A global venture capital firm, New Enterprise Associates which has backed the likes of Salesforce and Groupon is now investing in a biotechnology company called Adaptimmune Limited which is developing a treatment for cancer.

New Enterprise Associates which has a significant health care business has led a $104 million financing round in Adaptimmune Limited. The round, at the Series A stage, is believed to be among the biggest for a biotechnology company at this early point of its development.

Founded in 2008, Adaptimmune focuses on using a type of white blood cell, known as T-cells to treat several types of cancer. Adaptimmune says it has developed a way to enhance receptors on the cells, making them more effective in its ability to recognize cancers.

According to Adaptimmune’s chief executive, James Noble, the firm’s strategy gives the T-cells a wider range of targets to identify a cancerous cell. Based in Philadelphia, Adaptimmune, is currently running trials for cancers such as multiple ovarian cancer, myeloma and melanoma sarcoma.

To develop its cancer treatment, Adaptimmune in June, entered a partnership with GlaxoSmithKline. However, the latest financing is Adaptimmune’s first capital from institutional investors. Mr. Noble said that the money would allow the company to run clinical programs for the next several years.

In addition to New Enterprise Associates, the latest investors include Wellington Management Company, OrbiMed Advisors, Fidelity Biosciences and others.

New Enterprise Associates’ two executives, Ali Behbahani, a partner in the health care group and David Mott, the head of the firm’s health care business are joining the board of Adaptimmune.

Mr. Mott said that it’s a very substantial investment in a company that they think is very promising in one of the most exciting fields in cancer therapy right now. He added that its engineered T-cell approach offers more novel targets than the CAR-T work that’s been attracting so much attention recently.