Purple Biotech shares preclinical data on T-Cell engager platform

Purple Biotech (NASDAQ:PPBT) unveiled new preclinical data for IM1240, its lead T-cell engager candidate utilizing the proprietary CAPTN-3 platform, at the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) 2026 Congress.

The findings highlight an expanded therapeutic window and multi-arm anti-tumor activity in treatment-resistant tumor models, validating the asset's design ahead of planned clinical exploration.

In non-human primate toxicology studies, IM1240 demonstrated an approximate 8-fold longer half-life and 16-fold higher systemic exposure compared to its non-capped variants.

Crucially, the candidate markedly reduced cytokine release, a common complication associated with T-cell engaging therapies, which supports a broader therapeutic window for patient dosing.

Separate testing on patient-derived, treatment-resistant tumor samples—including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), bladder, and head and neck cancers resistant to chemotherapy and PD-1 therapies—showed that IM1240 successfully induced cancer cell apoptosis and immune remodeling.

The data also revealed that the candidate's NKG2A-binding arm is vital for maximizing its overall anti-tumor efficacy.

Management reiterated that these combined data validation points support the company's timeline to advance IM1240 into a first-in-human clinical study scheduled for 2027.