The structurally similar cytokines IL-2 and IL-15, and their shared beta subunit CD122, are keeping developers busy across a range of indications. Though some scientific confusion has plagued the space historically, drug candidates have drawn deals and Wall Street interest aplenty. Amgen Inc., Novartis AG, and Incyte Corp. are among those who’ve made their interest known.

Early data of Waldenström’s non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients enrolled in a trial testing Immunitybio Inc.’s off-the-shelf allogeneic CD19 chimeric antigen receptor natural killer cell therapy (CAR-NK), used in combination with anti-CD20 drug rituximab, led to durable complete responses without lymphodepletion.

Sonnet Biotherapeutics Holdings Inc. has completed two IND-enabling toxicology studies in nonhuman primates (NHPs) using its lead bifunctional therapeutic candidate, SON-1210.

Equillium Inc. has advanced EQ-102, a first-in-class multi-cytokine inhibitor of IL-15 and IL-21 for celiac disease, into a phase I study in healthy volunteers.

Researchers around the world are making advances in understanding how HIV becomes latent and seeking out vulnerabilities that could provide routes to targeting reservoirs and eliminating them.

Askgene Pharma Inc., which less than two weeks ago reported positive initial data from an ongoing phase I/II trial testing its claudin 18.2-targeting candidate, ASKB-589, added $20 million in a series A round, intended to advance the company’s clinical pipeline and support further development of its Smartkine cytokine drug platform.

Askgene Pharma Inc., which less than two weeks ago reported positive initial data from an ongoing phase I/II trial testing its claudin 18.2-targeting candidate, ASKB-589, added $20 million in a series A round, intended to advance the company’s clinical pipeline and support further development of its Smartkine cytokine drug platform.