GSK buys into myeloid cell engagers
Myeloid cell engagers could represent a new way of harnessing the immune system, and the latest to put a bet on this approach is GSK. The UK group has paid one of the key players, privately held LTZ Therapeutics, $50m up front to co-develop up to four preclinical myeloid cell-engaging projects for blood cancers and solid tumours. GSK has an exclusive option to license the assets, the targets of which are under wraps for now. Separately, LTZ recently took its lead project, the CD79b-targeting LTZ-301, into the clinic, and in July teamed up with Lilly in the autoimmune space. The other main myeloid cell engager contender is Dren Bio, which last year struck a deal with Novartis worth $125m up front plus $25m in equity. Dren also has a collaboration with Pfizer dating back to 2022, and earlier this year it sold DR-0201 to Sanofi for $600m, with the focus on autoimmune diseases. Neither LTZ nor Dren have publicly revealed how their bispecific MAbs engage myeloid cells, but patent filings suggest that LTZ achieves this by hitting the protein CLEC5A (also known as MDL-1), while Dren does it by targeting CLEC7A (Dectin-1).
LTZ Therapeutics’ pipeline
| Project | Target | Status |
|---|---|---|
| LTZ-301 | CD79b | US ph1 in NHL began Sep 2025 |
| LTZ-232 | EpCAM | Preclinical; IND-enabling phase |
| LTZ-233 | Undisclosed | Preclinical; discovery phase |
Source: OncologyPipeline & company website.
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