DAJO Bio Raises Tens of Millions of RMB in Seed Financing to Advance Next-Generation TCR Protein Therapies

August 18, 2026 4 Min Read

Shenzhen-based biotechnology startup DAJO Bio (“DAJO”) has completed a seed financing round worth tens of millions of RMB, providing fresh capital to advance its next-generation T-cell receptor (TCR) protein therapeutic platforms and pipeline across autoimmune diseases and solid tumors.

The financing was led by Dr. Li Health, with participation from Nanshan Strategic Emerging Industries Investment and Feibiao Innovation Seed Fund, according to reports from VCBeat/VBData and PEdaily. The proceeds are expected to support further development of DAJO Bio’s three proprietary technology platforms and its AI-TCR capabilities, while expanding its therapeutic pipeline in autoimmune disease and oncology. (VCBeat Health)

Building a New Generation of TCR Protein Therapeutics

Founded in February 2025, DAJO Bio is focused on developing TCR-based protein therapeutics designed to address disease targets that can be difficult to reach with conventional antibody-based approaches. Unlike antibodies, which predominantly recognize proteins exposed on the cell surface, TCRs can recognize peptide fragments derived from intracellular proteins when they are presented by major histocompatibility complex molecules on the cell surface.

DAJO is pursuing this approach across two major therapeutic areas: T-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases and solid tumors. The strategy represents an effort to extend TCR therapeutics beyond their more established role in cancer immunotherapy toward precision immune modulation in autoimmune disease. (VCBeat Health)

To support drug discovery and development, DAJO has established three core technology platforms spanning TCR optimization, safety evaluation and therapeutic engineering:

FleXi-T — an affinity-optimization platform using directed molecular evolution to improve TCR binding characteristics.
Full-Scanning — a safety-assessment system designed to evaluate potential cross-reactivity and improve the safety profile of engineered TCR candidates.
T-Lock — DAJO’s next-generation bispecific, long-acting TCR protein platform, designed to translate optimized TCR molecules into therapeutic candidates.

Together, the platforms cover key stages including TCR screening, functional optimization, safety assessment and drug development, creating an integrated discovery engine for DAJO’s pipeline. (10jqka News)

TL101 Takes TCR Therapeutics Into Autoimmune Disease

DAJO has disclosed three core pipeline programs, with TL101 leading its autoimmune disease portfolio.

TL101 is being developed for T-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases, with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) selected as the initial indication. In T1D, autoreactive T cells attack insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells, ultimately impairing the body’s ability to regulate blood glucose.

DAJO is developing TL101 around a TCR × PD-1 agonist mechanism, aiming to selectively recognize disease-causing T cells and suppress their activity while preserving broader normal immune function. This targeted approach could potentially offer an alternative to systemic immunosuppression by focusing immune modulation on the pathogenic T-cell population.

According to the company information reported by VCBeat, DAJO has already established collaborations with multiple leading hospitals to support development of the TL101 program. (VCBeat Health)

The program also highlights a broader emerging opportunity for TCR technology. Rather than using engineered TCRs solely to activate immune responses against cancer, DAJO is attempting to use the specificity of TCR recognition to selectively suppress harmful immune responses in autoimmune disease.

TL006 and TL007 Target PRAME in Solid Tumors

Alongside TL101, DAJO is building an oncology franchise around TL006 and TL007, which target PRAME and other cancer-associated antigens.

PRAME, or preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma, is a cancer/testis antigen whose restricted expression in normal tissues and expression across multiple tumor types have made it an attractive target for TCR-based therapies.

DAJO’s oncology strategy is designed to exploit one of the fundamental advantages of TCR therapeutics: their ability to recognize peptide antigens originating from intracellular proteins, substantially expanding the potential target universe beyond conventional cell-surface antigens.

TL006 and TL007 are intended to address multiple solid-tumor indications and establish the foundation of DAJO’s immuno-oncology pipeline. The company’s broader strategy centers on T-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases on one side and cancer/testis antigens on the other, according to published reports. (VCBeat Health)

Seed Financing to Accelerate Platform and Pipeline Development

The new funding will primarily be directed toward iterative upgrades of DAJO’s FleXi-T, Full-Scanning and T-Lock platforms, as well as further development of its AI-TCR capabilities. The company also plans to use the proceeds to expand and refine its autoimmune and solid-tumor pipelines. (PEDaily)

For a company established only in early 2025, the financing gives DAJO additional resources to test whether its integrated TCR discovery and engineering platform can translate into differentiated therapeutic candidates.

The company’s dual focus is particularly notable. While much of TCR drug development has historically centered on oncology, DAJO is simultaneously pursuing precision suppression of pathogenic T cells in autoimmune disease and targeted destruction of tumor cells in cancer.

If successful, the approach could demonstrate how the antigen specificity of TCR biology can be harnessed in opposite therapeutic directions—turning immune activity down in autoimmune disease while directing it against malignant cells in cancer.