Marengo Therapeutics has reached a significant milestone in its strategic oncology collaboration with Ipsen, as the partners advance their second drug candidate derived from Marengo's proprietary STAR precision T cell activation platform. The announcement, made in Cambridge, Massachusetts, marks another step forward in the companies' multi-year partnership established in August 2022.
The newly nominated drug candidate represents a novel approach in cancer immunotherapy, specifically designed to enhance T cell-mediated immune responses against tumors. This development follows the successful nomination of their first drug candidate in April 2024, demonstrating consistent progress in the collaboration.
Andrew Bayliffe, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Marengo, emphasized the significance of this achievement: "This second DC nomination is a testament to our strong collaboration with Ipsen and once again underscores the dedication and ingenuity of Marengo's research team in advancing innovative immunotherapy candidates to clinical trials."
Innovative Technology Platform
The drug candidate emerges from Marengo's STAR™ Platform, which utilizes a sophisticated multi-specific antibody-fusion technology. This platform uniquely combines TCR activation with T cell co-stimulation in a single molecule, targeting germline-encoded variable Vβ regions of the T cell receptor (TCR).
Preliminary research indicates that these TCRVβ-targeted dual T cell agonists effectively reinvigorate anti-tumor T cell responses in immunotherapy-resistant tumor models, suggesting potential benefits for patients who have not responded to existing treatments.
Development Partnership Structure
Under the collaboration agreement, Marengo has successfully led the research and preclinical development efforts in partnership with Ipsen. The achievement triggers a milestone payment to Marengo for meeting pre-defined preclinical objectives.
Moving forward, Ipsen will take the lead on:
- IND filing
- Regulatory submissions
- Clinical development
- Commercialization activities
Platform Technology Details
Marengo's approach leverages three proprietary technology platforms:
- Selective T Cell Activation Repertoire (STAR)
- Trispecific T Cell Engager (Tri-STAR)
- T cell Depletor (M-STAR)
These platforms are designed to selectively target specific T cell populations, potentially offering new therapeutic options for both cancer and autoimmune diseases. The technology's ability to modulate common and disease-specific T cell subsets of the germline TCR repertoire represents a novel approach in immunotherapy development.
