Research we fund

In June 2025, LLS made an equity investment in Auron Therapeutics to "Support Clinical Development of AUTX-703 in Relapsed/Refractory AML and MDS."Auron Therapeutics is a platform-powered company targeting cell-state plasticity to improve patient outcomes in oncology and inflammatory disease. Auron pioneered its AURIGIN platform, which uses AI and machine learning to compare cell states and identify novel drug targets, optimal development models, and biomarkers to facilitate proper patient selection, ultimately accelerating the development of effective and durable therapies.  Leveraging its AURIGIN platform, KAT2A/B was identified as a key driver of cell plasticity and disease. AUTX-703 is a first-in-class, oral KAT2A/B degrader and is being evaluated in a Phase 1 dose escalation and dose optimization study in patients with relapsed/refractory AML or MDS (NCT06846606). 

Project Term: June 25, 2025 - TBD

In October 2023, LLS made an equity investment in Vittoria to "Support Clinical Development of VIPER-101, a CAR-T Cell Therapy for T-cell lymphomas."Vittoria Biotherapeutics is developing novel CAR-T cell therapies that transcend the limitations of current cell therapies. Based on technology exclusively licensed from the University of Pennsylvania, Vittoria's proprietary Senza5 platform unlocks the antitumor potential of engineered T cells and utilizes a five-day manufacturing process to maximize stemness, durability, and target cell cytotoxicity. By acting on the fundamental biology of T cells, Senza5 can be used to improve the efficacy of engineered T cell therapies with pipeline applications in oncology and autoimmune diseases.Vittoria aims to conduct a Phase 1 dose escalation clinical trial for its lead program VIPER-101, an autologous, dual population CD5-knockout CAR-T cell therapy for T-cell Lymphoma featuring the novel Senza5 platform technology. The Phase 1 trial is ongoing to assess the safety and efficacy of VIPER-101 in patients with T-cell lymphomas (NCT06420089).

Project Term: October 31, 2023 - TBD

In October 2023, LLS made an equity investment in Enterome to "support the ongoing Phase 2 SIDNEY study of EO2463 in indolent non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma."Enterome is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing breakthrough immunomodulatory drugs for the treatment of cancer and immune diseases. Enterome’s pioneering approach to drug discovery is based on its unique and powerful bacterial Mimicry drug discovery platform, allowing it to analyze and uncover new biological insights from the millions of gut bacterial proteins in constant cross-talk with the human body. Its first-in-class small protein and peptide drug candidates modulate the immune system by closely mimicking the structure, effect or actions of specific antigens, hormones, or cytokines. EO2463 is a clinical-stage off-the-shelf OncoMimics™ peptide-based immunotherapy. It combines four microbial-derived OncoMimics™ peptides that closely mimic specific cytotoxic T cell (CD8+ T cell) epitopes in B cell Tumor-Associated Antigens CD20, CD22, CD37, and CD268 (BAFF receptor), as well as a helper CD4 peptide, UCP2. The SIDNEY trial is a multicenter, Phase 2 trial investigating EO2463 in monotherapy and in combination with standard of care - rituximab and rituximab in combination with lenalidomide – for treatment of patients with indolent NHL (NCT04669171).

Project Term: October 24, 2023 - TBD

In June 2022, LLS made an equity investment in ImCheck Therapeutics to "Support Clinical Development of the ICT01 Program for Blood Cancer Indications."ImCheck Therapeutics is designing and developing a new generation of immunotherapeutic antibodies targeting butyrophilins, a novel super-family of immunomodulators.ICT01 is a humanized, anti-BTN3A (also known as CD277) monoclonal antibody that selectively activates γ9δ2 T cells, which are part of the innate immune system that is responsible for immunosurveillance of malignancy and infections. The EVICTION study is currently enrolling a Phase 2 cohort expansion of ICT01 in combination with azacitidine and venetoclax in patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (NCT04243499).

Project Term: June 13, 2022 - TBD

In January 2023, LLS made an equity investment in BioInvent to "Support Clinical Development of BI-1206 for NHL Indications and BI-1808 for T-Cell Lymphoma Indications Including CTCL."BioInvent International AB is a clinical-stage biotech company that discovers and develops novel and first-in-class immuno-modulatory antibodies for cancer therapy, with currently four drug candidates in five ongoing clinical programs in Phase 1/2 trials for the treatment of hematological cancer and solid tumors, respectively. The Company's validated, proprietary F.I.R.S.T™ technology platform identifies both targets and the antibodies that bind to them, generating many promising new drug candidates to fuel the Company's own clinical development pipeline and providing licensing and partnering opportunities.BI-1808 is an anti-TNFR2 antibody being evaluated in a Phase 2 trial, as a single agent and in combination with the anti-PD-1 therapy Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) in patients with ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (NCT04752826).

Project Term: January 17, 2023 - TBD

In March 2020, LLS made an equity investment in Kymera Therapeutics to "Support Studies with Protein Degraders for Development in Hematological Patients."Kymera Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded with the mission to discover, develop, and commercialize transformative therapies while leading the evolution of targeted protein degradation, a transformative new approach to address previously intractable disease targets. Whereas most targeted therapies inhibit or inactivate the proteins or genes that drive the cancer, targeted protein degradation harnesses the body’s natural system of ridding itself of unwanted, “old” or “broken” components of cells.KT-253 is a MDM2 protein degrader and is enrolling AML patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT05775406).

