning. The full name—T-Cell Receptor Antigen and Cross-Reactivity Engine—reflects the platform’s dual purpose: finding novel targets and ensuring they do not generate harmful off-target effects. The system analyzes patient-derived T-cell responses across large datasets to uncover peptide–HLA targets that are genuinely immunogenic and shared across multiple tumor types.
By beginning with real immune reactions rather than speculative antigens, 3T-TRACE significantly increases the likelihood that any discovered target will be biologically relevant and clinically meaningful. The platform also screens extensively for cross-reactivity, a crucial safeguard in TCR-based therapies where the biggest risks arise when engineered cells target healthy tissues. 3T believes this multi-layered design provides a critical edge in developing therapies that are not only effective, but also significantly safer than many first-generation adoptive cell therapies.
Targeting the Hardest-to-Treat Solid Tumors
Solid tumors have historically been among the most challenging cancers to treat using immunotherapy. Many lack the clean, surface-level antigens found in blood cancers, and their immunosuppressive microenvironments severely limit therapeutic impact. 3T Biosciences has chosen to focus precisely on these difficult landscapes.
Using 3T-TRACE, the company aims to identify “shared immunogenic targets” that appear across patient populations, such as those found in pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, bladder cancer, and head and neck cancers. This strategy positions 3T to develop therapies that are not restricted to narrow patient subgroups, but potentially applicable at scale.
To amplify access to patient samples and high-quality tumor data, 3T has established partnerships with leading global research institutions, including VIB-KU Leuven in Belgium, Oxford University in the U.K., and the University of California, San Francisco. These collaborations provide rich clinical material needed to refine and validate emerging targets across diverse populations.
A Leadership Team Built for Rapid Translation
3T Biosciences’ leadership reflects its ambition to translate sophisticated science into real-world treatments. The company is led by Stefan J. Scherer, M.D., Ph.D., an oncology expert with a long record in global drug development. Complementing the scientific leadership is Christopher J. DeRespino, MBA, who oversees corporate strategy, business development, and external partnerships.
The scientific advisory board is chaired by Stanford professor K. Christopher Garcia, Ph.D., one of the world’s leading structural biologists and a pioneer in TCR discovery and engineering. Together, the leadership and advisory teams combine deep computational, immunological, and translational expertise — a mix essential for bringing next-generation TCR-based therapies closer to clinical reality.
Strategic Partnerships That Accelerate Growth
One of the most defining milestones in 3T Biosciences’ journey was its strategic partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim, announced in 2023. The collaboration gives 3T access to an extensive reservoir of patient-derived tumor data, which significantly enhances the power of the 3T-TRACE platform. In return, the company received upfront funding and is eligible for a package of milestone payments worth up to more than US$ 538 million, along with royalties on commercial products developed through the collaboration.
For 3T, the partnership serves not only as a financial catalyst but also as external validation of its scientific rigor. Being selected by a global pharmaceutical giant reinforces the credibility of its platform and opens pathways for future co-development opportunities. The relationship also deepens 3T’s ability to pursue targets across a wider spectrum of tumor types and stages.
Fueling Expansion Through Investment and Licensing
In 2022, 3T Biosciences raised US$ 40 million in a Series A funded by Westlake Village BioPartners and Lightspeed Venture Partners. The financing enabled the company to scale its platform, expand its pipeline, and strengthen its scientific and operational teams. As part of this launch, 3T also secured an exclusive license from Stanford University for a novel antibody-based peptide–HLA discovery system, further broadening its technological foundation.
This combination of capital, intellectual property and strategic mentorship has positioned 3T to make rapid progress toward clinical development. The company’s development-stage assets include promising TCR candidates such as MAGE-A3, which represent some of the most well-studied and therapeutically relevant shared tumor antigens.
A Vision for the Future of Immunotherapy
3T Biosciences occupies a unique position in the biotech landscape: a company blending machine intelligence, structural biology, and patient-derived immunology to produce a fundamentally new way of discovering therapeutic targets. Its ambition is not simply to improve existing immunotherapies but to transform them—making them more broadly applicable, more precise and substantially safer.
The company envisions a future where therapies built through 3T-TRACE can turn even the most stubborn solid tumors into conditions that respond reliably to treatment. By uniting computation, wet-lab science and clinical insight, 3T Biosciences is emerging as a powerful new force in immuno-oncology, with the potential to reshape patient outcomes at scale.
Stefan Scherer, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer & President
Dr. Stefan Scherer is a seasoned physician-scientist with more than two decades of experience in biopharmaceutical research and development. Before joining 3T Biosciences, he served as President and CEO of ElyxBio, Inc., and previously held the role of Global Head of Experimental Medicine at GlaxoSmithKline.
His background also includes serving as Chief Medical Officer at Cellectis, where he helped advance allogeneic CAR-T programs, as well as leading early development, strategy and innovation for U.S. Oncology at Novartis. Earlier in his career, Dr. Scherer held key leadership positions at F. Hoffmann-La Roche and Genentech, where he oversaw the global biomarker and translational medicine organization.
“By leveraging the power of the immune system to recognize, target, and destroy cancer cells, our technology is advancing the development of next-generation therapies that have the potential to be safer, more effective, and even curative for difficult-to-treat cancers.”
