About us
Enara Bio™ (formerly known as Ervaxx) is a science-led company targeting the T-cell/cancer cell interface (the “immune synapse”) to develop new targeted cancer immunotherapies designed to treat a broad patient population. We were founded as Ervaxx Ltd in late 2016 with an initial focus on discovering and developing therapeutic cancer vaccines utilizing novel antigens derived from endogenous retroviral (ERV)-related DNA sequences.
Our current focus is the development of novel T-cell therapies based on complementary and proprietary insights from interrogating the immune synapse from both angles – on the tumor side, a growing set of novel tumor-specific targets; and on the T-cell side, a set of robust T-cell receptors (TCRs) with potent tumoricidal activity.
We have broadened our R&D horizons beyond ERV-derived antigens to develop immunotherapies targeting a larger cancer-associated antigenic repertoire derived from the entire genomic dark matter, which we term Dark Antigens™. In parallel, we are focusing on new and exciting T-cell targets, such as MR1-presented cancer ligands, which offer opportunities to develop TCR-directed cell therapies with a wider patient coverage.
We have established a cutting-edge laboratory in Oxford, UK with a high-calibre team of experts in bioinformatics, immunopeptidomics, metabolomics and immunology. We have also formed strong partnerships with world-class academic institutions, including the Francis Crick Institute, Cardiff University, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the University of Oxford, which help position us at the forefront of these new areas of science.
Enara Bio is backed by leading life science investors, including SV Health Investors.
