Drug notes:
AB821 Clin0 oncology; AB359 Clin0 viral infection; 4 undisclosed programs RD oncology, autoimmune conditions
About:
Asher Biotherapeutics is developing immunotherapies for cancer and other diseases. Immunotherapies are a promising strategy for cancer treatment; however, they indiscriminately act on multiple cell types and thus cause side effects. Asher is pioneering cis-targeting immunotherapies that only activate the immune cell types that drive the desired therapeutic effect. Cis-targeting works by engaing two receptors, an immunomodulatory receptor and a specific surface marker, present on the same immune cell to achieve higher selectivity. Asher is identifying drugs using their cis-targeting platform that can be tailored for different immune cells. Asher’s lead molecule, AB248, specifically activates CD8+ effector T cells and is being investigated against multiple solid tumors.