ImmunOs conducting joint research with Merck in the USA

ImmunOs Therapeutics, a biotechnology firm based in Schlieren in the canton of Zurich, is now working with Merck & Co in the USA, further details of which can be found in a press release. As part of a clinical study, the partners are evaluating the active ingredient IOS-1002 developed by ImmunOs in combination with KEYTRUDA from Merck in advanced solid tumors. Merck & Co Inc. is based in Rahway in the US State of New Jersey.

IOS-1002 is designed to activate both innate and adaptive immune cells and to trigger anti-tumor activity. According to the press release, ImmunOs is currently enrolling patients in the Phase 1a/b study that was initiated at the start of the year to investigate the potential of IOS-1002 as a monotherapy and in combination with KEYTRUDA in adult patients with advanced solid tumors.

“In preclinical models, we have demonstrated that IOS-1002 in combination with KEYTRUDA acts additively to increase T cell activation and eliminate tumor cells”, explains Christoph Renner, Chief Medical Officer and co-founder of ImmunOs, in the press release. Now the focus will shift towards examining how IOS-1002 can be deployed in combination with KEYTRUDA, with the aim of activating “broader and deeper anti-tumor immune responses, leading to significantly better outcomes for more cancer patients”.

“There is a significant unmet clinical need to treat patients with advanced solid tumors who have no further therapeutic options, and we believe IOS-1002 can play a pivotal role in closing this therapeutic gap”, comments Sean R. Smith, CEO of ImmunOs, in the press release.

ImmunOs Therapeutics AG, headquartered at Bio-Technopark Schlieren-Zurich, is a spin-off from the University of Zurich (UZH) and the University of Basel. ce/gba