Laguna Bio is perfecting an entirely new approach to selectively activate and expand a specific type of T cell, the gamma-delta T (γδ T) cells, to take full advantage of the immune system’s ability to fight solid tumors. The γδ T cells are an obscure but homogeneous population of immune cells that you can count on to kill cancer cells. CAR-γδ T cells have shown success in clinical studies of B-cell lymphoma; Allogeneic γδ T cells have already shown promise in liver and lung cancers.

Building on a collaborator’s positive human data and from live-attenuated Listeria, Laguna is designing a proprietary Listeria to be the safest and most robust yet highly selective activator of these T cells. Increasing response rate of a bispecific antibody drug using Laguna’s listeria would be a major advance for those with solid tumors and represents a multi-billion dollar opportunity.