VAXiCAN secures financing to advance virus‑like particle immunotherapy
Poland’s cancer‑vaccine breakthrough: VAXiCAN secures seed financing to advance virus‑like particle immunotherapy
Biotechnology, Deep Tech
💎 A new wave of Polish deep‑tech: VAXiCAN raises PLN 10.5 million to accelerate development of next‑generation cancer vaccines based on virus‑like particles
Poland’s biotechnology sector has recorded an important milestone as VAXiCAN, a University of Gdańsk spin‑off developing next‑generation cancer vaccines, closed a PLN 10.5 million (€2.4M) seed round led by DeepTech Capital, a newly formed investment consortium that has amassed PLN 572 million (€130M) to back frontier‑technology startups. The financing marks one of the most notable early‑stage investments in Polish oncology innovation and signals growing investor confidence in deep‑tech built locally.
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VAXiCAN is developing therapeutic cancer vaccines based on virus‑like particles (VLPs) — highly stable biomimicking protein structures that resemble viruses but do not contain genetic material. VLP‑based vaccines offer one of the most promising immunotherapy approaches of the decade, capable of teaching the immune system to precisely identify cancer cells and mount strong, durable responses against tumors. The startup aims to dramatically improve the effectiveness of cancer immunization by enhancing antigen presentation and overcoming immune tolerance, a long‑standing challenge in oncology therapeutics.
Investors highlight that the scientific depth of VAXiCAN’s platform was a decisive factor in the round. Unlike traditional cancer vaccines that trigger broad immune activation, VAXiCAN’s formulation is engineered for selective, high‑affinity targeting of tumor‑specific antigens with optimized adjuvant strength, increasing therapeutic potency while reducing systemic toxicity. If clinical progress continues as expected, this technology could serve as the backbone for customizable immunotherapies for a wide range of cancers — from solid tumors to hematologic malignancies.
The funding will support preclinical development, laboratory scale‑up, and the initiation of safety studies required for first‑in‑human trials. Beyond capital, DeepTech Capital will provide regulatory support, access to scientific advisory networks, and commercialization mentorship—critical assets in a sector where success depends not only on experiments but on precision in navigating clinical and industrial pathways.
For DeepTech Capital, VAXiCAN represents exactly the kind of company the consortium was designed to support: high‑risk, high‑impact technology emerging from Polish universities with real potential to transform global markets. The consortium brings together venture funds and private investors to stimulate domestic frontier‑tech, and aims to build a pipeline of startups led by researchers ready to transition from academia to commercialization.
The investment also highlights a shift in Poland’s innovation landscape. While most early‑stage capital historically flowed into software and marketplace models, life sciences are now attracting growing attention — especially as global pharmaceutical companies increasingly seek breakthrough platforms rather than incremental therapeutics. With VAXiCAN, Poland joins a growing international push toward therapeutic vaccination as a pillar of cancer treatment alongside immunotherapy drugs, CAR‑T cell therapy, and precision radiology.
If successful in clinical validation, VAXiCAN’s technology could position Poland as a contributor to one of the most important frontiers in 21st‑century medicine: vaccines not against pathogens, but against cancer itself.
Tags: Biotechnology, Deep Tech
