Sanofi to divest cancer biotech it bought for $1B, axe 100 staffers in California
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amunix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Amunix”), an immuno-oncology company leveraging its proprietary, clinically validated Pro-XTEN technology platform to discover and develop transformative T cell engager and cytokine therapies for patients with cancer, today announced that it has expanded its board of directors with the appointment of Frank Watanabe, CEO of Arcutis and a biopharmaceutical executive with extensive leadership, strategy, operations and financing experience.
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, April 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amunix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Amunix”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing masked, protease-activated immune-oncology therapeutics to bring the promise of these potent therapies to patients with solid tumor cancers, today announced data were presented from its lead program AMX-818 (HER2-XPAT), at the AACR Annual Meeting. The data demonstrate that AMX-818, a masked T cell engager (TCE) that targets HER2 expressing tumors, is preferentially activated, as designed, in the protease-rich tumor microenvironment leading to robust tumor regression in HER2 tumor models and in non-human primates (NHP) achieved concentrations approximately 450 times higher than the unmasked TCE without causing cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or systemic T cell activation characteristic of T cell engagers.
Exactly one year after Amunix Pharmaceuticals raised $73 million, the tech-licensing company turned cancer biotech is drawing another $117 million from the venture capital well. The funds will fuel the development of T-cell engager and cytokine treatments for solid tumors, including the advancement of its lead asset into the clinic.
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amunix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Amunix”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing masked, protease-activated immune-oncology therapeutics to bring the promise of these potent therapies to patients with solid tumor cancers, today announced that it has raised $117 million Series B financing. The funding round was led by Viking Global Investors with participation from a premier syndicate of funds, including new investors Bain Capital Life Sciences, BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, Janus Henderson Investors, ArrowMark Partners, Avidity Partners, certain funds managed by Clough Capital Partners, and CaaS Capital Management. Also participating in the round were existing investors Redmile Group, Venrock, Casdin Capital, Omega Funds, Frazier Healthcare Partners, Longitude Capital, and Polaris Partners.
Amunix turned heads back in March when it raised $73 million in a series A funding round that effectively transformed the company from a technology licenser to a biotech innovator. Amunix has been around since 2006, offering its half-life-extension technology to other biopharma developers. The funding allowed it to apply its tools to develop drugs that harness the immune system’s T cells to attack solid tumors.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amunix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Amunix”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing prodrugs to bring the promise of potent immune-activating biotherapeutics to patients with solid tumor cancers, today announced that it will present preclinical data on two T cell engager programs: AMX-818, the company’s lead clinical candidate, which targets HER2, and a second targeting EGFR (EGFR-XPAT), an earlier stage discovery candidate, at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Virtual Annual Meeting II taking place June 22 - 24, 2020.
Amunix Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing prodrugs to bring the promise of potent immune-activating biotherapeutics to patients with solid tumor cancers, today announced the successful completion of an oversubscribed $73 million Series A financing. Boston-based Omega Funds led the financing, with participation from existing investor Frazier Healthcare Partners and new investors Longitude Capital, Redmile Group, Polaris Partners, Casdin Capital, Two River, Venrock, and Delian Capital.
Amunix plans to move its lead T-cell engager into the clinic after years of licensing its half-life extension technology to leading drug developers.