Marengo Therapeutics Enters Multi-Year Collaboration With University of Pennsylvania Institute for Immunology and Immune Health to Advance Next Wave Precision T Cell Immunology Research in Oncolog...
- Collaboration focuses on deeper exploration of Marengo's selective dual T cell agonists in oncology, and expansion of precision T cell depleting platform across a range of autoimmune diseases
- Partnership with world-renowned T cell expert E. John Wherry, PhD
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Marengo Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering novel discovery of reprogramming T cell repertoire for precision immunotherapy in oncology and autoimmune diseases, today announced a multi-year research collaboration in oncology and autoimmune diseases with E John Wherry, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Immunology and Immune Health (I3H) at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine (Penn).
The research collaboration with Dr. Wherry and his laboratory will provide deeper insights into the mechanism of action of Marengo's selective dual T cell agonists in oncology, while also accelerating the development of its novel precision T cell depletion platform (M-STAR) through translational research investigating the use of germline TCR regions in autoimmune diseases.
"By targeting germline-encoded regions of the TCR, Marengo's foundational platform enables the generation of new classes of selectively targeted T cell therapeutics that we believe will reprogram the T cell repertoire and unlock new therapeutic applications across a range of disease areas," said Andrew Bayliffe, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Marengo. "Partnering with the Wherry lab will improve our understanding of our selective T cell agonists in oncology and expand our pipeline of game-changing precision T cell depleters for autoimmune diseases."
Dr. Wherry, the Richard and Barbara Schiffrin President's Distinguished Professor and chair of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics at Penn, is a leading expert in T cell research. As demonstrated by his seminal work in characterizing mechanisms of T cell exhaustion and T cell checkpoint inhibition in oncology, Dr. Wherry's research focuses on high-dimensional immune profiling to identify targets that harness the immune system's ability to fight diverse immunological diseases.
"My team is dedicated to advancing innovative T cell therapies," said Professor Wherry, "The ability to selectively promote activation or depletion of T cell subsets has great potential in oncology and autoimmune diseases, respectively. Further understanding the disease association of these germline TCR regions compared to in healthy populations is relatively understudied and can identify valuable opportunities for precision immunology therapies in a range of diseases."
About Marengo Therapeutics
Marengo Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotech company, develops novel TCR-targeting antibodies that selectively modulate common and disease-specific T cell subsets of the germline TCR repertoire to provide lifelong protection against cancer and autoimmune diseases. With a passionate team of dedicated scientists experienced in immunology and oncology, and three proprietary platforms: Selective T Cell Activation Repertoire (STAR), Trispecific T Cell Engager (Tri-STAR) and T cell Depletor (MSTAR), Marengo is working to selectively target the right T cells in the right patients to create a world in which everyone's immune system can defeat cancer and autoimmune diseases. To learn more, visit marengotx.com.
About the STAR™ Platform
Marengo's STAR™ Platform is a multi-specific antibody-fusion platform derived from Marengo's proprietary library of antibodies targeting germline-encoded variable Vβ regions of the TCR fused to different T cell co-stimulatory moieties. Combining a novel non-clonal mode of TCR activation with a T cell co-stimulator in the same molecule promotes a distinct mechanism of action that promotes durable anti-tumor Vβ T cell responses.
About the MSTAR Platform
Marengo's MSTAR Platform is a first-in-class selective T cell depletion platform derived from Marengo's proprietary library of antibodies targeting a germline-encoded TCR variable region of the TCR. Combining novel T cell-depleting functionality and germline TCR-targeting, Marengo's MSTAR multi-specific constructs achieve precision depletion of subsets of T cells that encompass pathogenic T cells (e.g., malignant, autoreactive, etc.).
Marengo Contacts:
Media
Peg Rusconi I peg.rusconi@deerfieldgroup.com
Investors
Svetlana Makhni | smakhni@marengotx.com
Penn Contacts:
Eric Horvath I eric.horvath@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
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