Li-Fen Lee
CEO
AT
Apeximmune Therapeutics
The startup develops biologics that modulate the immune system by integrating bioinformatics with biological assays to identify immune-modulating targets. Their platform enables the creation of antibodies for treating diseases such as cancer, autoimmune disorders, and complications from transplantation.
- Artificial Intelligence
- Biotechnology
Updated 5 months ago
Funding
Raised to date
$11.5MRaised 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.
Funding rounds are not available yet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Current cancer and autoimmune disease treatments often fail to provide lasting solutions due to the immune system's inability to effectively target and eradicate diseased cells or maintain a balanced immune response. Many patients develop resistance to standard-of-care treatments, and existing immunotherapies may not fully harness the immune system's potential to create a sustained anti-tumor response or resolve autoimmune dysfunction.
Solution
Apeximmune Therapeutics is developing a pipeline of monoclonal antibody immunotherapies designed to modulate the immune system for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company's approach involves identifying novel immune-modulating targets and pathways through a proprietary bioinformatics platform that analyzes vast RNA-seq datasets across various tumor types. By focusing on targets that shift the balance of immune cell activity, Apeximmune aims to develop therapeutic antibodies that either enhance tumoricidal effector cell function or subdue immune function, creating an immune microenvironment conducive to sustainable tumor eradication or autoimmune remission. Their lead candidate, AI-306, targets a novel myeloid-expressed immune suppressor, while other pipeline programs target TIGIT and SIRPα.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes cancer patients resistant to current standard-of-care treatments, individuals with autoimmune diseases, and pharmaceutical entities seeking strategic partnerships for clinical development of novel immunotherapies.
Features
- Proprietary target discovery platform utilizing bioinformatics analysis of RNA-seq data to identify novel immune-modulating targets.
- AI-306: A first-in-class antagonist monoclonal antibody targeting AIM-103, a negative immune checkpoint expressed by dendritic cells and macrophages, designed to reverse immune suppression and reinvigorate anti-tumor T cell immunity.
- AI-520: An anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody designed to block the suppressive activity of TIGIT, enhance effector T cell function, and deplete Tregs within the tumor microenvironment through ADCC.
- AI-1178: An anti-SIRPα antibody designed to block the interaction between SIRPα and CD47, enabling macrophage phagocytosis of tumor cells.
- Development of antibodies designed to either enhance or subdue immune function for therapeutic effect.
- Focus on creating monoclonal antibody immunotherapies to benefit cancer patients resistant to current standard-of-care treatments.