Assistant Managing Editor

ImmunGene Inc. is looking to drop the bomb on cancer; a "smart, targeted cytokine bomb," that is.

That's how President and CEO Sanjay Khare described the technology. Khare, formerly scientific director at biotech stalwart Amgen Inc., founded Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based ImmunGene in 2007 based on the idea of harnessing the power of the body's own immune system. "We could simply take advantage of what we already know about the activity of chemokines and cytokines," he told BioWorld Today.

The firm's approach involves fusing a monoclonal antibody with a cytokine, initially interferon, for local delivery to the tumor. Called a CmAb, the molecule can be aimed "directly where we want it to go," Khare said.

It's similar to antibody-drug conjugate technology, which links an antibody to a cytotoxic agent. But the addition of the cytokine means that "ours can do more [than ADCs] since cytokines are associated with several functions," he said.

CmAbs also are genetically engineered molecules, which could make them simpler and cheaper to produce. "There's no multistep manufacturing process," Khare added.

Another benefit is that the cytokine can be dosed at a very low level and still be efficacious.

ImmunGene's researchers, for example, have been able to limit interferon exposure to one-one hundredth of the usual dose. By fusing it with an antibody that binds only to tumor cells, that interferon dose is sufficient to initiate cell death.

ImmunGene's lead cmAb candidate, IGN002, is a third-generation antibody-fusion drug designed to target CD20-postitive tumors, initially going after non-Hodgkin's lymphoma not treatable by Rituxan (rituximab, Genentech Inc./Roche AG and Biogen Idec Inc.)

The company's hardly alone in that space. A number of biotechs are working on next-generation drugs, "but I suspect those next-generation Rituxan compounds won't solve the problem of Rituxan resistance because they're using the same mechanism," Khare said. "Ours is a different mechanism."

Toxicology studies are ongoing in nonhuman primates, but the firm has wrapped up remaining preclinical testing and has determined that IGN002 can be manufactured, which Khare called "two major hurdles."

ImmunGene is looking to be in the clinic sometime next year, hopefully with a partner. "We're already working with one," he said, though it was too early to disclose a name. But, he added, "things are looking good."

The company's second program is IGN001, a next-generation HER2-IFN antibody fusion drug that has shown promising efficacy over the naked antibody in in vivo testing. A third program is targeting multiple myeloma, and Khare said ImmunGene is interested in in-licensing additional compounds.

Ideally, the firm would like to partner at least the first two programs, picking up some big pharma muscle as well as some nondilutive funding that can "feed other programs," he said.

To date, ImmunGene's funding has come from its founders and angel investors. If it succeeds in closing a promising partnership, the firm might be able to hold off going to venture capitalists for a couple more years, giving it time to further advance its programs.

Khare said the company also plans to license its technology – similar to licensing deals done by ADC firms such as Seattle Genetics Inc. – which could bring in further milestones and royalties.

"We're hoping to close the first one [of those] by the end of this year," he said.

ImmunGene currently has two full-time employees, including another Amgen alumnus, Raj Sachdev, who serves as chief operating officer.

The rest of the firm's work is rounded out by contractors and consultants, among those Mike Gresser, chief scientific consultant, and Linda Pullan, consultant chief business officer, both of whom also previously held positions at Amgen.