OncoResponse

OncoResponse has a strategic alliance with MD Anderson Cancer Center, leveraging a proprietary B-cell discovery platform to identify and develop novel antibodies targeting immune cells within the tumor microenvironment. The company's lead clinical candidate, OR2805, is a fully human antibody discovered using B cells from an Elite Responder to checkpoint inhibitor therapy. OR2805 binds to CD163, highly expressed on tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) that create an immunosuppressive environment inhibiting anti-tumor T-cell responses. By reversing TAM immunosuppression, OR2805 aims to enhance T-cell responses as a monotherapy and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors. OR2805 has entered cohort expansion trials across multiple cancer indications.

Another key pipeline candidate is OR502, a best-in-class anti-LILRB2 antibody that rescues innate and adaptive immune responses from LILRB2-mediated suppression. LILRB2 is an inhibitory receptor expressed on TAMs, blocking its engagement with HLA-G on tumor cells to prevent myeloid cell suppression. OR502 modulates LILRB2, promoting tumor-killing T-cell activity and reversing checkpoint inhibitor therapy resistance. In November 2023, OncoResponse initiated a Phase 1/2 trial evaluating OR502 as a monotherapy and in combination with Libtayo (cemiplimab), an anti-PD-1 therapy, in advanced solid tumors.

OncoResponse's unique platform allows screening of antibodies from Elite Responders for functional activity before identifying the target, reverse-engineering therapeutics from patients exhibiting exceptional treatment responses. The company was awarded a USD 13 million grant from CPRIT in May 2023 to support OR502's advancement and raised USD 14 million from investors led by RiverVest Venture Partners.