BRIEF—Marengo Therapeutics targets new kind of I-O therapy

A new immuno-oncology company has launched in Cambridge, USA.

Dubbed Marengo Therapeutics, the life sciences venture capital firm ATP is backing the startup with $80 million in launch financing, money which will be used to develop the firm’s Selective T Cell Activation Repertoire (STAR) platform.

Led by former Merck KGaA global oncology head Zhen Su, the company is hoping to advance its lead candidate, the antibody fusion molecule STAR0602, into the clinic in 2022.

Dr Su said: "Existing immuno-oncology therapies have transformed cancer care, yet they are often unable to overcome dysfunctional T cell responses that develop in patients with cancer and that result in less than a third of patients achieving a durable response."

He added: "Marengo's deep understanding of T cell biology and TCR signaling has driven our discovery of a new mode of T cell activation that promises to more effectively attack tumors and provide long-term protection against cancer.”