• Immusoft

  Led · Series B · Jan 2018

  Immusoft is advancing a novel engineered B cell therapy platform that programs patients' B cells to continuously produce therapeutic proteins. Its lead program, ISP-001, delivers alpha-L-iduronidase (IDUA) for MPS I and is being prepared for human clinical trials. The company plans to use recent funding to support a Phase I study to evaluate the safety and tolerability of ISP-001 in MPS I patients. Immusoft has received FDA Orphan Drug Designation and Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for ISP-001. The company previously received a $4M CIRM grant in November 2021 to support ISP-002 (iduronate sulfatase) for MPS II. Immusoft has also entered a research collaboration and license option agreement with Takeda to explore delivery of protein therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier for neurometabolic disorders. Immusoft develops a hybrid cell/gene therapy platform called Immune System Programming (ISP™) that uses a non-viral Sleeping Beauty transposon to reprogram autologous B cells to produce therapeutic proteins. Its lead candidate, ISP-001 (iduronicrin genleukocel-T), is designed to express and deliver alpha-L-iduronidase (IDUA) to treat Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I). ISP-001 has received orphan drug and rare pediatric disease designations from the FDA. The company plans to use recent financing to advance ISP-001 through Phase I/II clinical development and to support additional pipeline candidates that leverage the ISP approach. Immusoft also received a $3.5 million SBIR grant to support development of sustained protein delivery across the blood–brain barrier. The platform aims to create long‑lived, B‑cell “miniature drug factories” capable of continuous secretion of gene‑encoded proteins to potentially replace chronic recombinant enzyme replacement therapy. Immusoft develops an Immune System Programming (ISP) platform that uses an ex vivo, non-viral system to genetically modify B cells so they produce gene-encoded biologics. The company intends for reprogrammed B cells to act as long-lived, in‑patient drug factories and is targeting MPS I as its first clinical application. Immusoft is advancing its pipeline toward human testing and is working to complete a Phase I/II clinical trial in MPS-I. Financially, Immusoft has closed a $3M initial tranche of a Series B financing to support those clinical plans, with the full Series B still underway. Leadership changes accompany the financing: Sean Ainsworth (affiliated with 600 Mile Challenge Fund) will assume the roles of CEO and Chairman, founder Matthew Scholz moves to Chief Technology Officer and remains on the board, and Anthony Sun joined the board. The company was founded in 2009 and has worked with major medical and research partners, receiving early support from investors and grantors including Peter Thiel via FF Science, Tim Draper, Technium Partners, Breakout Labs, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Immusoft is a Seattle-based gene therapy company founded in 2009 by Matthew Scholz. It developed Immune System Programming (ISP™) technology that reprograms patient B cells to produce gene-encoded medicines (biologics). The company intends to use recently raised funds to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application and to expand business operations. Immusoft closed on $2.74M of a planned $3M funding round that was oversubscribed and expected to close soon. The round was led by Founders Fund’s FF Science and Technium Partners. Immusoft is a Seattle, WA-based biotechnology company developing technology to program the human immune system by modifying DNA in immune cells. The company commercializes Immune System Programming (ISP™), designed to re-program human immune cells to produce therapeutics in the body. ISP technology aims to enable in vivo production of therapeutics to treat a range of diseases and to enhance human health and longevity. Potential therapeutic applications cited include HIV, enzyme replacement, autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, infectious diseases, and maintenance therapy for cancers. Core components of ISP were developed in the Baltimore Lab at the California Institute of Technology and are exclusively licensed by Immusoft. Financially, the company was awarded an up to $350K grant from the Thiel Foundation’s Breakout Labs.

No current team members are available.