LIfT BioSciences Secures €12M Grant to Advance Neutrophil-Based Cancer Therapy into Clinical Trials

LIfT BioSciences has been awarded a €12 million grant from Ireland’s Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) to progress its Immuno-Modulatory Alpha Neutrophils (IMAN) therapy into first-in-human clinical trials, expected to begin in Q4 2026. The grant, the largest DTIF has ever issued, supports a consortium including LIfT, the University of Galway, and Hooke Bio, to test IMANs in patients with metastatic cervical cancer or head and neck cancer who have exhausted standard treatments, including checkpoint inhibitors.

Funding will cover the manufacturing, safety, and feasibility trials, including sequential dosing in small patient groups and expansion to larger cohorts in combination with checkpoint inhibitor therapy. LIfT says this milestone accelerates its clinical and manufacturing programmes in Galway and will help close the next round of its Series A financing.

This collaboration merges LIfT’s expertise in neutrophil-based immunotherapies, Galway’s strengths in oncology, clinical trials and manufacturing infrastructure, and Hooke Bio’s analytical platform to enhance therapy response and safety. Government officials have commended the project as a potential “game-changer” in cancer treatment, reflecting its promise to address critical unmet needs.