Grant from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) provides external validation of Ypsilon’s platform and lead asset
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ypsilon Therapeutics, a portfolio company of 82VS, Alloy’s venture studio, has been awarded $2.7 million in seed funding from CPRIT. Ypsilon will use the grant to rapidly advance its lead therapeutic program, a next generation T-cell receptor mimic (TCRm) antibody, to drug candidate nomination, furthering its mission to deliver breakthrough treatments for patients with difficult to treat solid tumors such as triple negative breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and gastric cancer. Ypsilon’s CPRIT grant, one of nine awards selected from 90 applicants, will also fund the critical establishment of the company’s operations in Texas.
TCRms are an emerging class of antibody-based drugs that have been engineered to bind with high specificity to intracellular protein fragments presented on the surface of cells by major histocompatibility complex molecules (pMHC). Compared to traditional antibodies that only target soluble or cell surface proteins, TCRms enable targeting of an expanded set of intracellular proteins including cancer testes antigens and other oncogenic drivers that are highly specific to tumor cells. Ypsilon is developing bispecific T cell engager molecules that can bind tumor associated pMHC complexes and drive potent cell killing.
“We founded Ypsilon to leverage the incredible specificity of how TCRs interact with proteins on the surface of cancer cells to enable new ways to target and treat cancer with high precision and efficacy,” said Dr. Dongxing Zha, CEO/Co-Founder of Ypsilon and CTO of TCR Discovery and Engineering at Alloy. “The award from CPRIT will allow us to advance our lead TCRm program to drug candidate nomination and support our move to Texas, where I spent seven years of my career at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. I look forward to further contributing to the growth and success of the Texas biotech community.”
Ypsilon’s innovative TCRm programs leverage Alloy’s Keyway™ TCR Discovery platform, which was developed by Dr. Zha. Alloy’s Keyway TCR Discovery platform is the first fully-integrated service offering to unlock the therapeutic potential of a variety of T-cell receptor-based modalities. Keyway’s end-to-end TCRm discovery service includes pMHC production, antibody discovery in Alloy’s suite of transgenic humanized mice, specificity screening, and generation of optimized T cell engagers. The combined support from CPRIT, 82VS, and Alloy Therapeutics strengthens the impact of Ypsilon’s research in addressing critical patients.
“The CPRIT grant is a significant endorsement of Ypsilon’s approach to developing novel cancer therapeutics and highlights 82VS’s ability to identify and launch companies with strong potential to secure external funding,” said Errik Anderson, CEO and Founder of Alloy Therapeutics and General Partner at 82VS. “Ypsilon is leveraging the Keyway platform within Alloy, showcasing our commitment to democratizing access to advanced biologics discovery services and cutting-edge technologies. We’re confident that Ypsilon’s move to Texas will not only strengthen the state’s world-class biomedical community, but also enhance our ability to discover and support promising Texas-based companies through the 82VS portfolio.”
About 82VS
82VS is the venture studio of Alloy Therapeutics, empowering exceptional scientist-entrepreneurs building therapeutic drug companies leveraging Alloy’s platforms and services. Aligned with the collaborative ecosystem ethos at Alloy, 82VS looks to partner and collaborate at every stage of the process supporting teams from ideation through to company creation, discovery, financing, and scaling of their businesses.
About Alloy Therapeutics
Alloy Therapeutics, Inc. is a biotechnology ecosystem company empowering the global scientific community to make better medicines together. Through a community of partners across academia, biotech, and the largest biopharma, Alloy democratizes access to pre-competitive tools, technologies, services, and company creation capabilities that are foundational for discovering and developing therapeutic biologics across six modalities: antibodies, TCRs, genetic medicines, peptides, cell therapies, and drug delivery. Partners may access all current and future technologies through a discovery service relationship or for a flat fee through Alloy’s Innovation Subscriptions offering. As a reflection of Alloy’s relentless commitment to the scientific community, Alloy reinvests 100% of its revenue in innovation and access to innovation.
Join the Alloy Therapeutics community by visiting alloytx.com and following Alloy on LinkedIn.
About CPRIT
CPRIT was established in 2007 by the Texas Legislature with a three-part mission to invest in the research prowess of Texas universities and research organizations; create and expand life science infrastructure across the state; and expedite innovation in research and enhance the potential of breakthroughs in prevention and cures. As a $6 billion initiative, it is the largest state cancer research investment in the history of the United States and the second-largest cancer research and prevention program in the world.
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