PD-L1 pioneer Zhan Lieping Startup, raised $65 million to treat cold tumors through immune normalization

On October 1, 2018, James Allison and Yu Honjo won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their research in the field of cancer immunotherapy, and many people were surprised and regretted
that Chen Lieping did not win the award together.
Chen Lieping was the first to discover PD-L1 (then known as B7-H1) and was the first to confirm its anti-cancer effects
as a "brake" to block T cells.

In 2002, Chen Lieping first demonstrated that blocking the interaction between PD-1 and PD-L1 through monoclonal antibodies can improve the immune system's ability to
eliminate tumors.
In 2006, the first human clinical trial
of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of cancer was initiated.
His series of research directly led to the development of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monoclonal antibody therapies for broad-spectrum cancers, revolutionizing the cancer treatment landscape
.

Chen Lieping

On October 24, 2022, a biotechnology company called Normunity, founded by Chen Lieping, announced the completion of a $65 million Series A financing
.
The startup's goal is to develop antibody drugs to normalize immunity against cancer's escape of the immune system to treat "cold tumors"
that immunotherapy can't reach.

Normunity is a combination
of the words "normal" and "immunity.
" Normunity is not to develop new immune checkpoint inhibitors, nor to develop bispecific antibodies or cell therapies, but to use antibodies to break down the barriers between the immune system and tumor treatment, normalize the immune system, and solve the problem that T cells cannot enter "cold tumors", thereby exerting anti-cancer effects
.

Chen said that all of Normunity's research and development programs are aimed at previously unknown drug targets
.
Normunity stands out because of its focus on the discovery and drug-making mechanisms of most tumors that immunotherapy cannot cover
.

Chen Lieping

Normunity is based on a drug discovery platform developed in Chan Lieping's lab, which allows it to tease out the complex interactions between tumors and the immune system to find new targets that no one else has discovered, and that help tumors form a protective barrier
.
Chen Lieping said that blocking these targets can break the tumor protective barrier, thereby releasing the shackles
of "cold tumors" on immune cells.

Chen Lieping also said that the normal immune system is a powerful anti-cancer force, but most immunotherapies do not take advantage of this potential, which is why most cancer patients do not respond
to existing immunotherapy regimens.
My own lab has been developing this drug discovery platform technology for more than 10 years, and no other team has adopted this approach
.
Using this platform, Normunity is able to develop therapies that normalize
immune system function as much as possible.

Normunity is CEO of Rachel Humphrey, who has served as an executive at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and AstraZeneca, and has been deeply involved in the development of
Opdivo (anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody) and Imfinzi (anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody).

Rachel Humphrey

Rachel Humphrey said that scientists at Normunity are currently evaluating more than 5 new targets discovered in Chen's lab
.
No further details have been disclosed, but what is known is that the fastest-advancing project in development is an antibody drug that targets an enzyme that is highly expressed in a variety of cancers and that prevents T cells from entering tumors
.
Other candidate therapies are also working to help immune cells get into cold tumors
.

She also said that the company is still in the early research and development stage, and the $65 million funding will help two drug candidates enter clinical trials, but the exact timing has not yet been determined, and more progress
will be announced next year.

In recent years, Mr.
Chen has been working on the development of next-generation cancer immunotherapies, having co-founded immunotherapy startup Amplimmune, which was acquired
by AstraZeneca in 2013 for $500 million.
In 2015, Chen founded NextCure, a company dedicated to treating PD-L1-negative tumors, as well as tumors that do not respond well to immune checkpoints, and the company was listed
on the NASDAQ in May 2019.

But Chen's exploration did not go well, and Amplimmune's main drug candidate was abandoned
by AstraZeneca.
NextCure's lead drug candidate clinical trial has suffered a setback and is now trading at less than $3, a far cry
from $20 on launch day and $80 at its peak.

Chen Lieping, born in 1957 in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, received his medical degree from Fujian Medical University in 1982 and completed clinical training
in hematology and oncology at Fujian Union Medical College Hospital and Peking Union Medical College Cancer Hospital.
He received his Ph.
D.
in pathology from Drexel University in 1989.

After completing his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington, Chen worked as a research scientist
at pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) from 1990 to 1997.
He then joined the Mayo Clinic and was promoted to professor
in 2000.
In 2004, Chen joined the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as Professor of Oncology and Dermatology and Director of
Dermatology Research.
In 2010, Chen joined Yale University as Chair Professor and Director of
the Department of Immunology at the Cancer Research Center.
In 2021, Chen Lieping was elected as a member of
the National Academy of Sciences.