ImageneBio Secures $30M Funding to Advance OX40 Antagonist IMG-007 Through Phase 2 Trials
核心洞察
ImageneBio (搜索) completed a $30 million private placement led by Coastlands Capital (搜索), extending cash runway into Q1 2028 and enabling advancement of IMG-007 into Phase 2 clinical trials for alopecia areata (搜索).
The company's Phase 2b ADAPTIVE trial for atopic dermatitis (搜索) is progressing under an amended protocol evaluating four IMG-007 dosing regimens in approximately 400 patients, with topline data anticipated in Q4 2027.
IMG-007 demonstrated encouraging safety profile across 150+ subjects with no cases of Kaposi sarcoma (搜索), malignancies, or severe infections reported as of March 2026 blinded safety review.
ImageneBio (搜索) has secured $30 million in private placement funding to advance its lead therapeutic IMG-007, a non-T cell-depleting anti-OX40 (搜索) receptor antagonist, through Phase 2 clinical development for both atopic dermatitis (搜索) and alopecia areata (搜索). The financing, led by new investor Coastlands Capital (搜索) with participation from Trails Edge Capital Partners (搜索) and existing investors including Omega Funds (搜索) and OrbiMed (搜索), extends the company's cash runway into the first quarter of 2028.
ADAPTIVE Trial Progress in Atopic Dermatitis
The Phase 2b ADAPTIVE trial is advancing under a previously announced amended protocol designed to comprehensively evaluate IMG-007's therapeutic potential in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (搜索). The updated study design systematically explores three key variables across an approximately 400-patient study with continuous treatment over one year.
The amended protocol expands to four IMG-007 dosing regimens plus placebo, evaluating two different doses at each of two dosing intervals. This broader exposure range is designed to test the hypothesis that expanded exposures can deliver superior efficacy compared to what has been demonstrated to date in the OX40 (搜索) class. ADAPTIVE will be the first OX40 program to evaluate continuous exposure of up to one year in a Phase 2b setting.
The study incorporates a systematic evaluation of loading dose regimens, reflecting the recognized importance of loading in immunologic and inflammatory diseases. The four dosing regimens evaluate monthly and quarterly dosing intervals, supported by IMG-007's approximately 5-week half-life, with less frequent dosing intended to reduce treatment burden for patients managing chronic disease.
The primary endpoint is percent change from baseline in EASI at 24 weeks, with secondary endpoints including patients reaching EASI-75, EASI-90, and IGA 0/1, along with safety, pharmacokinetics, and additional clinical and patient-reported outcomes. The efficacy dataset will be composed of patients initiated under the amended protocol and is designed to enable a registrational Phase 3 program. Topline data is anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2027.
Safety Profile Demonstrates Encouraging Tolerability
Across all IMG-007 clinical studies to date involving over 150 subjects, the therapeutic has demonstrated an encouraging safety and tolerability profile. A blinded safety review conducted in March 2026 revealed no cases of Kaposi sarcoma (搜索), no malignancies, and no severe infections. No treatment-related serious adverse events had been reported, and no treatment-related pyrexia, chills, aphthous ulcers, or gastrointestinal ulcers had been observed.
Injection site reactions have been reported in less than 0.10% of subjects across all studies using the subcutaneous formulation. The ADAPTIVE protocol includes clinical monitoring and risk mitigation measures specific to Kaposi sarcoma (搜索), including patient and physician education and close longitudinal tracking.
Expansion into Alopecia Areata
ImageneBio (搜索) plans to initiate a Phase 2 study of IMG-007 in alopecia areata (搜索) in 2026, with initial data expected in 2028. This expansion leverages the clinical operations and investigator network developed through the company's atopic dermatitis (搜索) program.
In a completed open-label proof-of-concept study, IMG-007 demonstrated a mean SALT 30 improvement of 30% out to 36 weeks after just three 600 mg IV doses given within the first month of the study in patients with baseline SALT 50 to less than 95. IMG-007 represents the first OX40 (搜索) antagonist to report clinical data in alopecia areata (搜索).
Addressing Significant Unmet Medical Need
Atopic dermatitis (搜索) affects approximately 26 million people in the United States and 237 million globally, with approximately 6.8 million adults in the US and 49 million worldwide living with moderate-to-severe disease. Despite advanced therapies including biologics and JAK inhibitors (搜索), 30-40% of patients on these treatments continue to report inadequate disease control, and only approximately 15% of biologic-eligible patients are receiving treatment.
Alopecia areata (搜索) affects approximately 1 in 50 people over their lifetimes. JAK inhibitors (搜索) are the only approved targeted treatment for alopecia areata and are indicated only for severe disease, requiring at least daily oral dosing with sustained adherence to maintain hair regrowth and carrying a boxed warning. There are no approved biologics for alopecia areata.
Distinctive Mechanism of Action
IMG-007 is engineered as a non-T cell-depleting monoclonal antibody targeting OX40 (搜索), a receptor protein primarily found on activated human T cells. The therapeutic has been designed to include a silenced antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity function demonstrated to avoid T cell depletion or killing, intended to minimize safety risk. This technology also resulted in an approximately 5-week half-life, prolonging therapeutic activity with the aim of maximizing time between doses.
"The conviction that brought our investors to this round reflects a fundamental belief that we share: OX40 (搜索) is an important target with the potential to effectively treat heterogeneous and difficult diseases like atopic dermatitis (搜索) and alopecia areata (搜索) in a new way that is focused on T cell biology rather than simply blocking downstream cytokines," said Kristin Yarema, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of ImageneBio (搜索).
Financial Position and Outlook
As of March 31, 2026, ImageneBio (搜索) had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $117.2 million. Combined with the April 2026 financing, the company's strengthened financial position supports advancement of both atopic dermatitis (搜索) and alopecia areata (搜索) programs through key clinical milestones.
Research and development expenses for the first quarter 2026 were $6.0 million compared to $4.0 million for the same period in 2025, reflecting continued investment in clinical trial and personnel expenses. Net loss for the quarter was $10.6 million compared to $9.1 million in the prior year period.