Immatics secures funding to develop T-cell receptor based immunotherapies

The company received series E financing, which was supported by existing investors such as dievini Hopp Biotech, Wellington Partners and AT Impf GmbH, as well as by new life science investors and biotechnology firm Amgen.

Immatics will use the funding to advance its pipeline of adoptive cell therapies in a series of clinical trials, including ACTolog endogenous T-cell therapy IMA101 and ACTengine therapy IMA201.

These are based on transducing a patient’s own T-cells to express a tumor-specific exogenous T-cell receptor (TCR) and redirecting activated T-cells to the tumor sites

Immatics will also use funding to continue to develop bispecific TCR candidates, which can redirect and activate the T-cell response towards cancer cells expressing specific tumor targets.

Through using Xpresident technology, the company will also discover and validate novel tumor targets for cancer immunotherapy.

ACTolog concept is based on the principle of endogenous T-cell therapy. These generated from peripheral blood cells with defined target selectivity.

XPresident technology can identify targets in virtually any type of cancer. This technology offers novel, specific and cancer targets that allow to develop advanced immunotherapies for cancer.

ACTengine approach is based on genetically engineering a patient’s own T-cells to express an exogenous T-cell receptor (TCR) to distinguish the cancer cell targets as identified by Immatics’ XPresident platform.

Immatics chairman Peter Chambré said: “We are very pleased to have been supported in this financing by our existing shareholders and a number of major new shareholders, including Amgen, with whom the Company signed a strategic collaboration earlier this year.

“During the period covered by this financing we expect to receive initial patient data from the current Immatics’ IMA101 and IMA201 adoptive cell therapy clinical trials, as well as commencing trials of further ACTengine candidates.”