Immune-Onc Therapeutics

In March 2021, LLS made an equity investment in Immune-Onc Therapeutics to support the "Phase 1 Clinical Development of IO-202, An Antibody Targeting LILRB4, for the Treatment of AML with Monocytic Differentiation and CMML."

Immune-Onc is a clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel myeloid checkpoint inhibitors for cancer patients. The company’s work builds on early research by Chengcheng (Alec) Zhang, Ph.D. at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center that was also funded by LLS grants. Checkpoint inhibitors work by ‘releasing the brake’ from the body’s own immune cells so that they can effectively attack cancer cells.

The company aims to translate its unique scientific insights in myeloid cell biology and immune inhibitory receptors to discover and develop first-in-class biotherapeutics that disarm immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment. Immune-Onc has a promising pipeline with a current focus on targeting the Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor subfamily B (LILRB) of myeloid checkpoints. Their lead candidate, called IO-202, has entered a Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of advanced acute myeloid leukemia and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia as monotherapy or in combination with azacitidine (NCT0437243). Recently, IO-202 entered clinical development as monotherapy or in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced solid tumors (NCT05309187). IO-202 is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody that antagonizes LILRB4 with high binding affinity and specificity. It has broad potential in both blood cancers and solid tumors.

The FDA granted IO-202 Orphan Drug Designation status in October 2020 and Fast Track Designation in February 2021 for treatment of AML.

In addition to their lead drug candidate, Immune-Onc has one program (IO-108) in the clinic (NCT05054348) for solid tumors and other programs are at the preclinical stage.

For more information about Immune-Onc, visit www.immune-onc.com.

Recent News

• January 5, 2023 - announced the close of an additional $25 million through a Series B extension, for a total of $131 million in Series B financing. This extension was led by existing investor Triwise Capital and with participation from new investors including Proxima Ventures, among others. In addition, the company has received continued strategic capital investments from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Therapy Acceleration Program® (LLS TAP) and Wuxi Biologics HealthCare Venture. 
• February 17, 2022 - announced that the FDA has granted Fast Track designation for IO-202 for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory AML. 
• January 31, 2022 - announced that the FDA has cleared the company’s IND application for IO-202, a first-in-class antibody targeting leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor B4 (LILRB4, also known as ILT3), for the treatment of solid tumors. IO-202 is currently in Phase 1 clinical development for the treatment of AML and CMML.
• October 13, 2021 - announced that the first patient has been dosed in the first-in-human clinical trial of IO-108, a novel antagonist antibody targeting the myeloid checkpoint Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor B2 (LILRB2) for the treatment of solid tumors.