Bad blood, bad drugs or sheer bad luck. In this episode of Lune Podcast, we dive into Tessa Therapeutics, once the poster child of Singapore's biotech startup ecosystem up until 2023 when its abrupt closure shocked many. Let's uncover the secrets behind this miracle company, and the real back-story to why it had to close despite USD$250 million raise.

• Tcell Cancer Therapy (0:55)
• Tessa's products (2:28)
• Tessa's journey (4:35)
• Why it failed (8:33)

Useful Links:

• Tessa's fund raising: https://tracxn.com/d/companies/tessa/__-IRf7abUtF2MA7dYpCc6NFYZrKYkJ17678AGloiDatw

• FDA RMAT designation for TT11 in 2020: https://bioinformant.com/tessa-therapeutics-rmat/
• TT11X Clinical Trial Results 2022: https://www.biospace.com/tessa-therapeutics-announces-new-clinical-data-from-phase-1-allogeneic-study-presented-at-2022-annual-meeting-of-american-society-of-hematology-ash
• Merck Collaboration 2019: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tessa-therapeutics-announces-collaboration-with-merck-investigating-the-combination-of-keytruda-pembrolizumab-and-virus-specific-t-cell-therapy-targeting-human-papillomavirus-in-cervical-cancer-300832067.html
• Tessa's major pivot in 2023: https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/tessa-plucks-new-years-resolutions-shelf-leaving-phase-2-autologous-med-2022
• Cost of drug development: https://www.knowledgeportalia.org/costs-r-d