Research we fund

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.

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).

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).

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.

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).

In XXXX 2023, LLS made an equity investment in Enterome to "Support Clinical Development of EO2463 for indolent lymphomas."

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 1/2 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).

In June 2023, LLS made an equity investment in Rgenta Therapeutics to "Support development of RNA-targeting molecules for blood cancers." 

Rgenta Therapeutics is developing a pipeline of oral, small-molecule RNA-targeting medicines with an initial focus on oncology and neurological disorders. Rgenta has a proprietary platform to mine the massive genomics data to identify targetable RNA processing events and to design small-molecule glues to modulate the interactions among the spliceosome, regulatory proteins, and RNAs. 

Rgenta is working closely with LLS TAP to further develop RNA-targeting molecules by supporting preclinical studies with the goal of moving towards clinical development in hematological malignancies. 

In May 2023, LLS made an equity investment in Dimericon to "Support development of dimericons (crosslinked helix dimers) for blood cancers." 

Dimericon is a private biotech company focused on exploring crosslinked helix dimers (Dimericons) as therapeutics and templates for small molecule development. Dimericon’s technology targets hard-to-drug intracellular protein-protein interactions using rationally designed mimetics of helix dimers. The Seed round of financing will support preclinical studies to further develop the current cFLIP inhibitor lead compound, DMRX1004, to be an IND ready clinical candidate in hematological malignancies.

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).

In August 2017, LLS TAP partnered with Ryvu Therapeutics (formerly known as Selvita) to support "A Phase Ib 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. RVU120 is currently in a Phase I clinical trial in patients with acute myeloid leukemia or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (NCT04021368), enrolling in the US and Poland. 

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.