ImmunoGenesis

About ImmunoGenesis

ImmunoGenesis is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology biopharmaceutical company established in 2019 by Dr. Michael A. Curran. The company focuses on developing treatments for "cold" tumors, which constitute more than half of all cancers and are resistant to current immunotherapies due to mechanisms that suppress the immune response. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

The founder, Dr. Michael Curran, is a Professor of Immunology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. His career has been dedicated to cancer research, notably contributing to the development of the first FDA-approved immunotherapy combination, a CTLA-4 and PD-1 inhibitor. This background directly informs the company's strategy, which is rooted in the pathology of cold tumors and aims to overcome their immune resistance. Dr. Curran's work at his MD Anderson lab, established in 2012, has focused on identifying resistance mechanisms in cancers like prostate and colorectal, and designing targeted therapeutic interventions. He serves as the head of the company's Scientific Advisory Board, which includes distinguished leaders in immuno-oncology from prestigious cancer centers.

ImmunoGenesis's business model centers on the research and development of a pipeline of proprietary immune therapies. As a clinical-stage company, its operations are funded through venture capital and grants. The company has secured significant funding, including a grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) and investments from firms like Adit Ventures, BioAdvance, and the Cancer Focus Fund, to advance its clinical trials.

The company's lead product candidate is IMGS-001, a dual-specific monoclonal antibody that targets both PD-L1 and PD-L2. This approach is designed to be more effective than existing therapies that only block the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. By targeting both ligands, IMGS-001 aims to provide a more comprehensive blockade of the PD-1 pathway. Furthermore, it is engineered with a cytotoxic function to eliminate the immunosuppressive cells in the tumor microenvironment, thereby converting immunologically "cold" tumors into "hot" tumors that are responsive to immune attack. The first patient was dosed in a Phase 1a/1b clinical trial in September 2023 for advanced solid tumors. A second clinical program, IMGS-101 (evofosfamide), is a hypoxia-reversal agent designed to reoxygenate the tumor microenvironment, allowing T-cells to infiltrate and attack cancerous cells, thus priming the tumor for enhanced checkpoint inhibition. A Phase 1/2 trial for IMGS-101 began in March 2025.