ImmunoScape Announces Exclusive In-Licensing Deal With Cue Biopharma To Lead Development Of Distinct Therapies To Attack Solid Tumor Cancers

"Seed-and-Boost" Approach with Breakthrough Potential, Poised to Transform the Cancer Immunotherapy Landscape

ImmunoScape Pte. Ltd., an A*STAR spin out backed by Amgen Ventures and EDBi that is developing next-generation TCR-based cancer immunotherapies, today announced an exclusive in-licensing deal with Cue Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ:CUE) to lead the development of a distinct new class of therapies to attack solid tumor cancers. The deal provides ImmunoScape with exclusive access to Cue Biopharma's clinical-stage Immuno-STAT® molecules in oncology.

By combining Cue Biopharma's technology with its precision T cell receptor (TCR) therapy, ImmunoScape is pioneering a new "Seed-and-Boost" approach to immunotherapy, that addresses the shortcomings of current cell therapies by enabling potent in vivo expansion of infused tumor targeting T-cells—producing large numbers of highly effective tumor killing T cells in a controlled manner in the patient.

The strategy uses a minimal dose of the patient's own T cells, engineered with a tumor-specific TCR (Seed), followed by periodic administration of TCR-matching and interleukin-2 (IL-2) carrying Immuno-STAT® molecules (Boost). This combination immunotherapy enables, for the first time, the establishment of a true therapeutic index for IL-2 by selectively delivering it to tumor-reactive T cells. The potential breakthrough approach offers to eliminate systemic cytokine toxicity, streamline manufacturing, and may deliver a deeper, more durable attack on malignant cells.