Laverock Therapeutics (“Laverock”), a biotechnology company developing advanced disease-directed therapies through proprietary programmable gene regulation technologies, today announced a significant in vivo functional milestone across its T cell and macrophage oncology program for solid tumor indications. Data supports program selection and progression to clinic.
Image credit: Laverock Therapeutics
Laverock’s platform technology enables programmable, tunable multigene control of both endogenous targets and transgenicly expressed payloads. In the T Cell Program (LVK201), the platform is designed to improve the antitumor activity of CAR-T cells without compromising safety. Latest data from an ovarian cancer model presented at the American Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ASCGT) annual meeting in May demonstrated that the company’s technology can improve control of solid tumors by targeting three different immunomodulatory pathways simultaneously. Previous studies have also shown that this technology can significantly improve safety compared to alternative approaches, as it exploits T cell activation dynamics and works only when needed.
These findings will inform the development of Laverock’s lead program while providing extensive validation of the platform and establishing the foundation for future tailored treatments across a variety of solid tumor types. To achieve this, Laverock will apply AI and single-cell analysis approaches supported by recently announced grants.
The Macrophage Program (LVK301) uses Laverock’s platform technology to control macrophage cell phenotype and modulate the delivery of immunomodulatory payloads. The company has shown that these engineered cells control tumor growth and convert the “cold” and immunosuppressive solid tumor microenvironment into a “hot” state, allowing the body’s immune system to attack the tumor. These findings provide strong validation of Rubberlock’s macrophage program for oncology and pave the way for applying bone marrow biology to address additional disease classes.
Laverock is currently working with various partner organizations to define non-clinical and clinical strategies and provide a risk-free route to early clinical validation.
These key data points from our oncology programs highlight the capabilities and strengths of our platform technology and provide a clear path forward to guide program selection and transition into non-clinical research. Solid tumors remain an area of significant unmet need for cancer patients, and we look forward to bringing differentiated treatments to the clinic. ”
David Venables, CEO of Laverock Therapeutics
