Clasp Therapeutics develops precision immunotherapies using proprietary pHLAre™ T cell engagers that target mutated protein fragments on cancer cells, enabling the immune system to selectively destroy tumors with specific driver mutations. This approach addresses the limitations of current immuno-oncology treatments by expanding therapeutic options for patients with hard-to-treat cancers.
Funding
$159M 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.
NHFounders
Product
Problem
Current immuno-oncology treatments do not work for all patients, leaving many with hard-to-treat cancers without effective options. Traditional antibody-like drugs are unable to target the majority of cancer-driving proteins because they are expressed exclusively inside the cell. This limits the ability to precisely target and destroy tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue.
Solution
Clasp Therapeutics is developing precision immunotherapies using proprietary pHLAre™ T cell engagers (TCEs) that target mutated protein fragments presented on cancer cells. These pHLAre molecules are designed to bring T cells into close contact with tumor cells, triggering an immune response that selectively destroys tumors bearing specific driver mutations, regardless of tumor type. By targeting intracellular oncogenic drivers, Clasp aims to create highly selective treatments that expand therapeutic options for patients with cancers that do not respond to existing immunotherapies. The resulting immune synapse closely mimics a natural HLA molecule-T cell receptor interface, enhancing anti-tumor activity while minimizing off-target effects.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes patients with hard-to-treat cancers bearing common driver mutations, as well as oncologists and researchers seeking more precise and effective immunotherapeutic options.
Features
- pHLAre™ molecules: Precision HLA redirecting engagers designed to target specific combinations of driver mutations and patient immune (HLA) types.
- Modular TCE design: Allows for the creation of a suite of pHLAre molecules to treat a large number of patients across different cancer types and driver mutations.
- High-precision anti-tumor activity: TCEs draw T cells into close contact with tumor cells, triggering T cell-mediated destruction of tumor cells while sparing non-malignant cells.
- Targets intracellular proteins: pHLAre molecules target mutated protein fragments displayed on the surface of cancer cells, enabling the targeting of cancer-driving proteins that are inaccessible to traditional antibody-like drugs.