In vitro proof-of-concept for novel myeloid and B cell modulating anti-CLEC2D-TLR9 agonist conjugate program, a compelling immunotherapeutic approach to induce T and NK cell recruitment in tumors with otherwise low immunological activity
WALTHAM, Mass., Oct. 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Immunitas Therapeutics ("Immunitas"), a clinical stage precision immunotherapy company committed to discovering and developing novel, differentiated therapeutics for patients with cancer, today announced it will present the first proof-of-concept data on its second program, a myeloid and B cell modulating anti CLEC2D-Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist conjugate, at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer's 38th Annual Meeting (SITC 2023), held November 1-5.
Presentation Details for SITC 2023
Title: Anti CLEC2D-TLR9 agonist conjugate binds to and internalizes CLEC2D on myeloid cells, plasmacytoid DCs and B cells leading to robust TLR pathway activation and inflammatory cytokine production
Abstract Number: 1131
Date/Time: Friday, November 3, 2023, 9:00am – 7:00pm PDT
About CLEC2D
CLEC2D is a protein broadly expressed on a subset of immune cells which, upon internalization, acts as a vehicle to deliver histone/CpG complexes to endosomal toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), stimulating an inflammatory response. Harnessing this biology offers a compelling immunotherapy approach that stimulates inflammatory responses that may improve recruitment of functional T and NK cells in tumors with otherwise poor T cell infiltration. Building on biology supporting its lead investigational candidate, IMT-009, Immunitas is developing a novel anti CLEC2D-TLR9 agonist immune stimulating antibody complex (ISAC) comprising a fully human anti-CLEC2D antibody conjugated to aCpG oligonucleotide. This molecule is capable of triggering TLR9 pathway activation in myeloid cells, B cells, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells enabling induction of sustained T cell immunity.
About Immunitas Therapeutics
Immunitas is a clinical stage precision immunotherapy company committed to discovering and developing novel, differentiated treatments for patients with cancer. A focus on human data, combined with fully integrated internal R&D capabilities and parallel discovery efforts, allows Immunitas to start with and stay closer to the most relevant and translatable biology for patients, accelerating the timeline from discovery to the clinic. The Immunitas discovery engine combines deep expertise in single-cell genomics with customized machine learning approaches to elucidate immune cell populations that are key actors in immuno-oncology. The company was founded by Longwood Fund with leading scientists from Dana-Farber, MGH, the Broad, and MIT. Since being founded in 2019, Immunitas has raised a total of $97 million in venture funding from a strong syndicate of investors including Agent Capital, Alexandria Venture Investments, Evotec, Leaps by Bayer, Longwood Fund, M Ventures, Medical Excellence Capital, and Novartis Venture Fund. To learn more, visit www.immunitastx.com.
SOURCE Immunitas Therapeutics, Inc.