TigaTx develops engineered IgA antibodies that bind the FcαRI receptor on neutrophils, directing innate immune cells to kill solid‑tumor cells expressing specific antigens. Its modular platform enables rapid creation of antigen‑specific IgA candidates for oncology pipelines, with production using scalable recombinant CHO‑cell expression systems.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Current oncology therapeutics largely rely on adaptive immune mechanisms and often fail to mobilize innate immune cells, leaving solid tumors with limited immune-mediated clearance. This gap reduces treatment efficacy, especially in immunologically “cold” tumor microenvironments where neutrophil activity is underexploited.
Solution
TigaTx engineers IgA antibodies specifically optimized to bind the FcαRI receptor on neutrophils, converting these abundant innate effectors into targeted tumor killers. By reformatting the antibody constant region to IgA, the platform achieves high-affinity neutrophil recruitment while preserving antigen specificity for solid‑tumor antigens. The resulting neutrophil engagers trigger rapid degranulation, oxidative burst, and antibody‑dependent cellular cytotoxicity directly within the tumor niche. A modular pipeline enables rapid generation of multiple IgA candidates against diverse oncologic targets, accelerating preclinical validation and downstream clinical development. All molecules are produced using scalable recombinant expression systems compatible with current GMP biomanufacturing.
Target Audience
Primary customers are pharmaceutical and biotech companies developing oncology pipelines that seek to augment their immunotherapy portfolios with innate‑immune mechanisms, as well as academic research groups focused on neutrophil biology in cancer.
Features
- Engineered IgA scaffold with enhanced FcαRI binding affinity to maximize neutrophil activation
- Antigen‑specific Fab domains enabling precise targeting of solid‑tumor markers (e.g., HER2, EGFR)
- In‑vivo validated neutrophil‑mediated cytotoxicity demonstrated in murine xenograft models
- Modular antibody design allowing plug‑and‑play swapping of Fab regions for rapid target diversification
- Recombinant CHO‑cell expression platform optimized for high‑yield IgA production and downstream purification
- Biophysical stability engineering (glyco‑optimization, hinge reinforcement) to ensure serum half‑life and reduced aggregation
- Integrated biomarker assay suite for monitoring neutrophil engagement and tumor response in preclinical studies