Enara Bio embarks on a research collaboration with George Washington University to deepen understanding of Dark Antigen® biology and expression
Collaboration may inform future combination strategies that can maximise the efficacy of Enara Bio’s pipeline of TCR-based immunotherapies targeting Dark Antigens®
Oxford, UK – February 18, 2025. Enara Bio today announces a research collaboration with the George Washington University on Dark Antigen® biology and expression. One goal of the collaboration is to identify drugs that can further enhance the expression of Dark Antigens, therefore priming tumors for maximal clinical response to Dark Antigen-targeting immunotherapies. Separately, the collaboration will also study the underlying function of certain Dark Antigens in cancer biology. The research will be conducted in the laboratory of Katherine Chiappinelli, PhD, Associate Professor at the George Washington University Cancer Center.
We are excited to be collaborating with the Chiappinelli lab, which has world-leading expertise in cancer epigenetics, transposable element regulation, and genomic dark matter
Sophie Papa, Chief Medical Officer at Enara Bio
“We are excited to be collaborating with the Chiappinelli lab, which has world-leading expertise in cancer epigenetics, transposable element regulation, and genomic dark matter,” said Sophie Papa, Chief Medical Officer at Enara Bio. “At Enara, we are pioneering the discovery and validation of Dark Antigen targets for cancer immunotherapies. We are also committed to parallel discovery science to drive deeper understanding of the fundamental biology and expression of Dark Antigens. As we advance our pipeline of Dark Antigen-targeting immunotherapies, this collaboration with the Chiappinelli lab may unlock biological insights into Dark Antigen expression that will enable us to identify rational drug combinations that maximise clinical benefit for cancer patients.”
“I'm delighted with the Enara Bio collaboration, which aims to deepen our understanding of Dark Antigens. These proteins are encoded by genomic regions that are typically silent in normal tissues but become active in certain cancers, making them potential targets for immunotherapy. It's very exciting to be conducting research on this unexplored part of the genome,” said Chiappinelli.
About Dark Antigens®
Dark Antigens are a rich source of novel cancer-specific targets derived from regions of the genome that were historically considered to be ‘dark’ or non-coding, known as the genomic dark matter. While usually silenced in healthy cells, altered cellular processes in cancer cells lead to the transcription of Dark Antigen-encoding sequences and presentation of novel peptide antigens on the surface of tumor cells. Dark Antigens can be found in all major solid tumors, irrespective of the immune phenotype of the tumor, and they are often expressed at high prevalence across multiple tumor types. Enara’s EDAPT platform has enabled the discovery of Dark Antigens that have the hallmarks of best-in-class T cell antigens, including tumor-specific expression, robust presentation on the surface of tumor cells, and homogenous expression within tumors.
About EDAPT® Platform
Enara Bio has developed a platform called EDAPT to pioneer the discovery and validation of Dark Antigen® targets for the development of cancer immunotherapies. EDAPT combines de novo bioinformatics databases with cutting-edge immunopeptidomics of tumor and healthy tissues alongside RNA in situ hybridization. This integrated approach enables Enara to confirm robust presentation of Dark Antigens on the surface of human tumor cells, validate their cancer-specificity, and demonstrate homogenous intratumoral expression.
For more information on Dark Antigens and the EDAPT platform, visit: https://enarabio.com/technology.
About Enara Bio
Enara Bio is shining a light on Dark Antigen® and T-cell biology to develop cancer immunotherapies designed to improve treatment outcomes for broad populations of cancer patients. Our pioneering EDAPT® platform enables us to discover cancer-specific antigens from previously uncharted genomic ‘dark matter’. The result is a growing library of Dark Antigens that can address the need for novel, cancer-specific targets in solid tumors. Our internal focus is developing TCR-directed immunotherapies against Dark Antigen targets that are highly prevalent and homogenously expressed across solid tumors. Our partner, Boehringer Ingelheim, is combining multiple Dark Antigens to create off-the-shelf therapeutic cancer vaccines. Based in Oxford, UK, Enara Bio is backed by a strong syndicate of life science investors including RA Capital, Pfizer Ventures, M Ventures, Samsara BioCapital and SV Health Investors. For more information, visit: www.enarabio.com.