# Apeximmune Therapeutics

> Apeximmune Therapeutics is a South San Francisco / Burlingame-area biotechnology company developing next-generation antibody therapeutics that harness the immune system to treat cancer and autoimmune disease. Using a proprietary target-discovery platform built on bioinformatic analysis of thousands of tumor RNA-seq transcriptomes, the company has identified more than 30 novel immune targets. Its lead program, AI-306, is a first-in-class antagonist antibody against the novel immune checkpoint AIM-103, and its MEBA platform builds bispecific antibodies that engage macrophages to kill tumor cells. The company closed a $21.3 million Series A in 2025 led by PharmaEssentia.

- **Founded:** 2020
- **Headquarters:** South San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founders:** Li-Fen (Lilian) Lee (Founder & CEO), Ching-Leou Teng (Co-Founder), Hsieng Lu (Co-Founder / Board of Directors)
- **Team size:** ~5 employees
- **Products:** AI-306, MEBA Platform (Macrophage Engaging Bispecific Antibody), Target Discovery Platform
- **Notable:** Closed a $21.3M Series A in 2025, exceeding its $20M goal, led by PharmaEssentia., Raised $27.3M in total funding across Pre-A and Series A rounds., Discovered AIM-103, a novel immune checkpoint controlling both innate and adaptive immunity.

## Products & services

- **AI-306** — First-in-class antagonist monoclonal antibody targeting AIM-103, a novel negative immune checkpoint highly expressed in gastrointestinal cancers (pancreatic, liver, colon, esophageal). Designed to reverse AIM-103's immune-suppressive functions and reinvigorate anti-tumor T-cell immunity. Lead program advancing toward IND.
- **MEBA Platform (Macrophage Engaging Bispecific Antibody)** — Bispecific antibody platform pairing a class-leading activator of macrophage phagocytosis (anti-AIM-104) with tumor-associated antigen targets to drive tumor-specific killing. Candidates include AI-328, AI-201 and AI-614. Effective in low-lymphocyte tumors with an improved safety profile versus T-cell engagers.
- **Target Discovery Platform** — Proprietary bioinformatics engine that analyzes thousands of RNA-seq transcriptomes across 20+ tumor types to identify novel immune-attenuating factors that suppress tumor-infiltrating T cells. Has yielded more than 30 novel targets of interest.

## Achievements

- Closed a $21.3M Series A in 2025, exceeding its $20M goal, led by PharmaEssentia.
- Raised $27.3M in total funding across Pre-A and Series A rounds.
- Discovered AIM-103, a novel immune checkpoint controlling both innate and adaptive immunity.
- Built a target-discovery platform that identified 30+ novel immune targets from tumor transcriptomes.
- Assembled a scientific advisory board including immunology leaders Jenny Ting, Dario Vignali and Lawrence Steinman.

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — Closed $21.3M Series A financing led by PharmaEssentia to advance AI-306 toward IND and clinical trials.
- **2025-04** — Publicly announced the Series A close and plans to expand R&D and strengthen scientific and executive teams.
- **2021-03** — Completed a $6M Pre-A Series financing to build out its discovery platform and pipeline.

## Links

- Website: https://apeximmune.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/apeximmunetherapeutics

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/apeximmune-therapeutics
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-13