Purple Biotech Presents Positive Preclinical Data for IM1240 at EACR 2026

Purple Biotech Ltd. announced new preclinical data for IM1240, its lead CAPTN-3 program candidate, at the EACR 2026 Annual Congress. IM1240 is a masked tri-specific antibody designed to target tumors while engaging both T cells and NK cells. In non-human primate (NHP) toxicology studies, the CAPTN-3 masking strategy was validated, demonstrating an 8-fold longer half-life and 16-fold greater systemic exposure compared to a non-capped variant. Importantly, IM1240 showed a significantly improved safety profile, requiring a 300-fold higher dose than the non-capped variant to trigger cytokine release. Efficacy data from patient-derived samples showed IM1240 induced apoptosis in PD-1-resistant head and neck, bladder, and lung cancers. In NSCLC explants, the therapy induced mature tertiary lymphoid structures and increased CD8 T and NK cell abundance while reducing regulatory T cells. These results highlight the essential role of the NKG2A arm in the drug's anti-tumor activity. The company plans to advance IM1240 toward a first-in-human clinical study in 2027 based on these favorable safety and pharmacokinetic profiles.