Immuneering cuts neuroscience programs to focus on oncology, extend cash runway
Immuneering has suspended its discovery-stage neuroscience program and is now focusing exclusively on its oncology pipeline in order to extend its cash runway into 2024, the company announced in its Q4 release.
The company’s lead program, IMM-1-104, is currently in a US-based Phase I/IIa study in patients with advanced solid tumors with RAS mutations. In September last year, the candidate received IND clearance as an oral, once-daily monotherapy. Immuneering hopes to extend it to other cancers, including mutated pancreatic, melanoma, lung and colorectal cancers, based on Phase I results.
Data are incoming for IMM-1-104 over the next two years: Phase I pharmacokinetic and safety data are expected in the middle of 2023, while Phase I pharmacodynamic modeling and more PK and safety data are slated for the second half of 2023. Recommended Phase II dose and additional safety data are expected in mid-2024.
Dual MEK inhibitor IMM-6-415, the company’s other candidate, is still in the preclinical stage.
Ben Zeskind“IMM-6-415 exhibited preclinical activity as a single-agent in RAF and RAS mutant tumor models, as well as enhanced activity in combination with checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) in RAS-mutant colorectal cancer (CRC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) models driven by diverse MAPK pathway mutations,” the press release reads.
Ben Zeskind, co-founder and CEO of Immuneering, said in a statement the clinical trial is “rapidly advancing” and “accelerating” the candidate toward an IND filing later in 2023. Focusing on the two candidates as well as other adjustments, has extended the cash runway an additional quarter until Q4 2024.
Immuneering first launched in 2019 with $17 million and then had a $62 million follow-up round in 2021. It joined Nasdaq later that same year with a $112.5 million IPO.