Project Term: March 11, 2020 - TBD

In June 2022, LLS made an equity investment in Faron Pharmaceuticals to "Support Clinical Development of the Bexmarilimab Program for Leukemia Indications."Faron is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel treatments for medical conditions with significant unmet needs caused by dysfunction of our immune system. The Company currently has a pipeline based on the receptors involved in regulation of immune response in oncology, organ damage and bone marrow regeneration. Bexmarilimab, a novel anti-Clever-1 humanized antibody, is its investigative precision immunotherapy with the potential to provide permanent immune stimulation for difficult-to-treat cancers through targeting myeloid function. A Phase 2 study (BEXMAB) of bexmarilimab in combination with azacitidine is currently enrolling high-risk MDS patients in the US and Finland (NCT05428969).

Project Term: June 30, 2022 - TBD

In March 2021, LLS made an equity investment in Immune-Onc Therapeutics to support the "Phase 1 Clinical Development of IO-202, An Antibody Targeting LILRB4, for the Treatment of AML with Monocytic Differentiation and CMML."Immune-Onc is a private, clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel myeloid checkpoint inhibitors for cancer patients. The company aims to translate unique scientific insights in myeloid cell biology and immune inhibitory receptors to discover and develop first-in-class biotherapeutics that reverse immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment. Immune-Onc has a differentiated pipeline with a current focus on targeting the Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor subfamily B (LILRB) of myeloid checkpoints. The company’s work builds on early research by Chengcheng (Alec) Zhang, Ph.D. at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center that was also funded by LLS grants.IO-202 is a first-in-class antibody targeting the LILRB4 and has entered a phase 1 cohort expansion clinical trial (NCT0437243) for the treatment of AML (IO-202 in combination with azacitidine) and CMML (IO-202 in combination with azacitidine). 

Project Term: March 5, 2021 - TBD

In August 2013, LLS began its first European partnership with Affimed that supported two clinical trials for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients. Expanding upon the initial work supported by LLS TAP, Affimed is currently enrolling "A Phase 2 Study of Innate Cell Engager AFM13 in Combination With Allogeneic Natural Killer Cells (AB-101) in Subjects With Recurrent or Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma and CD30 Positive Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma."Affimed is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer by actualizing the untapped potential of the innate immune system using the proprietary ROCK® platform to enable a tumor-targeted approach to recognize and kill a range of hematologic and solid tumors.AFM13 is bispecific tetravalent engager targeting CD30 on tumor cells and CD16A on NK cells and macrophages. AFM13 in combination with AB-101 (allogeneic natural killer cells) is currently in a Phase 2 clinical trial in relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma or CD30-positive PTCL (NCT05883449).

Project Term: August 26, 2013 - TBD

In July 2012, LLS began its partnership with Constellation to support three first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trials for blood cancer patients and the partnership led to the ongoing trial "A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-blind, Active-Control Study of CPI-0610 and Ruxolitinib vs. Placebo and Ruxolitinib in JAKi Treatment Naive MF Patients."Constellation Pharmaceuticals was a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics that selectively modulate gene expression to address serious unmet medical needs in patients with cancer. MorphoSys acquired Constellation in July 2021 and continues to enroll patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms in multiple clinical studies.Pelabresib (CPI-0610) is a small molecule inhibitor of bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) proteins. A Phase 3 clinical trial (NCT04603495) of pelabresib in combination with ruxolitinib for myelofibrosis patients that have not been previously treated with Janus kinase inhibitors completed enrollment.

Project Term: July 31, 2012 - TBD

In November 2022, LLS made an equity investment in Dren Bio to "Support Clinical Development of the DR-01 Program for Rare Leukemia & Lymphoma Indications Including Large Granular Lymphocyte Leukemia (LGLL) and Cytotoxic Lymphomas."Dren Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune and other serious diseases. Dren Bio’s pipeline encompasses two distinct programs, the first focusing on the engineering of antibodies with enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) capabilities and the second revolving around its proprietary Targeted Myeloid Engager and Phagocytosis Platform.DR-01 is a novel antibody targeting CD94 which is known to be upregulated on LGLL cells. DR-01 functions through depletion of target cells via ADCC by means of fratricide, a method in which the same cell type induces ADCC on each other. A Phase 1/2 trial is ongoing to assess the safety and efficacy of DR-01 in previously treated LGLL patients and cytotoxic lymphomas (NCT05475925).DR-0201 is a first-in-class bispecific antibody capable of engaging tissue-resident and trafficking myeloid cells to induce deep B cell depletion via targeted phagocytosis. DR-0201 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 study in B-NHL patients (NCT06392477).

Project Term: November 21, 2022 - TBD

In August 2017, LLS TAP partnered with Ryvu Therapeutics (formerly known as Selvita) to support "A Phase 1b Study of SEL120 in Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia or High-risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome."Ryvu Therapeutics is a clinical-stage drug discovery and development company focusing on novel small molecule therapies that address emerging targets in oncology using a proprietary discovery engine platform.RVU120 (SEL120) is a highly selective first-in-class CDK8/CDK19 small molecule inhibitor. Ryvu is currently enrolling several Phase 2 clinical trials: RVU120 in combination with venetoclax for patients with relapsed/refractory AML (RIVER-81, NCT06191263), RVU120 as monotherapy for patients with low-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (REMARK, NCT06243458) and RVU120 as monotherapy and in combination with ruxolitinib for patients with myelofibrosis (POTAMI-61, NCT06397313).

Project Term: August 7, 2017 - TBD