ImmunityBio

California-based ImmunityBio is a cell therapy manufacturer developing treatments for cancer and other diseases. The company is currently developing cell therapies for bladder cancer, glioblastoma, lynch syndrome, non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, Covid-19, and HIV. The company is an offshoot of NantHealth and is listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker of “IBRX.”

The company's therapeutics are developed with the focus on helping a patient’s immune systems, specifically utilizing a three-pronged approach to do so. The first prong utilizes activated Natural Killer (aNK) cells to fight off infections and rogue cells, such as those that mainly contribute to cancer. The second leverages a patient’s adaptive immune system and utilizes white blood cells, specifically T-cells/lymphocytes, for more prolonged attacks on infections and rouge cells. The final prong uses chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), which target specific and unique antigens that exist on the surface of cancer cells. These three prongs are combined into the company’s investigational therapeutic “PD-L1 t-haNK,” which can be administered by a physician in an outpatient clinical setting, without the need to hospitalize the patient.

In December 2020, the company merged with NantKwest, an immunotherapy and cell therapy biotechnology company. The merger was completed to create an immunotherapy and cell therapy company focused on oncology and infectious diseases.

As of May 2024, the company had one main drug ‘Anktiva’ that was being tested across 10 applications. Its lead candidate “QUILT-3.032” for bladder cancer had been accepted, receiving both Breakthrough Therapy and Fast Track designations by the FDA for the treatment of BCG-unresponsive NMIBC carcinoma in situ (CIS) disease as well as Fast Track designation for BCG-unresponsive NMIBC papillary disease and BCG-naïve NMIBC CIS disease. The company was also testing the applications of its Anktiva drug (in combination with other therapeutics) for the treatment of bladder cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Glioblastoma, Advanced Solid Tumors Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, and HIV. The company was carrying out three trials for investigating its drugs use in treating HIV.

Key customers and partnerships

In November 2021, the company partnered with Amyris, a biotechnology company, to accelerate the development of a Covid-19 RNA-based vaccine. Through the partnership, the parties agreed to form a 50:50 joint venture arrangement. As per the agreement, ImmunityBio will manufacture the vaccine post-human testing, while Amyris will provide its licensed RNA technology and provide organic compounds required to develop the vaccine.

In May 2024, the company partnered with the Serum Institute of India to manufacture the standard BCG (sBCG) that is approved for use outside the US. Through the partnership, the Serum Institute of India would manufacture both sBCGs and next-generation recombinant BCG (iBCG), creating a long-term solution to chronic BCG supply shortage issues.