Scientists are trying to advance cancer immunotherapy by developing new ways to target T cells to tumors. Some studies still involve removing and modifying patients’ T cells, and then infusing these cells back into the patient’s body. Marengo Therapeutics is developing drugs that can induce immune cells to work without removing or modifying individual cells. On Monday, it announced its method and $80 million and a major project that is preparing for human testing next year.
Margeno’s drugs are antibodies. Many antibody drugs can already turn on the immune system to fight cancer, but this response may go beyond the scope of cancer and cause potentially dangerous side effects. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Marengo is developing antibodies that bind to T cell receptors (TCR), which are found on the surface of T cells. More specifically, Marengo’s drug targets the V beta TCR variant.
Su Zhen, the CEO of this startup, said that combining with this target can selectively activate effective T cells to provide the desired response to the patient’s cancer. In addition, Marengo’s drugs do not only target a single tumor antigen. The company’s drugs are designed to target multiple antigens and generate a broader response.
“You can target four or five [tumor antigens],” Su said, he joined Marengo from Merck KGaA, where he served as senior vice president and head of global oncology at Merck. “On the road, when the tumor escapes, [T cells are] Suitable to deal with that tumor. “
Marengo calls its technology the selective T cell activation bank, or STAR. Su said that the company’s approach is new biology, representing a new understanding of how to activate T cells. Marengo has been working with the laboratory of Adrian Hayday, Professor of Immunobiology at King’s College London. Su said that he expects Hayday’s research to be published in the next few months.
For the past two years, Marengo has been incubating within the venture capital firm Apple Tree Partners. Andrew Bayliffe, chief scientific officer of the startup and venture partner at Apple Tree, said that no therapeutic antibodies can directly enter the TCR, bind to them and activate T cells. He added that targeting V beta TCR variants can activate more T cell populations, but not the entire population of these immune cells. There are about 30 of these variants. Targeting certain tumors can activate those tumors that provide the best response to the patient’s tumor.
Other biotechnology development Cancer immunotherapies for TCR include TScan Therapeutics with TCR2 therapyThese companies use T cells collected from patients. Adaptimmune Therapeutics is developing ready-made TCR therapies made from induced pluripotent stem cells. Adaptimmune’s progress aroused the interest of Roche, which pledged $300 million to biotech companies A five-year alliance began in September to develop TCR therapies.
The main Marengo drug candidate is code-named STAR0602. The antibody fusion molecule is designed to bind to and activate specific Vbeta TCR variant T cell subsets. The company said the drug also transmits signals to the same T cell to enhance its anti-tumor activity. The company plans to advance the drug in clinical trials for advanced and metastatic solid tumors in 2022. Su said that the new funds will be used to support the plan and build an antibody library to build the company’s pipeline.
Su said that the potential advantage of Marengo is not just to selectively activate T cells to fight tumors. The company’s antibodies also activate memory T cells, which are ready to respond to cancer recurrence. The company’s approach can also provide better safety and tolerability. Maregno’s antibodies do not release pro-inflammatory signaling proteins like other T cell therapies. The company’s research combines the insights of Elstar Therapeutics, an independent Apple Tree company, Launched three years agoBayliffe said that Elstar, which is no longer active, is an antibody company, while Marengo is an immunology company.
Marengo is building an antibody library. The company plans to add additional procedures to use other types of immune cells, possibly transcending cancer to address areas such as infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases.
“That’s why we believe this is such a unique basic discovery,” Believ said. “We are just getting started, so we are very excited.”
Photo by Marengo Therapeutics
