3D render illustration of T cell cancer cell synapse overlayed with blue/orange gradient.
3D render illustration of T cell cancer cell synapse overlayed with blue/orange gradient.
SCIENCE

The right
activation
of the right
T cells.

An important biological discovery expands horizons for cancer treatment
Marengo is taking an entirely different approach to improving patients’ T cell responses to cancer and tackling the shortcomings of current immuno-oncology (IO) therapies. Existing IO therapies have transformed cancer care, yet often are unable to overcome the dysfunctional T cell responses that develop in patients during cancer treatment. Currently, less than one-third of patients experience a durable response to existing treatments.
3D render illustration of a blue T cell with TCR activation.
anti-Vβ antibodies
mimics natural modes of
TCR activation
Our approach mimics natural, non-antigenic mechanisms of TCR activation, such as bacterial superantigen-induced TCR activation, with the flexible and convenient properties associated with therapeutic antibody platforms.
Normal in cancer: Antigen-specific TCR activation
Scientific illustration depicting cancer vs. canonical bacterial vs. Marengo TCR activation.
Canonical bacterial TCR activation pathway
Scientific illustration depicting cancer vs. canonical bacterial vs. Marengo TCR activation.
Marengo Therapeutics
TCR Activation
Scientific illustration depicting cancer vs. canonical bacterial vs. Marengo TCR activation.
White knockout Marengo logo
Pie chart of % T cells activated correlated to TCR structure.
Pie chart of % T cells activated correlated to TCR structure.
Activating & Expanding Subsets of Vβ Through Direct Activation of the TCR
Through our unique TCR binding mechanism, our antibodies activate and gradually expand specific Vβ T cell subsets with exquisite selectivity. These Vβ T cells adopt a novel effector memory phenotype and efficiently traffic to tumor sites.
Marengo’s Selective T Cell Activation Repertoire (STAR) Bi-Specific Platform
Our powerful, proprietary STAR platform builds additional functionality and targeting arms onto our foundational Vβ T cell activation platform to further “tune” Vβ T cell responses to treat a range of refractory cancers.
KEY FEATURES
We are developing potent Vβ-based therapeutics with highly desirable features for clinical-ready assets.
Scientific illustration depicting the efficacy, durability, and safety of potent Vβ-based therapeutics.
1 Potent Efficacy
  • Potent single-agent antitumor activity
  • Rapid expansion of activated CD8 + CD4 Vβ T cells (< 5 days)
  • Central memory reprogramming results in non-exhausted tumor infiltrating T cells
2 Durable Memory
  • Memory effector Vβ T cells drive long-term durability / tumor immunity
3 Improved Safety
  • Vβ variant activates <10% of the T cell compartment
  • Less pro-inflammatory cytokines
  • Regulatory T cells unaffected
1 Potent Efficacy
  • Potent single-agent antitumor activity
  • Rapid expansion of activated CD8 + CD4 Vβ T cells (< 5 days)
  • Central memory reprogramming results in non-exhausted tumor infiltrating T cells
2 Durable Memory
  • Memory effector Vβ T cells drive long-term durability / tumor immunity
3 Improved Safety
  • Vβ variant activates <10% of the T cell compartment
  • Less pro-inflammatory cytokines
  • Regulatory T cells unaffected
FLEXIBLE DESIGN
We are building purposeful molecules with the right utility. Our approach engineers diverse T cell functionality with different co-stimulatory signals and targets specific Vβ variants for different therapeutic needs.
Sci illo depicting how our approach engineers diverse T cell functionality with different co-stimulatory signals.
Sci illo depicting how our approach engineers diverse T cell functionality with different co-stimulatory signals.
Learn more about our
transformative portfolio
PIPELINE