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Akamis Bio

Biotech & Life Sciences · Abingdon, United Kingdom · Founded 2006

Akamis Bio is a clinical-stage oncology firm that originated as PsiOxus Therapeutics in 2006, following the merger of Myotec Therapeutics and Hybrid BioSystems. The company rebranded to Akamis Bio in January 2023, a move that coincided with a $30 million convertible note financing and a strategic pivot to establish a U.S. presence in Cambridge, Massachusetts, alongside its U.K. base in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. This transformation included the appointment of Howard Davis, Ph.D., as CEO in late 2022. The company's business model is centered on the development and commercialization of its proprietary Tumor-Specific Immuno-Gene Therapy (T-SIGn®) platform. This involves internal pipeline development, as well as strategic collaborations and licensing agreements with major pharmaceutical companies and research institutes. For instance, Akamis Bio granted Xuanzhu Biopharma the rights to its lead candidate, NG-350A, in the Greater China region, securing upfront payments, milestone eligibility, and sales royalties. The company's core technology, the T-SIGn® platform, utilizes a specially engineered virus to deliver gene therapies directly to solid tumors. This viral vector, based on a chimeric group B adenovirus, is designed to home in on and replicate within primary and metastatic tumor tissue after intravenous delivery. This targeted approach effectively turns cancer cells into 'drug factories' for therapeutic proteins and immune-stimulating biomolecules, without harming healthy tissue. The goal is to remodel the tumor microenvironment, making it recognizable and attackable by the patient's own immune system. Akamis Bio is advancing a pipeline of T-SIGn® therapeutics, with two main programs in Phase 1 clinical trials: NG-350A and NG-641. NG-350A is an immuno-stimulatory therapy that drives the intratumoral expression of a CD40 agonist monoclonal antibody, while NG-641 is a stromal-targeted therapy that expresses a FAP-CD3 bispecific antibody and several chemokines. These therapies are being evaluated as both monotherapies and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors for various epithelial-derived solid tumors, including locally advanced rectal cancer and pancreatic cancer. The company has treated over 200 patients in clinical trials, demonstrating a consistent safety and tolerability profile. Akamis Bio has secured significant funding to advance its clinical programs. Over eight rounds, the company has raised a total of $179 million. A key recent event was a $60 million Series D financing in December 2024, led by Sedgwick Yard. This followed a $30 million convertible note financing in January 2023, co-led by ARCH Venture Partners, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, and Westlake Village BioPartners. The company's investor base includes prominent names like Imperial Innovations, Mercia, SR One, and Invesco Perpetual. These funds are being used to advance the NG-350A program through a Phase 1b proof-of-concept study in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) and for general corporate purposes. The firm actively partners with leaders in the immuno-oncology field, including Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI), and the Cancer Research Institute (CRI), to explore combination therapies and expand the potential of its T-SIGn® platform. Keywords: immuno-oncology, gene therapy, solid tumors, adenovirus vector, T-SIGn platform, clinical-stage, cancer therapeutics, intravenous delivery, tumor microenvironment, CD40 agonist, NG-350A, NG-641, oncology drug development, locally advanced rectal cancer, pancreatic cancer treatment, biopharmaceutical, viral vector therapy, cancer research, immunotherapy, targeted therapy