Penn spinout Interius BioTherapeutics, co-founded by Saar Gill, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Hematology-Oncology) at Penn Medicine, raised an additional $67 million to advance its lead gene therapy drug for treating cancer. In addition, the company announced that its first study participant has been dosed in INVISE, the company’s first-in-human phase 1 clinical trial of INT2104, a first-in-class gene therapy that delivers a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) transgene to generate effector CAR-T and CAR-NK cells in vivo for the targeting of CD20-positive B cells for the treatment of B-cell malignancies.
The company’s approach focuses on creating cancer-fighting cells directly inside the body, potentially bypassing the need for external cell manipulation and chemotherapy. Founded five years ago, the company operates out of its laboratories and offices at Pennovation Works and employs 50 people.
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