Marengo's bispecific antibody invikafusp alfa shows tumor shrinkage in 8 cancer types in Phase 2

Marengo Therapeutics presented Phase 2 data for its bispecific antibody invikafusp alfa at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting in Madrid. The study, part of the Start-001 first‑in‑human trial, reported tumor shrinkage in more than half of the patients across a range of cancers.

Across eight tumor types-including breast, colorectal, endometrial, gastrosophageal junction, gastric, head and neck, non‑small cell lung and bladder cancers-the antibody achieved an 18% objective response rate and a 60% disease control rate. Tumor reduction was observed in 56% of participants.

Invikafusp alfa is described as a first‑in‑class dual T cell agonist that activates a specific subset of T cells known as Vβ, boosting the immune system’s ability to attack tumors. The approach is intended to broaden the reach of immunotherapy for patients who have not responded to checkpoint inhibitors.

Marengo CEO Zhen Su said the company is pioneering this biology to extend immunotherapy beyond checkpoint blockade, offering a potential new option for patients whose cancers have been resistant to existing treatments.