Marengo Nominates First TriSTAR Drug Candidate with Ipsen, Appoints T-Cell Engager Expert Saso Cemerski
核心洞察
Marengo Therapeutics (搜索) has nominated the first development candidate under its June 2024 TriSTAR strategic collaboration with Ipsen, marking the second TriSTAR program to enter IND-enabling development.
The TriSTAR platform employs a differentiated two-in-one mechanism combining selective Vβ T-cell activation and tumor-directed engagement to overcome limitations of traditional CD3 (搜索)-directed T-cell engagers.
Saso Cemerski, Ph.D., formerly Head of Discovery Immune Cell Engagement at AstraZeneca, has been appointed Senior Vice President, Head of Immunology to accelerate pipeline expansion.
Marengo Therapeutics (搜索) has nominated the first development candidate under its strategic TriSTAR collaboration with Ipsen, a milestone that marks the second program from the company's proprietary trispecific T-cell engager platform to advance into IND-enabling development. The announcement, made August 4, 2026, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, was paired with the appointment of industry-leading T-cell engager expert Saso Cemerski, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President, Head of Immunology.
"Nominating a development candidate under our TriSTAR collaboration with Ipsen is a testament to the strength of our partnership and underscores the dedication and ingenuity of Marengo's research team," said Zhen Su, M.D., MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Marengo Therapeutics (搜索). "Our first-in-class precision TriSTAR trispecific T-cell engagers are designed to deliver on the promise of precision immuno-oncology by bringing the right T cells to the right tumors."
The drug candidate nomination represents the successful advancement of the first program developed through the strategic collaboration established by Marengo and Ipsen in June 2024. Under the terms of the collaboration, Marengo has led research and preclinical development for this program and is eligible for milestone payments. Ipsen will assume responsibility for all activities following the development candidate nomination.
TriSTAR Platform: A Precision Approach to T-Cell Engagement
Marengo's TriSTAR platform is a multispecific antibody-fusion platform built from the company's proprietary library of antibodies targeting germline-encoded variable Vβ regions of the T-cell receptor. TriSTAR candidates employ a differentiated two-in-one mechanism of action that combines selective Vβ T-cell activation and expansion with tumor-directed engagement in a single precision molecule.
By integrating Vβ-directed T-cell activation, built-in costimulation, and tumor-associated antigen targeting, TriSTAR candidates are designed to generate and redirect a new pool of highly active memory T cells against tumors. This precision "armed" engager approach has the potential to improve the therapeutic index of T-cell engagement by enhancing antitumor potency in solid tumors while limiting the broad, indiscriminate T-cell activation associated with traditional CD3 (搜索)-directed T-cell engagers.
The milestone demonstrates continued progress across the collaboration's multiple programs and further validates the ability of the TriSTAR platform to repeatedly generate differentiated therapeutic candidates suitable for global clinical development.
Leadership Strengthened with Saso Cemerski Appointment
Building on this momentum, Marengo has appointed Dr. Saso Cemerski as Senior Vice President, Head of Immunology. Dr. Cemerski will lead immunology research across Marengo's clinical and preclinical portfolio, help shape the company's scientific strategy, and accelerate expansion of its pipeline of precision Vβ-directed T-cell therapies.
"Saso is one of the industry's foremost experts in T-cell engager discovery and immune-cell activation," Dr. Su continued. "His experience building global research organizations and advancing multiple programs toward the clinic makes him uniquely suited to help us realize the full potential of TriSTAR."
Dr. Cemerski brings more than 15 years of experience leading immunology research and therapeutic discovery across biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Most recently, he served as Head of Discovery Immune Cell Engagement at AstraZeneca, where he led a global organization of more than 75 scientists, advanced multiple discovery programs toward clinical development, and helped evaluate and integrate externally sourced T-cell engager technologies. His prior experience includes a senior leadership role at Cue Biopharma, as well as positions at Merck (搜索), Bristol Myers Squibb (搜索), and Xencor.
"Marengo has built an exceptionally innovative immunology platform with the potential to redefine how T-cell engagers activate and redirect the immune system," said Dr. Cemerski. "The unique biology of selective Vβ T-cell activation creates an opportunity to overcome many of the limitations of existing T-cell engager approaches. I am excited to join this outstanding team and help translate the TriSTAR platform into a broad pipeline of next-generation therapies for patients."
Marengo Therapeutics (搜索) is a clinical-stage biotech company developing novel TCR-targeting antibodies that selectively modulate common and disease-specific T cell subsets of the germline TCR repertoire. The company's three proprietary platforms—Selective T Cell Activation Repertoire (STAR), Trispecific T Cell Engager (Tri-STAR), and T cell Depletor (MSTAR)—are designed to selectively target the right T cells in the right patients, with the goal of providing lifelong protection against cancer (搜索) and autoimmune diseases (搜索).