Research emphasizes the significant role of Pin1 in influencing critical cancer mechanisms to drive a pro-immune response, reinforcing Pin1 as a promising target for therapeutic interventions

Watertown, MA — October 25, 2023. Larkspur Biosciences, a biotechnology company building precision therapies to outsmart cancer, announced that data supporting development of a novel investigational therapy targeting Pin1 will be featured in a poster presentation at the 38th Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2023) on November 3 in San Diego, CA. The data look at how the potential therapy will target Pin1 to program fibroblasts to drive a pro-immune response at the tumor.

“Larkspur Biosciences was founded to pursue targets shared by cancer and immune cells that the cancer hijacks to evade immunity. Our data at SITC 2023 demonstrates that Pin1 is a promising cancer–fibroblast target to pursue for therapeutic interventions,” said Catherine Sabatos-Peyton, PhD, CEO of Larkspur Biosciences. “Standard of care immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, but less than 30 percent of patients respond. At Larkspur, we believe there is an opportunity to leverage targets shared by both the cancer and the immune system as a more effective way to activate the immune system against cancer.”

Presentation Details:

Poster: Abstract 1433
Title: “Targeting peptidyl-prolyl isomerase Pin1 to modulate cancer-associated fibroblast phenotype and TGF-beta signaling ”
Time: Friday, November 3, 12-1:30pm and 5:10-6:40pm PT
Location: San Diego Convention Center, Exhibit Halls A and B1
Presenter: Melvyn Chow, PhD, Associate Director, Biology, Larkspur Biosciences

About Larkspur Biosciences

Larkspur Biosciences is building precision therapies to outsmart cancer. Larkspur’s approach targets the unique ways that tumors hijack the immune system by using pathways shared by cancer and immune cells, developing precision therapies for molecularly defined patient populations in order to overcome these bottlenecks. The company is advancing its first-in-class programs to outsmart the tumor and enable robust and sustained responses in colorectal cancer (CRC) and beyond. LarkX, the company’s target discovery platform, leverages tumor genetics from patient-derived data to fuel its pipeline and offers the opportunities to address multiple types of cancer. Visit us at www.larkspur.bio and follow us on LinkedIn and X.

CONTACT:
Adam Silverstein
Scient PR
adam@scientpr.com

 

Research foundational to Larkspur’s newly disclosed TIM-1 program published by founder Vijay K. Kuchroo in Nature

Watertown, MA — June 26, 2023. Larkspur Biosciences revealed today that one of their lead programs is a first-in-class B cell checkpoint, TIM-1. This announcement follows the publication by Larkspur co-founder Vijay K. Kuchroo, DVM, PhD (Samuel L. Wasserstrom Professor, Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Senior Scientist, Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital) in the journal Nature of TIM-1 as a targetable checkpoint protein central to B-cell anti-tumor activity.

Immunotherapies targeting T cells have transformed the treatment of many types of cancers. Recent discoveries have highlighted that the presence of tertiary lymphoid structures in tumors – areas of B cell and T cell activation – are associated with positive responses to checkpoint blockade. Larkspur’s approach addresses the unique ways that tumors hijack the immune system, targeting bottlenecks that tumors use to subvert the immune system in order to develop precision immunotherapies for molecularly defined patient populations. This newly disclosed program adds a unique way to use B cells to drive anti-tumor responses.

“The discovery of this novel B cell checkpoint protein, outlined in the Nature publication, unlocks the potential of targeting B cells to enhance immunotherapy responses,” said Dr. Kuchroo. “These findings support broadening the application of immune checkpoint blockade in cancer immunotherapy and provide a clear path to translation, which Larkspur is advancing within its pipeline.”

Dr. Kuchroo, along with lead author Lloyd Bod, PhD (Mass General Cancer Center), and colleagues, discovered a type of B cell expressing TIM-1 expanded as tumors grew in melanoma. Using an antibody to TIM-1, they discovered that targeting TIM-1 and PD-1 in the melanoma model led to a better anti-tumor response, underscoring the potential of targeting both B cells and T cells in cancer.

“It has recently been shown that the presence of B cells at the tumor is associated with positive responses to checkpoint blockade for cancer patients,” said Catherine Sabatos-Peyton, PhD, CEO of Larkspur Biosciences. “TIM-1 offers a novel way to harness the power of B cells at the tumor and potentially drive more meaningful anti-tumor responses for more patients. We look forward to continuing to progress our TIM-1 program as part of our mission to create the next precision immunotherapies to outsmart cancer.”

The Nature article titled “B-cell-specific checkpoint molecules that regulate anti-tumour immunity” was published on June 21, 2023. The research briefing “Uncovering a role for B cells in antitumour immunity” provides a summary of the article.

About Larkspur Biosciences
Larkspur Biosciences is building the next precision immunotherapies to outsmart cancer. Larkspur’s approach targets the unique ways that tumors hijack the immune system by developing precision immunotherapies for molecularly defined patient populations in order to overcome these bottlenecks. The company is advancing its first-in-class programs to outsmart the tumor and enable robust and sustained immune responses in colorectal cancer (CRC) and beyond. LarkX, the company’s target discovery platform, leverages tumor genetics and immune phenotypes from patient-derived data to fuel its pipeline and offers the opportunities to address multiple types of cancer. Visit us at www.larkspur.bio and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

CONTACT:
Adam Silverstein
Scient PR
adam@scientpr.com

Watertown, MA – May 30, 2023 — Larkspur Biosciences, a biotechnology company building the next precision immunotherapies to outsmart cancer, announced that they will be participating in the 2023 BIO International Convention being held June 5-8 at the Boston Convention & Exhibit Center, Boston, MA.

