Accession Therapeutics awarded €7.5m Horizon Europe grant funding to advance TROCEPT-01 (ATTR-01), a first-in-class, tumour-activated immunotherapy
- Mar 24
- 3 min read
Grant will fund an expansion study of the ongoing ATTEST Phase 1 clinical trial of TROCEPT-01 in solid tumours to further assess clinical safety and efficacy.
Competitive grant application supported by a consortium of expert translational and clinical partners across Europe.
Oxford, UK, 24 March 2026 – Accession Therapeutics Limited, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next generation cancer immunotherapies, announces it has been awarded €7.5 million (~£6.5 million) in grant funding from Horizon Europe, the European Commission’s key funding programme for research and innovation, to advance the clinical development of the Company’s lead drug candidate, TROCEPT-01 (ATTR-01).
TROCEPT-01 is a first-in-class, tumour-activated viral immunotherapy currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 open label clinical trial (ATTEST) in patients with advanced carcinomas. The ATTEST study is being conducted at leading clinical sites across the UK and Spain. Subject to final negotiation, the Horizon Europe grant will fund an expansion study in selected tumour indications in up to 24 participants as part of the ATTEST clinical trial to further explore the safety and efficacy of TROCEPT-01.
TROCEPT-01 is delivered systemically and designed to selectively generate a clinically validated checkpoint inhibitor (anti-PD-L1) within tumours. This approach, targeting αvβ6 integrin on epithelial tumours, optimises efficacy while minimising damage to healthy tissue. Preclinical studies have demonstrated strong anti-tumour activity across multiple solid tumour models, supporting its potential as a targeted therapy for aggressive cancers.
Bent Jakobsen, PhD FMedSci, Chief Executive Officer of Accession Therapeutics, said:“We are delighted to receive this grant from Horizon Europe in collaboration with our partners, which recognises the potential of TROCEPT-01 (ATTR-01) as an innovative immunotherapy with applications across multiple solid tumour types. Alongside our ongoing ATTEST study, we look forward to continuing to build a body of data for TROCEPT-01 to validate our tumour-targeted immunotherapy platform, support future clinical trials and programmes and ultimately improve patient outcomes.”
– ENDS –
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About Accession Therapeutics LimitedAccession Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel class of tumour-targeted immunotherapies through its proprietary TROCEPT platform. The company is advancing a pipeline of first-in-class therapies designed to transform cancer treatment by enabling localised production of therapeutic proteins within tumours while minimising systemic exposure, potentially offering superior efficacy and safety profiles to existing immuno-oncology approaches.
Since inception in 2021, the Company has raised nearly USD $100 million from high-net-worth individuals and venture capitalists, including iGlobe Partners, Primavera Venture Partners and Birk Ventures.
For more information, visit www.accessiontherapeutics.com
About TROCEPT-01 (ATTR-01)
The Company’s lead investigational therapy utilises the company’s proprietary TROCEPT platform to deliver a genetically encoded immune checkpoint inhibitor (anti-PD-L1) directly to tumour cells. This innovative approach enables cancer cells to locally produce and secrete therapeutic proteins within the tumour microenvironment, creating a potent anti-tumour response while minimising systemic exposure. Unlike conventional immunotherapies administered systemically, TROCEPT-01’s tumour-targeted mechanism has demonstrated in preclinical studies the potential to enhance drug concentration at the tumour site compared to healthy tissues, significantly improving the therapeutic window. The therapy is designed to overcome limitations of current checkpoint inhibitors by increasing response rates in immunologically "cold" tumours and reducing off-target immune-related adverse events. Administered intravenously, TROCEPT-01 represents a promising new modality in cancer treatment, with potential applications across multiple solid tumour types.
About ATTEST
The ATTEST clinical trial is a Phase 1 open label, dose escalation and dose expansion study designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and preliminary efficacy of TROCEPT-01 (ATTR-01) in patients with advanced carcinomas who have had at least one prior treatment course. The trial is being conducted at leading clinical sites across the UK. Additional clinical sites have also been activated in Spain where there is established expertise in the treatment of solid tumours.
For more information about the study, please visit our website, the UK Clinical Study Registry (ISRCTN) or the US National Institutes of Health database of clinical research studies.
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