Flexing against suppression

FLX Bio Inc. is creating small molecules to dim immunosuppressive actors in the tumor microenvironment without the baggage of the antibodies dominating the immuno-oncology space. Armed with $79 million in series A and B funds, the Flexus Biosciences Inc. spinout has preclinical candidates targeting Tregs and MDSCs, and hopes to enter the clinic this year.

SAB member Philip Greenberg told BioCentury Tregs and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have been a common hurdle for multiple cancer immunotherapies, limiting effective immune responses “at different levels, and at different times.” Greenberg is head of the program in immunology in Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s clinical research division...