Alkemist Bio develops precision immunotherapies that target the ALK oncogene in ALK‑positive cancers. It uses a dual platform of CAR‑T cells to attack membrane‑bound ALK and TCR‑T cells to recognize intracellular ALK peptide‑HLA complexes, delivering highly selective, HLA‑independent tumor cell killing. These therapies aim to overcome resistance to existing tyrosine‑kinase inhibitors and provide a targeted treatment option for patients with aggressive, treatment‑refractory ALK‑driven malignancies.
Funding
$7.6M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
CVFounders
Product
Problem
Patients with ALK-positive cancers often develop resistance to existing tyrosine‑kinase inhibitors and immunotherapies, leaving few effective treatment options and resulting in poor long‑term outcomes.
Solution
Alkemist Bio creates precision immuno‑therapies that directly target the ALK oncogene, which drives tumor growth in several aggressive cancers. For tumors that display ALK as a surface receptor, the company engineers chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells that recognize the extracellular domain of ALK, enabling HLA‑independent tumor cell killing. For cancers where ALK is presented intracellularly as peptide‑HLA complexes, Alkemist Bio generates high‑affinity T cell receptors (TCR‑T) to redirect patient‑derived T cells against those epitopes. Both platforms exploit the limited normal tissue expression of ALK, providing high therapeutic selectivity and the potential to overcome resistance when combined with existing TKIs or checkpoint inhibitors.
Target Audience
Primary customers are pharmaceutical and biotech partners developing treatments for ALK‑positive malignancies, as well as oncologists and clinical trial networks seeking novel, targeted immunotherapies for patients with resistant ALK‑driven cancers.
Features
- Dual immunotherapy platform: CAR‑T cells for membrane‑bound ALK and TCR‑T cells for intracellular ALK peptides
- High‑affinity, ALK‑specific TCRs identified from immunogenic human ALK peptides
- Engineered T cells function across defined HLA backgrounds, expanding applicability to solid tumors
- Low off‑target risk due to minimal ALK expression in adult normal tissues
- Designed to synergize with ALK tyrosine‑kinase inhibitors and immune checkpoint blockade
- Scalable T‑cell manufacturing process for autologous patient‑derived cell products