Researchers from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Marengo Therapeutics Inc. previously developed a first-in-class, bifunctional therapeutic molecule (STAR-0602) that selectively activates V β6 and V β10 T-cell receptor-expressing T cells and boosts antitumor responses in human ex vivo tumor models.
Marengo Therapeutics Inc. has entered into a multiyear research collaboration in oncology and autoimmune diseases with University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. The research collaboration will provide deeper insights into the mechanism of action of Marengo’s selective dual T-cell agonists in oncology.
Prostate cancer (PC), often referred to as a cold tumor, typically presents a poor immune response, making it difficult for immune-based therapies to be effective. Metastatic castration-resistant PC (mCRPC) presents a highly aggressive phenotype often refractory to systemic treatment.
Two years after signing a $1.6 billion partnership with Marengo Therapeutics Inc., Paris-based Ipsen SA is back at it again, this time teaming up for two additional assets that target “cold” tumors in a deal that could bring privately held Marengo $1.2 billion. “We do something really novel and innovative and I think it’s very important to continue to validate it,” Marengo CEO Zhen Su told BioWorld, adding that with the newest deal, “we see validation all around this … It’s a success on success.”
As Marengo Therapeutics Inc. gears up to start human trials with its lead compound, the company nailed down a deal with Ipsen SA worth $45 million up front and as much as $1.59 billion-plus in milestone rewards to advance a pair of candidates from the Selective T Cell Activation Repertoire (STAR) platform into the clinic.
Marengo Therapeutics Inc. is opening up a new front in the war on cancer by selectively deploying a tumor-infiltrating subpopulation of T cells, which can be activated by a newly identified, antibody-based mechanism. The Cambridge, Mass.-based company is taking forward a scientific concept that has been germinating for several years at founding investor and company creator ATP, which has now launched the firm with an $80 million series A round. Marengo is gearing up for a first clinical trial in 2022. “It’s a new chapter in T-cell biology,” CEO Zhen Su told BioWorld.
