Imugene

Imugene is a clinical stage immuno-oncology company developing innovative therapies to activate the immune system of cancer patients to treat and eradicate tumors. The company's pipeline includes multiple immunotherapy platforms, including oncolytic viruses, B-cell vaccines, and off-the-shelf cell therapies targeting various cancer types. Imugene's lead oncolytic virus candidate, VAXINIA (CF33-hNIS), is being evaluated in the MAST clinical trial for advanced solid tumors. As of December 2023, VAXINIA demonstrated encouraging efficacy in the trial, including a complete response in a patient with cholangiocarcinoma. The company is also developing HER-Vaxx, a B-cell peptide immunotherapy for HER2-positive gastric cancer. In a Phase 2 trial, HER-Vaxx in combination with chemotherapy showed a 40% overall survival benefit compared to chemotherapy alone. Additionally, Imugene acquired worldwide rights to azer-cel, an off-the-shelf CAR T cell therapy for blood cancers, in 2023. The company aims to potentially start a registrational study for azer-cel in 2025. Imugene is also advancing a novel onCARlytics platform that combines oncolytic viruses with CAR T cell therapy to target solid tumors. In October 2023, Imugene dosed the first patient in a Phase 1 trial evaluating its onCARlytics CD19 virus technology for advanced solid tumors.

Key customers and partnerships

Imugene has established partnerships with leading cancer research institutions to advance its pipeline. The company is collaborating with City of Hope, a renowned cancer research and treatment center in the US, on the development of its oncolytic virus technology. In April 2024, Imugene presented data from its VAXINIA and HER-Vaxx programs at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in partnership with City of Hope researchers. The company has also signed a letter of intent with the University of Southampton and Cancer Research UK Southampton Clinical Trials Unit to conduct a Phase 2 trial of its PD1-Vaxx treatment for colorectal cancer. Additionally, Imugene acquired rights to the azer-cel CAR T therapy from Precision Biosciences in August 2023, which included gaining access to Precision's manufacturing facility and experienced cell therapy team.