Conformation-X Therapeutics Bolts out of Stealth, Securing Over $13.5M in Funding to Propel Its Innovative Immune-Oncology Pipeline
3.4.2024 13:55:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Conformation-X Therapeutics, LLC, an immune-oncology focused drug development company, announced today that it has closed an oversubscribed funding tranche of $3.65M, bringing the total raised since inception to over $13.5M. The company unveiled its lead assets by disclosing successful ex vivo and in vivo proof-of-concept studies for its HHLA2 and IL18BP programs, marking critical milestones in the cancer drug development process.
Drawing inspiration from the fundamental role of protein conformations in disease biology and drug efficacy, Conformation-X applies unparalleled precision to developing novel immune checkpoint inhibitors. The company is creating a comprehensive portfolio of differentiated therapeutics addressing cancer mechanisms that have eluded existing treatments.
“The limitations of current checkpoint therapies are evident, as they don’t fully target the diverse spectrum of mechanisms associated with non-responsiveness and treatment resistance,” said Dr. Ali H. Munawar, CEO of Conformation-X Therapeutics.
Despite the pivotal role of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in cancer immunotherapy, several peer-reviewed clinical studies have shown that the overall response rate across various cancers remains at or below 20%. Patients facing resistance to conventional checkpoint therapies encounter a range of challenges. This includes tumors that inherently possess low immunogenicity, are less likely to trigger an immune response, and immune exclusion, which restricts immune cells from the tumor microenvironment (TME). Moreover, complex genetic landscapes featuring oncogenic drivers and epigenetic modifications further contribute to immune evasion and influence treatment outcomes.
Dr. Munawar added, “We are committed to pioneering alternative therapeutic options for these patients by targeting novel biology and molecular pathways. The successive rounds of funding are a testament to our investors’ confidence in the innovation and rigor behind our efforts.”
The recent capital infusion accelerates the company towards translational studies of its lead asset and facilitates the expansion of its pipeline. The company's pipeline encompasses diverse drug target classes, extending beyond the current landscape of immune checkpoints to include novel soluble and epigenetic checkpoints while continuing to innovate within the B7-family of receptors.
“Achieving selective therapeutic targeting of HHLA2 demonstrates our team’s profound understanding of its intricate structure-function relationship and the critical role that HHLA2 plays in tumor immune evasion. Our work highlights the strength of Conformation-X’s drug discovery platform,” said Dr. Stephen Weeks, Sr. Director of Structural Biology and Biophysics.
About Conformation-X Therapeutics
Conformation-X utilizes a proprietary discovery platform enriched by structural insights to pioneer therapeutics with innovative mechanisms of action. The company is developing a diverse portfolio of immunotherapies that activate both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system. The company’s premier preclinical asset includes a potent HHLA2-inhibitor that selectively restores its immune-suppressing effect with application in PD1/PDL1-negative cancers. To learn more visit www.conformationx.com.
Conformation-X Therapeutics is an independent, privately held research & development (R&D) company affiliated with the Pledge Therapeutics discovery platform.
About Pledge Therapeutics
Pledge Therapeutics is headquartered in Greater Boston with a second R&D branch in Leuven, Belgium. Pledge harnesses a state-of-the-art platform that merges structure-based drug design with biophysics, facilitating breakthroughs in the design of treatments for challenging therapeutic targets.
Pledge is grounded in a collaborative ethos, drawing on a network of experienced life sciences entrepreneurs, clinicians, and discovery scientists. Under its management umbrella, Pledge unites two independent biotech ventures: Orthogon Therapeutics, which specializes in antiviral treatments, and Conformation-X, dedicated to advancements in immune-oncology. This integrated model reinforces Pledge’s mission to revolutionize patient care across diverse therapeutic areas. More info on www.pledge-tx.com.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240403623298/en/
Contact information
Media
Ali H. Munawar, Ph.D.
