Drop the MIC

Two start-ups have joined the wave of companies harnessing NK cell biology to generate new immunotherapies for cancer by focusing on the relatively unexplored ligands for the NK cell receptor NKG2D. Having laid low for four years, CanCure LLC and Novelogics Biotechnology Inc. emerged in May with preclinical programs targeting MICA and MICB to treat a range of solid cancers.

The companies are setting off a three-way race to produce a first-in-class immunotherapy with Innate Pharma S.A., whose IPH4301 candidate mAb is slated to enter the clinic in 2018. ...