Company: IOBT
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-047744
Chunk: 13

Company: IO Biotech, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 13
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 of tumors to escape immune recognition by loss of antigens and (ii) the ability of tumors to orchestrate an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Collectively, these abilities are referred to as tumor immune escape.  

These immuno-oncology approaches typically block a single immunosuppressive pathway employed by tumors or direct the immune system against antigens or neoantigens expressed by tumors cells. We believe that, by directing the immune system against both tumor cells and other healthy cells within the TME that express immunosuppressive molecules such as PD-L1 or IDO, we have the potential to drive significant benefits for patients by transforming the immune balance within the TME. 

Our Approach: Targeting The TME With Our T-win® Platform 

Our T-win platform is a novel approach to immune-modulatory, off-the-shelf therapeutic cancer vaccines designed to activate pre-existing T cells to target immunosuppressive mechanisms. Our T-win product candidates are designed to employ a dual mechanism of action: (1) direct killing of immune-suppressive cells, including both tumor cells and genetically stable cells in the TME, that express key immunosuppressive proteins such as IDO and PD-L1 and (2) modulation of the TME into a more pro-inflammatory, anti-tumor environment. This is in contrast to previous methods that have sought either to only block singular immunosuppressive pathways or to direct the immune system against specific identified antigens expressed only by tumor cells. We believe that our dual mechanism approach has the potential to induce tumor regression, establish lasting and durable antitumor response, and achieve manageable tolerability for patients. 

Our T-win platform is based on our discovery of naturally occurring, pro-inflammatory T cells which can be used against immunosuppressive mechanisms mediated by key immunosuppressive proteins, such as IDO and PD-L1, that are present in the periphery and among tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes of cancer patients and, to a lesser degree, in healthy individuals (Figure 2 below). When isolated and cultured in vitro, the self-reactive IDO- or PD-L1-specific T cells demonstrated proinflammatory and cytotoxic responses against IDO- or PD-L1-expressing target cells (Figure 3 below). 

Key Components of Our T-win® Platform 

Based on this discovery, we created our T-win platform to direct the immune system against, both tumor cells and genetically stable cells within the TME that express immunosuppressive proteins, with the goal of