About Kinimmune

Spun out of the Cory Berkland Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis, Kinimmune is developing tissue-retentive formulations for local immunostimulation of the tumor microenvironment. By tuning the physical and chemical properties of our lead formulations, stimulation is maximally directed against tumor tissues with minimal systemic exposure. This functionality enables potent doses of our compounds to be delivered with precise control of safety, conferring greater tumor killing with fewer adverse events.

Solid Tumor Immunotherapy

Checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) emerged as a key intervention in the fight against cancer, taking the “brakes” off of the immune system to allow cells to actively clear tumors. Despite their promise toward overcoming cancer’s immunosuppressive properties, checkpoint inhibitors have been effective in just 20-30% of solid tumors. There is an enormous unmet need for adjunct therapies that can unlock the full potential of the immune system.

Intratumoral immunostimulants have been in development by numerous companies in attempts to synergize with CPIs. These formulations are produced to apply a “gas pedal” stimulus to the immune system for simultaneous combination with CPIs removing the “brakes”, However, the cytokines and PAMPS used for these indications possess poor properties for tumor retention. When these potent activators of immunity leak into systemic circulation, the consequences can be severe and life-threatening.

A Better Solution

Our developmental programs leverage pharmaceutical components with known human data. By formatting these immunostimulants for tissue retention and reduced systemic exposure, Kinimmune improves efficacy while limiting safety risks to broaden the therapeutic window.

See our pipeline here.