Elicio Therapeutics Secures $33 Million Series B Financing to Advance Novel Lymph Node-Targeted Immunotherapies

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) recently learned that on October 4, 2019, Elicio Therapeutics, a next-generation U.S. cancer immunotherapy company, completed a $33 million Series B financing round. Investors included Livzon International Ventures I, Clal Biotechnology Industries (CBI), and Efung Capital, among others.

It is reported that the funds from this round of financing will be used to advance Elicio Therapeutics’ novel lymph node-targeted immunotherapies, including the amphiphilic mKRAS vaccine (AMP KRAS) ELI-002. ELI-002 targets seven KRAS mutations that cover 99% of cancers driven by KRAS gene mutations, accounting for approximately 25% of all human solid tumor types.

Currently, Elicio Therapeutics’ AMP KRAS vaccine, ELI-002, has completed preclinical validation, IND application preparations, and a pre-IND meeting with the FDA. Elicio Therapeutics plans to initiate preliminary clinical studies in pancreatic cancer patients in the first half of 2020. Preliminary data for ELI-002 in pancreatic cancer patients are expected to be released in the second half of 2020.

Robert Connelly, CEO of Elicio Therapeutics, stated, “We believe that ELI-002 has the potential to become a universal mKRAS vaccine, offering therapeutic and preventive benefits for thousands of patients with mKRAS-driven cancers, including pancreatic, colorectal, and lung cancers. This additional funding serves as strong validation of this program, our amphipathic peptide platform, and our progress.”

Elicio Therapeutics, a tumor immunology company, is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. The company is dedicated to treating cancer by modulating the human immune response. By integrating technologies from materials science and immunology, it engineers highly active amphiphilic immunotherapeutic molecules, including lymph node-targeted cell therapy activators, immunomodulators, adjuvants, and vaccines for a range of malignant cancers.

Elicio Therapeutics’ amphiphile platform precisely targets and directly delivers immunogens and cell therapy activators to the lymphatic system, the “command center” of the immune response, significantly enhancing the body’s own defense mechanisms. Once in the lymph nodes, antigen-presenting cells (APCs) signal immune cells to maximize therapeutic immune responses against disease. This strategy has been employed to boost the activity of immunostimulants, antigens, adjuvants, and cell therapies, particularly in cases where traditional forms of immunostimulants elicit little or no response. By precisely targeting these immunotherapies to the lymph nodes, amphiphiles can unlock their full potential to generate and enhance anti-tumor immune responses. This markedly enhanced anti-tumor efficacy may ultimately unleash the full potential of the immune response to eliminate cancer.

Elicio Therapeutics is dedicated to transforming the lives of patients and their families by overcoming cancer through the redesign of the human immune response. By combining expertise in materials science and immunology, Elicio is designing amphiphile-based immunotherapies, including lymph node-targeting cell therapy activators, immunomodulators, adjuvants, and vaccines for a range of aggressive cancers.

(Compiled by: Ning Chen)