Marengo Therapeutics has received further validation for its STAR platform for T-cell activators, with Ipsen paying $45 million upfront to take two cancer candidates into the clinic.
The biotech, led by former Merck KGaA global oncology leader Zhen Su, M.D., has developed the Selective T Cell Activation Repertoire (STAR) platform to fine-tune the T-cell response in selected T-cell subsets to generate cancer-killing T cells for solid tumors. Ultimately, the goal is to activate the right T cells; or, as Su analogized it to Fierce Biotech last year, using a hammer to hit the nail right on the head rather than missing from the side.
Under today’s deal, Marengo will lead preclinical development of two candidates generated by the platform, with Ipsen taking over once the drugs enter the clinic. For its efforts, Marengo is entitled to up to $1.59 billion in milestone payments from the French pharma as well as royalties.
In a statement Monday morning, Su said the collaboration with Ipsen marks an “important validation” of the STAR platform beyond Marengo’s lead candidate STAR0602, which is expected to enter the clinic by the end of the year.
“Marengo’s foundational discovery of activation of T cell subsets via TCR Vβ is unprecedented and highly differentiated from the current immuno-oncology technologies we have seen,” said Howard Mayer, M.D., executive vice president and head of R&D at Ipsen. “This partnership with Marengo provides a strong foundation for a productive and successful collaboration as we embark on a journey to develop novel and durable therapies that will strengthen our oncology pipeline and further enhance our commitment to people living with cancer.”
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Marengo launched (PDF) in November 2021, propelled by $80 million in series A funding overseen by life sciences VC firm ATP. While its lead candidate STAR0602 activates a specific Vβ TCR variant T-cell subset, the biotech said at the time that it is developing a broad pipeline of additional STAR programs that engage other immune cell types. The company lists four other assets in various early stages of preclinical development on its website.