Indapta Therapeutics Raises $22.5M for Cancer and Autoimmune Trials

Indapta Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology firm based in Houston and Seattle, has successfully secured $22.5 million in new financing. This substantial investment, provided by existing backers such as RA Capital Management, Leaps by Bayer, Vertex Ventures HC, Pontifax, and the Myeloma Investment Fund, aims to expedite the clinical advancement of Indapta's next-generation allogeneic Natural Killer (NK) cell therapies. These therapies are being developed to combat cancer and autoimmune diseases.

Mark Frohlich, the CEO of Indapta, emphasized that this financial boost will enable the company to gather significant additional data from its ongoing cancer trials and generate initial results from its first autoimmune disease trial. He noted that preliminary findings related to their IDP-023 product in cancer treatment have been promising, and the company is eager to commence a Phase 1 trial for multiple sclerosis in the first quarter of 2025. Frohlich also highlighted a recent collaboration with Sanofi, underscoring the potential of Indapta's unique platform.

Indapta is making strides in the clinical trials of its lead product, IDP-023. The company has completed patient enrollment for the safety segment of its Phase 1 trial involving Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) and Multiple Myeloma (MM). During this trial phase, patients received up to three doses of IDP-023, both with and without interleukin (IL)-2. At a recent Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer meeting, it was reported that responding myeloma patients with relapsed or refractory disease experienced an average maximum reduction of 73% in serum M-protein or light chain, with three patients achieving reductions of 84% or more. Furthermore, ongoing enrollment is taking place for cohorts that will receive IDP-023 in combination with monoclonal antibodies targeting CD20 or CD38.

In August, Indapta announced that the FDA had cleared its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for IDP-023 in combination with ocrelizumab for treating progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Indapta's approach distinguishes itself from other cellular strategies for treating autoimmune diseases through three key mechanisms. Firstly, by combining IDP-023 with a B cell-targeting antibody such as ocrelizumab, the therapy can more effectively deplete B cells compared to using the antibody alone. Secondly, Indapta's g-NK cells have the capability to target autoreactive T and B cells, which often upregulate HLA-E. Thirdly, thanks to the inherent antiviral properties of g-NK cells, they have the potential to address the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reservoir, which plays a role in disease pathogenesis.

Indapta Therapeutics is a privately-held biotechnology company dedicated to developing a comprehensive pipeline of cell therapies designed to meet the unmet medical needs of patients suffering from blood and solid-tumor cancers, as well as autoimmune diseases. The company's proprietary platform harnesses naturally occurring g-NK cells to create highly potent, accessible, and scalable cell therapies that aim to be best-in-class solutions. Through its innovative approach, Indapta seeks to make significant strides in the field of medical treatment, offering hope to patients facing challenging health conditions.