amunawar@conformationx.com
1-339-502-8643
Maria Martin
mmartin@pledge-tx.com
1-339-502-8630
Krishna Kandala
kkandala@pledge-tx.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
SLB Announces Date for Second-Quarter 2026 Results Conference Call26.5.2026 20:00:00 EEST | Press release
SLB (NYSE: SLB) will hold a conference call on July 24, 2026, to discuss the results for the second quarter ending June 30, 2026. The conference call is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern time and a press release regarding the results will be issued at 7:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern time. To access the conference call, listeners should contact the Conference Call Operator at +1 (800) 715-9871 within North America or +1 (646) 307-1963 outside of North America approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the call and the access code is 3440360. A webcast of the conference call will be broadcast simultaneously at https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/157027565 on a listen-only basis. Listeners should log in 15 minutes prior to the start of the call to test their browsers and register for the webcast. Following the end of the conference call, a replay will be available at www.slb.com/irwebcast until July 31, 2026, and can be accessed by dialing +1 (800) 770-2030 within North America or +1
Alipay Launches Next-Generation AI Payment Infrastructure, Debuts AI Wallet and Token Pay to Power Agentic Economy26.5.2026 18:20:00 EEST | Press release
Alipay today introduced its full-stack AI payment solution to partners across industries, ranging from AI companies to traditional retailers, and debuted two new services — the world’s first AI Wallet and Token Pay — to support the agentic economy’s rapid growth. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260526337824/en/ Alipay Unveils Next-generation AI Payment Infrastructure This launch extends Alipay's next-generation AI payment infrastructure, building on its consumer-facing product Alipay AI Pay and its business-facing AI payment processing product. “While the essence of commerce remains unchanged in the age of AI, the emergence of AI agents is reshaping everything. Drawing on 22 years of technological expertise and commercial know-how, Alipay is building a new generation of AI payment services to accelerate the growth of the agentic commerce ecosystem,” said Cyril Han, CEO of Ant Group. AI Wallet: Giving Users Vis
Daiichi Sankyo Europe Reaffirms Commitment to Patient-Centred Care with Extensive Data Showcase at EAS Congress 202626.5.2026 18:00:00 EEST | Press release
Daiichi Sankyo Europe (DSE) is pleased to announce its extensive scientific presence at the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) Congress 2026. The presentation of 15 abstracts, comprising both clinical trial analyses and real-world evidence, underscores the company's sustained investment in cardiovascular health and its mission to care for every heartbeat. The 15-abstract showcase provides a comprehensive look at the role of bempedoic acid in lipid management. This includes post-hoc analyses in collaboration with Esperion Therapeutics from the Phase 3 CLEAR Outcomes trial exploring its impact on stroke and venous thromboembolism (VTE) incidence.5,6 There are also real-world findings from the MILOS registry, including a dedicated sub-analysis investigating the effectiveness of bempedoic acid across various background therapies.1,2,3,4 Results reinforce consistent effectiveness and safety profile of bempedoic acid across various EU countries and regardless of patients’ existing treatm
OpenRouter Raises $113 Million CapitalG-led Series B as Weekly Volume Explodes to 25T Tokens26.5.2026 16:15:00 EEST | Press release
OpenRouter, the AI model exchange, today announced a $113 million Series B led by Alphabet’s independent growth fund, CapitalG, with participation from investors including NVentures (NVIDIA’s venture capital arm), ServiceNow Ventures, MongoDB Ventures, Snowflake Ventures, Databricks Ventures, alongside existing investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Menlo Ventures. OpenRouter’s volume has surged to 25 trillion tokens per week (100 trillion tokens per month), representing a 5X increase from the 5 trillion tokens processed per week just six months ago. The explosion in token demand illustrates how quickly enterprises are deploying agents and scaling AI across multiple models and providers. OpenRouter’s infrastructure manages and optimizes inference and provides access to 400+ models across leading AI providers, including Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, xAI, and DeepSeek, among others. The platform is used by over 8 million global users, including AI-native startups and large enterprises,
Xsolla Expands Its Community Management Tools for Creators, Community Leaders, and Resellers26.5.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Xsolla, a leading global video game commerce company, today announced three simultaneous expansions of its community management tools and products. As the creator economy continues to reshape how games are discovered and the industry accelerates its shift toward direct-to-consumer commerce, Xsolla is building on its community management tools for creators, community leaders, and emerging markets, and will showcase them at TwitchCon Rotterdam later this month. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260526596720/en/ Graphic: Xsolla The games industry has never had a shortage of people who drive player acquisition, loyalty, and commerce; it's had a shortage of infrastructure that recognizes them. Creators stream it. Community leaders build a culture around it. Local resellers get it into the hands of players in markets traditional channels can't reach. Each operates at the center of how games are discovered, adopted, an
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom