Iovance Biotherapeutics

Last updated
Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc.
FormerlyLion Biotechnologies, Inc.
Company type Public
Industry
Founded2007;17 years ago (2007)
Headquarters San Carlos, California, U.S.
Key people
Steven Rosenberg
Number of employees
319 (December 31, 2021)
Website iovance.com

Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical startup based in San Carlos, California. The company works to develop tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapies against cancer. [1] [2]

Contents

History

The company was founded in 2007 as Genesis Biopharma. In 2013, Lion merged with Genesis Biopharma аnd became lion bio Pharma, then rebranded to Iovance in 2017. [3]

In 2024 the US FDA gave accelerated approval to Lifileucel, the company's tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte drug for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Takeda Pharmaceutical Company</span> Japanese pharmaceutical company

The Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited is a Japanese multinational pharmaceutical company. It is the third largest pharmaceutical company in Asia, behind Sinopharm and Shanghai Pharmaceuticals, and one of the top 20 largest pharmaceutical companies in the world by revenue. The company has over 49,578 employees worldwide and achieved US$19.299 billion in revenue during the 2018 fiscal year. The company is focused on oncology, rare diseases, neuroscience, gastroenterology, plasma-derived therapies and vaccines. Its headquarters is located in Chuo-ku, Osaka, and it has an office in Nihonbashi, Chuo, Tokyo. In January 2012, Fortune Magazine ranked the Takeda Oncology Company as one of the 100 best companies to work for in the United States. As of 2015, Christophe Weber was appointed as the CEO and president of Takeda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amgen</span> American multinational biopharmaceutical company

Amgen Inc. is an American multinational biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California. One of the world's largest independent biotechnology companies, Amgen's Thousand Oaks staff in 2022 numbered approximately 5,000 and included hundreds of scientists, making Amgen the largest employer in Ventura County. As of 2022, Amgen has approximately 24,000 staff in total.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cancer immunotherapy</span> Artificial stimulation of the immune system to treat cancer

Cancer immunotherapy (immuno-oncotherapy) is the stimulation of the immune system to treat cancer, improving the immune system's natural ability to fight the disease. It is an application of the fundamental research of cancer immunology (immuno-oncology) and a growing subspecialty of oncology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celgene</span> American biopharmaceutical company

Celgene Corporation is a pharmaceutical company that makes cancer and immunology drugs. Its major product is Revlimid (lenalidomide), which is used in the treatment of multiple myeloma, and also in certain anemias. The company is incorporated in Delaware, headquartered in Summit, New Jersey, and a subsidiary of Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ipilimumab</span> Pharmaceutical drug

Ipilimumab, sold under the brand name Yervoy, is a monoclonal antibody medication that works to activate the immune system by targeting CTLA-4, a protein receptor that downregulates the immune system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PTC Therapeutics</span> Pharmaceutical company

PTC Therapeutics is a US pharmaceutical company focused on the development of orally administered small molecule drugs and gene therapy which regulate gene expression by targeting post-transcriptional control (PTC) mechanisms in orphan diseases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes</span>

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) are white blood cells that have left the bloodstream and migrated towards a tumor. They include T cells and B cells and are part of the larger category of ‘tumor-infiltrating immune cells’ which consist of both mononuclear and polymorphonuclear immune cells, in variable proportions. Their abundance varies with tumor type and stage and in some cases relates to disease prognosis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bi-specific T-cell engager</span> Class of artificial monoclonal antibodies

Bi-specific T-cell engagers (BiTEs) are a class of artificial bispecific monoclonal antibodies that are investigated for use as anti-cancer drugs. They direct a host's immune system, more specifically the T cells' cytotoxic activity, against cancer cells. BiTE is a registered trademark of Micromet AG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PARP inhibitor</span> Pharmacological enzyme inhibitors of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases

PARP inhibitors are a group of pharmacological inhibitors of the enzyme poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennerex</span>

Jennerex Biotherapeutics, Inc. was an American private biopharmaceutical company that developed the oncolytic viruses JX-594 and JX-929 among others. By creating oncolytic viruses that can (1) kill tumor cells directly through lysis, (2) activate the immune system by delivering genes that encode immunostimulants and by overcoming tumor cell-induced immunological tolerance, and (3) reduce tumor nutrient supply through the destruction of blood vessels, Jennerex aimed to create a novel approach to treating and possibly curing cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pembrolizumab</span> Pharmaceutical drug used in cancer treatment

Pembrolizumab, sold under the brand name Keytruda, is a humanized antibody used in cancer immunotherapy that treats melanoma, lung cancer, head and neck cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, stomach cancer, cervical cancer, and certain types of breast cancer. It is administered by slow intravenous injection.

Kite Pharma is an American biotechnology company that develops cancer immunotherapy products with a primary focus on genetically engineered autologous CAR T cell therapy - a cell-based therapy which relies on chimeric antigen receptors and T cells. Founded in 2009, and based in Santa Monica, California, it was acquired by Gilead Sciences in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binimetinib</span> Chemical compound

Binimetinib, sold under the brand name Mektovi, is an anti-cancer medication used to treat various cancers. Binimetinib is a selective inhibitor of MEK, a central kinase in the tumor-promoting MAPK pathway. Inappropriate activation of the pathway has been shown to occur in many cancers. In June 2018 it was approved by the FDA in combination with encorafenib for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic BRAF V600E or V600K mutation-positive melanoma. In October 2023, it was approved by the FDA for treatment of NSCLC with a BRAF V600E mutation in combination with encorafenib. It was developed by Array Biopharma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juno Therapeutics</span> American biopharmaceutical company

Juno Therapeutics Inc was an American biopharmaceutical company founded in 2013 through a collaboration of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and pediatrics partner Seattle Children's Research Institute. The company was launched with an initial investment of $120 million, with a remit to develop a pipeline of cancer immunotherapy drugs. The company raised $300 million through private funding and a further $265 million through their IPO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sotio</span>

SOTIO Biotech is a Czech biotechnology company focused on clinical-stage research and development of innovative medicines for cancer with operations in Europe, North America, and Asia. The company has clinical programs which include a superagonist of the immuno-oncology target IL-15, a new generation of potent and stable antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), proprietary technology designed to improve on the efficacy of CAR T therapies and a platform to streamline and enhance personalized cell therapies.

Tisagenlecleucel, sold under the brand name Kymriah, is a CAR T cells medication for the treatment of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) which uses the body's own T cells to fight cancer.

bluebird bio, Inc., based in Somerville, Massachusetts, is a biotechnology company that develops gene therapies for severe genetic disorders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultragenyx</span> American biopharmaceutical company

Ultragenyx is an American biopharmaceutical company involved in the research and development of novel products for treatment of rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases for which there are typically no approved treatments and high unmet medical need. The company works with multiple drug modalities including biologics, small molecule, gene therapies, and ASO and mRNAs in the disease categories of bone, endocrine, metabolic, muscle and CNS diseases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cellular adoptive immunotherapy</span> Cellular adoptive immunotherapy

Cellular adoptive immunotherapy is a type of immunotherapy. Immune cells such as T-cells are usually isolated from patients for expansion or engineering purposes and reinfused back into patients to fight diseases using their own immune system. A major application of cellular adoptive therapy is cancer treatment, as the immune system plays a vital role in the development and growth of cancer. The primary types of cellular adoptive immunotherapies are T cell therapies. Other therapies include CAR-T therapy, CAR-NK therapy, macrophage-based immunotherapy and dendritic cell therapy.

Lifileucel, sold under the brand name Amtagvi, is a cellular therapy used for the treatment of melanoma.

References

  1. Garber, Ken (7 August 2019). "Pursuit of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte immunotherapy speeds up". Nature Biotechnology . Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  2. Adelman, Jacob (29 May 2019). "New Navy Yard lab and office complex planned for Calif. cell-therapy research firm Iovance". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  3. "Genesis Biopharma Announces Completion of Merger with Lion Biotechnologies". www.businesswire.com. 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
  4. Mullard, Asher (2024-02-19). "FDA approves first tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, bolstering hopes for cell therapies in solid cancers". Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. doi:10.1038/d41573-024-00035-1. PMID   38374249.