Key Investor Signals
Lead CAR-T eradicated mosaic glioblastoma in mice
Anti-EGFRvIII-SGRP CAR-T cells eradicated EGFRvIII-mosaic glioblastoma in mice in a 2024 Nature Communications study and outperformed conventional CAR-T in a lymphoma model.
Exclusive University of Basel IP rights secured
GlioCART reports exclusive worldwide rights to a University of Basel licence covering the CAR-SGRP technology, with the PCT application in national phase.
CHF 200,000 in non-dilutive funding secured
The University of Basel awarded a CHF 50,000 Propelling Grant in 2024, and Venture Kick awarded CHF 150,000 in 2025, giving GlioCART CHF 200,000 in non-dilutive support.
Other Positive Signals
- Selected for Venture Leaders Biotech 2026 and its Boston investor roadshow.
- University of Basel spin-off developing CAR-T therapy for glioblastoma.
Team
Dieter Willmann
CEO and Co-founder
- Former private-equity director at Kieger AG, with earlier corporate-finance experience at Deloitte.
- Founder and CEO of Willmann GmbH & Co. KG since 2016, continuing a third-generation industrial family business.
- Former family-office director with earlier private-equity experience at Invision Partners and investment work across industrial companies.
Prof. Dr. Dr. Gregor Hutter
CMO and Co-founder
- Senior physician in neurosurgery at University Hospital Basel and leader of the University of Basel Brain Tumor Immunotherapy group.
- Senior author of the 2024 Nature Communications study underpinning GlioCART’s dual-action CAR-T approach.
- First author of a 2019 PNAS study from Stanford showing CD47 blockade can activate microglia against glioblastoma.
Dr. Patrice Zeis
COO and Co-founder
- Postdoctoral scientist at University Hospital Basel applying spatial omics and machine learning to glioblastoma and AML microenvironments.
- Former computational biologist at IOB Basel, where he designed AAV promoters using single-cell data.
- Spent nearly six years at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics studying immune-cell differentiation.
Product
GlioCART’s lead EGFRvIII-SGRP construct is a preclinical CAR-T therapy designed for direct tumour delivery. The cells recognise EGFRvIII and secrete SGRP, a CD47 blocker intended to combine tumour-cell killing with activation of nearby myeloid immune cells.
EGFRvIII tumour targeting
The CAR recognises EGFRvIII, a tumour-specific mutation found in a subset of glioblastomas. This gives the engineered T cells a target absent from normal tissue, while avoiding broader antigens shared with healthy cells.
Local CD47 checkpoint blockade
The engineered T cells continuously release SGRP, which binds CD47 and removes a “don’t eat me” signal used by tumour cells. Local release is designed to recruit macrophages and microglia without systemic CD47 blockade.
Designed for mosaic tumours
Glioblastoma often contains a mix of EGFRvIII-positive and -negative cells. Pairing direct CAR-T killing with nearby immune-cell activation is designed to attack bystander tumour cells that the CAR itself does not recognise.
Market Overview
Glioblastoma remains a high-unmet-need brain cancer: more than 14,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed this year and five-year survival is about 7%. Standard care still centres on surgery, radiotherapy and temozolomide, while the disease’s infiltrative biology and immunosuppressive microenvironment make durable control difficult.
Commercial validation exists for both the disease market and the modality. Grand View Research values the global glioblastoma treatment market at $4.0B in 2025 and forecasts $7.9B by 2033. CARVYKTI, a blood-cancer CAR-T, generated $1.9B in 2025 sales, while no CAR-T therapy has FDA approval for a solid tumour.
Five-year relative survival in the United States remains only 7.0%.
Estimated global spending across glioblastoma treatment in 2025.
One approved CAR-T product generated about $1.9 billion in 2025 net trade sales.
CAR-T is commercially proven in blood cancers, but none has FDA approval for a solid tumour.
Comparable Outcomes
Poseida Therapeutics
Poseida developed donor-derived CAR-T therapies, including P-MUC1C-ALLO1, a Phase 1 allogeneic CAR-T program for solid tumours. Roche completed its acquisition of Poseida in January 2025 for about $1.0B upfront and up to $1.5B including milestone payments.
Forty Seven, Inc.
Forty Seven developed magrolimab, an antibody blocking the CD47 “don’t eat me” signal to activate macrophage-mediated cancer-cell clearance. Gilead completed the acquisition in April 2020 for $95.50 per share in cash, valuing Forty Seven at approximately $4.9B.
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Sources
This profile was built from public company materials, ecosystem sources, market references, and professional profiles.