Research we fund

In February 2021, LLS made an equity investment in Caribou Biosciences to support "A Phase 1, Multicenter, Open-Label Study of CB-010, a CRISPR-Edited Allogeneic Anti-CD19 CAR-T Cell Therapy in Patients With Relapsed/Refractory B Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma."Caribou is a leading clinical-stage biotechnology company, co-founded by CRISPR pioneer and Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D., using next-generation CRISPR genome-editing technology to develop “off-the-shelf” (allogeneic) CAR therapies for hard-to-treat blood cancers.CB-010, Caribou’s lead allogeneic CAR-T cell program, targets CD19 and is being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial expansion cohort for second-line patients with large B cell lymphoma (LBCL). (NCT04637763). It is the first clinical-stage allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy in which PD-1 was genetically disrupted in the CAR-T genome, leading to more durable anti-tumor activity in pre-clinical studies.

Project Term: February 28, 2021 - TBD

In July 2019, LLS expanded its partnership with Forty Seven by making an equity investment to support "ENHANCE: A Randomized, Double-blind, Multicenter Study Comparing Magrolimab in Combination With Azacitidine Versus Azacitidine Plus Placebo in Treatment-naïve Patients With Higher Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome." LLS funded Stanford University researchers and founders of Forty Seven, Irv Weissman, MD, and Ravi Majeti, MD, PhD, to study seminal work in macrophages. Forty Seven was a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company that was developing therapies targeting cancer immune evasion pathways and specific cell targeting approaches based on technology licensed from Stanford University. Gilead Sciences acquired Forty Seven in March 2020 and continues to develop magrolimab in multiple clinical studies in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and solid tumors. Magrolimab is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody against the CD47 receptor. Magrolimab is being investigated in multiple Phase 3 clinical studies. One Phase 3 study supported in part by LLS TAP involves magrolimab in combination with azacitidine for the treatment-naive patients with higher risk myelodysplastic syndrome (NCT04313881).

Project Term: July 17, 2019 - April 7, 2020

In August 2018, LLS partnered with Sutro Biopharma to support "A Phase 1 Open-Label, Safety, Pharmacokinetic and Preliminary Efficacy Study of STRO-001, an Anti-CD74 Antibody Drug Conjugate, in Patients With Advanced B-Cell Malignancies." Sutro Biopharma is a clinical-stage drug discovery, development and manufacturing company that uses precise protein engineering and rational design to advance next-generation oncology therapeutics. STRO-001 is a CD74-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) currently being investigated in a Phase 1 clinical trial of patients with advanced B-cell malignancies, including multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NCT03424603). STRO-001 is a new generation of ADC with more efficient homogeneous ADC design, which has the potential to minimize unwanted toxicity and improve clinical impact over prior technologies.

Project Term: August 10, 2018 - December 31, 2023