Crescendo Biologics

Crescendo Biologics is a biopharmaceutical company developing conditionally-activated T cell enhancing therapeutics, with a particular focus on CD137 (4-1BB). The innovative, first and best in class programmes are designed to activate only tumour-specific T cells in the tumour micro-environment and not outside it. This approach is expected to reduce the toxicities experienced with traditional immunotherapies and also to lead to the proliferation of tumour-specific T cells with a broad, long-lasting anti-tumour response. Our lead programme, CB307, is a CD137 (4-1BB) x PSMA bispecific for PSMA-positive tumours. CB307’s unique format delivers highly potent tumour-specific killing, while avoiding systemic toxicity and can be applied to a broad range of PSMA-positive cancer indications. Crescendo’s pipeline is underpinned by its novel, patent-protected Humabody® platform, which generates fully human VH domains (Humabodies). Humabodies are matured in vivo in the absence of any light-chains and are robust and stable molecules. Humabody VH domains can be easily assembled into multi-specific formats which can access novel biology and deliver superior tumour accumulation and penetration compared to conventional monoclonal antibody-based approaches. The Humabody platform has received third party validation through its strategic, multi-target collaboration in immuno-oncology, ADCs and CAR-Ts with Takeda, worth up to $790M, and from licensing its first programme for an inflammatory target to Zai Lab in 2018. In 2020 Crescendo entered into a Clinical Development Partnership with Cancer Research UK to progress CB213, a PD-1 x LAG-3 bispecific, into the clinic. Crescendo is progressing novel Humabody®-based product opportunities, through in-house development and strategic collaborations as well as seeking strategic partners to develop novel Humabody therapeutics leveraging our in-house expertise and our pipeline of Humabody molecules.