Mapping Bio-Corps $67 million to bring targeted colorectal cancer drugs to clinics
Immunotherapy is available for patients with colorectal cancer whose disease exhibits certain rare genetic characteristics. But these targeted cancer treatments have not been applied to patients with two subtypes representing most cases of colorectal cancer. The technology of mapping bioscience allows its scientists to find the right way to target cancer, and the startup now has $67 million to push internally discovered colorectal cancer treatments to its first test in humans.
The Southern San Francisco-based mapping turns data into drugs. The company's platform technology Atlas analyzes two datasets, one with a healthy human cell and another containing targets specifically expressed on each cancer cell. Artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies perform functional analysis of the data set, which allows the mapping scientists to identify promising drug targets found on cancer cells rather than on healthy drug cells. Summit's second technology platform identifies target pairs, enabling the company to develop drugs that combine with both targets.
Lead drawing program CBI-1214 is a T cell Endager, a bispecific antibody designed to bind to two targets, one on cancer cells and the other on immune cells. The binding to both fuses the two cells together, prompting immune cells to kill cancer cells. The cancer target of the mapping drug is LY6G6D, an antigen that represents the majority of patients with colorectal cancer in the subtypes of microsatellite stability and microsatellite instability.
According to the drawings, CBI-1214 adopts functions specially designed to optimize antitumor activity. Cartographies introduced preclinical data at the annual meeting of the Cancer Immunotherapy Society last year.
“Combining insights from thousands of patient tissue samples, our Atlas and Summit platforms have identified several new targets and target pairs, and we have designed new T-cell recruiters,” said Kevin Parker, the first announced program, in a prepared statement. “Our first announced program, CBI-1214, has the potential to be a first-line and first-class molecular target.” [colorectal cancer] and the mapping of the position as an emerging leader in new targeted therapies. ”
Cartography plans to file an investigational new drug application for CBI-1214 later this year and begin trial enrollment in early 2026. This study will enable the startup to keep pace with QLSF Biotherapeutics, another South San Francisco-based biotech whose pipeline lists an LY6GCD-targeting T-cell engager in Phase 1 testing for colorectal cancer. Roche targeted its own T-cell participants LY6G6D for hunting, but removed candidates from their pipeline last year.
So far, the science of mapping has led to a partnership. Last year, Gilead Sciences paid $20 million to start a coalition focused on the discovery and development of treatments for triple-negative breast and adenocarcinoma, the most common form of non-small cell lung cancer. If Gilead chooses the goals set out from the collaboration, it will be responsible for advancing them through further development. The pipeline of drawing shows that both programs are in the discovery stage. There are two other mapping plans in the preclinical development of solid tumors.
The Mapping launched a $57 million financing in 2022. New funding, led by new investor Pfizer Ventures, announced the Series B (Thursday). Other new investors include LG Corp, Amgen Ventures, Finchley HV, Global Bio-Search Fund and Lotte Holdings CVC. Earlier investors Andreessen Horowitz (A16Z) Bio+Health, 8VC, Wing Venture Capital, Catalio Capital Management, AME Cloud Ventures, Artis Ventures and Gaingels also joined them. With the latest financing, Michael Baran, a partner at Pfizer Ventures, joined the board of directors of the mapping committee.
Illustration: Sebastian Kaulitzki/Library of Science, by Getty Images