The Larkspur team will be meeting with potential strategic partners and collaborators to discuss how their approach targets the unique ways that tumors hijack the immune system.  This includes the company’s lead program, a cutting-edge approach to lipid remodeling to uncloak tumors, as well as its first-in-class program targeting Pin1, a key mechanism of fibroblast differentiation to activate immune cells. Larkspur is also actively seeking partners for our first-in-class B cell checkpoint antibody program.

The team invites registered attendees to participate via the BIO One-On-One platform to facilitate meetings and partnering opportunities using this link.

About Larkspur Biosciences

Larkspur Biosciences is building the next precision immunotherapies to outsmart cancer.  Larkspur’s approach targets the unique ways that tumors hijack the immune system by developing precision immunotherapies for molecularly defined patient populations in order to overcome these bottlenecks. The company is advancing its first-in-class programs to outsmart the tumor and enable robust and sustained immune responses in colorectal cancer (CRC) and beyond. LarkX, the company’s discovery platform, leverages tumor genetics and immune phenotypes from patient-derived data to fuel its pipeline and offers the opportunities to address multiple types of cancer. Visit us at www.Larkspur.bio and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Adam Silverstein

ScientPR
adam@scientpr.com

Addressing the Key Bottlenecks in the Tumor Microenvironment That
Allow a Tumor to Subvert the Immune System

Financing Co-led by Polaris Innovation Fund, 3E Bioventures Capital, and Takeda Ventures, Inc.

All-Female Leadership Team Has a Track Record of
Discovering and Developing Program Leads and Target Discovery Platforms

Watertown, MA — May 23, 2023. Larkspur Biosciences, a biotechnology company building the next precision immunotherapies to outsmart cancer, launched today with $35.5 million in combined seed and Series A financing.  Larkspur’s approach targets the unique ways that tumors hijack the immune system. Building on the work of Larkspur founders Drs. Lewis Cantley, Nathanael Gray, and Vijay K. Kuchroo, the company is focusing on bottlenecks that tumors use to subvert the immune system in order to develop precision immunotherapies for molecularly defined patient populations. Larkspur’s initial strategy addresses a genetically- and immunologically-characterized subtype of colorectal cancer (CRC). These patients have T cells at the tumor and can be identified via biopsy, making them a prime population for proof-of-concept for the company’s precision immunotherapy strategies.

The financing was led by the Polaris Innovation Fund, 3E Bioventures Capital, and Takeda Ventures, Inc., and included Creacion Ventures, Med-Fine Capital and Cornell University. The financing will enable the company to focus on IND-enabling studies for its lead program, a cutting-edge approach to lipid remodeling to uncloak tumors as well as furthering the ongoing preclinical studies for its first-in-class program targeting Pin1, a key mechanism of fibroblast differentiation to activate immune cells. Larkspur’s discovery platform, LarkX, leverages patient genetics and immune phenotypes to fuel its pipeline and partnerships.

“The development of cancer immunotherapies has transformed the treatment of cancers, and in many cases is now the standard of care. Yet there are many patients who do not respond to, or relapse on, existing immunotherapies,” said Catherine Sabatos-Peyton, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Larkspur. “Tumors create multiple barriers that can suppress a robust immune response. Larkspur was founded to outsmart these bottlenecks and develop new precision medicines to treat significant unmet needs for people with cancer.”

Larkspur’s approach is based on transformative discoveries made in the academic labs of leading researchers in cancer cell biology, biochemistry, and immunology. LarkX, the company’s proprietary platform, leverages patient genetics and immune phenotypes, applying bioinformatics and complex in vitro models to discover critical immune barriers. Armed with insights into evasion signatures that can be shared by different cancer indications, LarkX offers the opportunity to address multiple types of cancer.

“First and foremost, we were attracted to Larkspur because of its leadership team.  They have what it takes to transform a fresh and important perspective on cancer immunity into reality,” said Amy Schulman, Managing Partner at Polaris Partners and Chair of Larkspur’s Board of Directors. “The breadth of its platform is an additional anchor that attracted us to the company, and it’s a bonus to lend support to this all-female leadership team.”

Leadership and Founding Team
The founders’ discoveries of precision targets in autoimmunity and cancer therapy drove Larkspur’s formation. The founders, Lewis Cantley, PhD, Nathanael Gray, PhD, and Vijay K. Kuchroo, DVM, PhD, are world-class scientists and successful company builders. Each founder brings expertise such that their distinctive collaboration decodes the cancer immune interface in a unique way, forming the foundation of Larkspur’s approach.

Larkspur itself is led by a seasoned team with a track record of developing clinical assets and target discovery platforms. In addition to Sabatos-Peyton, the leadership team includes Krista Goodman, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, and Emily Corse, PhD, Executive Vice President, Biology & Translation.

Larkspur’s Board of Directors includes Chair Amy Schulman (Polaris Innovation Fund), Sabatos-Peyton, Frank Yan (3E Bioventures Capital), Sacha Mann (Takeda Ventures, Inc.), and Larkspur founder Nathanael Gray, along with observers Alexandra Cantley (Polaris), Wei Li (Creacion Ventures), and Daniel Hu (Med-Fine Capital).

About Larkspur Biosciences
Larkspur Biosciences is building the next precision immunotherapies to outsmart cancer.  Larkspur’s approach targets the unique ways that tumors hijack the immune system by developing precision immunotherapies for molecularly defined patient populations in order to overcome these bottlenecks. The company is advancing its first-in-class programs to outsmart the tumor and enable robust and sustained immune responses in colorectal cancer (CRC) and beyond. LarkX, the company’s discovery platform, leverages tumor genetics and immune phenotypes from patient-derived data to fuel its pipeline and offers the opportunities to address multiple types of cancer. Visit us at www.larkspur.bio and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

CONTACT:
Adam Silverstein
adam@scientpr.com