BrainChild Bio raised $116 million in Series A financing to push its pediatric brainstem CAR-T program toward a pivotal registrational trial. The company’s lead asset, BCB-276, targets B7-H3 for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and is designed for administration after focal radiation without the typical chemotherapy conditioning used in many CAR-T approaches. The financing is intended to fund the ILLUMINATE Phase II/registrational study, which is single-arm and designed around overall survival as the primary endpoint, with additional measures including safety, radiographic response, presence of the therapy in cerebrospinal fluid, and progression-free survival. From an industry standpoint, the round highlights continued risk capital for pediatric CNS oncology where clinical development is expensive and patient populations are small. It also signals investor interest in CAR-T localization and CD276/B7-H3 targeting strategies in tumors with historically limited durable options.