Biomunex Pharmaceuticals appoints its new Scientific Advisory Board on MAIT, composed of MAIT cell experts to accelerate the development of its MAIT engagers in immuno-oncology

• ‍The new Scientific Advisory Board, which is composed of Prof. Tim F. Greten (NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA), Prof. Paul Klenerman (Oxford University, Oxford, UK), Dr. Olivier Lantz (Institut Curie, Paris, France), Prof. Christophe Massard (Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France) and Prof. Matthias Peipp (University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein & Kiel University, Kiel, Germany), will support Biomunex in the development of its innovative MAIT engagers.
• Biomunex continues to make progress towards clinical development of its first MAIT engagers to bring this disruptive innovation to the immunotherapy of cancer.

Paris, France, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, June 11th, 2025 - Biomunex Pharmaceuticals, a French biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of next generation immunotherapies based on the discovery and development of bi- and multispecific antibodies, today announced the appointment of its Scientific Advisory Board to accelerate the development of its MAIT engagers, a new class of bispecific antibodies capable of targeting and engaging a subpopulation of immune cells, the Mucosal Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells, in order to kill cancer cells.

Made up of experts in immuno-oncology and renowned scientists in the field of MAIT cells, the new Scientific Advisory Board will be responsible for advising and supporting Biomunex in its clinical development strategy, to enable the successful development and advancement of its new bispecific MAIT-engager antibodies, from preclinical stages to implementation and execution of clinical trials.

Five international medical experts to accelerate Biomunex' clinical programs on MAIT engagers

Prof. Tim F. Greten is a world expert in gastrointestinal oncology and tumor immunology. A renowned physician-scientist, Prof. Greten leads a research team that explores the tumor microenvironment in liver cancers such as hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastases. With extensive experience in the development of new therapies, he was among the first to test immune checkpoint inhibitors in liver cancer. As head of the gastrointestinal medical oncology team of the Center for Cancer Research of the National Cancer Institute (NIH), Bethesda (Maryland, USA), he leads innovative clinical trials, covering the full spectrum of research, from basic tumor immunology to phase I and II trials. Prof. Greten has also been very active in the evaluation of MAIT cells in liver cancer, both in terms of basic and translational research, and his experience will have a big impact on the clinical development of Biomunex’ MAIT engagers.

Prof. Paul Klenerman is a world-renowned immunologist at Oxford University (UK), where he heads the Immunology Network. He is the author of nearly 500 scientific publications, 50 of which are dedicated to MAIT cells. Prof. Klenerman trained in medicine at Cambridge and Oxford before specializing in infectious diseases, where MAIT cells have been shown to have a major role. One of his major areas of interest is in T cell responses at mucosal surfaces, which are crucial for host defense, and the role of MAIT cells in immunity. Prof. Klenerman is interested in the translational aspects of immunotherapies and how these relate to immunological responses. His expertise in applying cutting-edge scientific approaches to major clinical problems will be a valuable asset to Biomunex' work in cancer immunotherapy, particularly in understanding the translation of MAIT engagers to clinical utility.

Dr. Olivier Lantz is a renowned physician and researcher in immunology. A graduate of the Université d'Orsay with a doctorate in medicine and science, Dr. Lantz currently heads the clinical immunology laboratory at the Institut Curie in Paris. He is the author of over 180 scientific publications and specializes in translational research in immuno-oncology, particularly in the field of immunotherapies. His career has been marked by fundamental discoveries in T-cell biology, in particular the identification and characterization of MAIT cells as a distinct and biologically unique T-cell subset in 1999. Recently, he was awarded an ERC-Advanced fellowship, a distinction granted to researchers with strong research achievements in their career, for his research on T cells and their cytotoxic functions. Co-inventor of MAIT engagers, his unrivalled expertise in MAIT cells is a major asset in the development of these innovative immunotherapies.

Prof. Christophe Massard is a medical oncologist and a professor of cancerology at the University of Paris-Saclay. He began his career at the Gustave Roussy Institute. Over the past 15 years, Prof. Massard has been the principal investigator in over 100 Phase I/II trials and has developed world-renowned expertise in the clinical development of new innovative drugs for cancer treatment. In 2013, he participated in the creation then was appointed Head of the Department of Therapeutic Innovation and Early Trials (DITEP) to strengthen these core aspects of clinical development at Gustave Roussy. He has contributed to more than 100 scientific publications published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the Lancet Oncology. For 2 years, he has been involved in the optimization of clinical strategy with Biomunex.

Prof. Matthias Peipp is a world-renowned molecular biologist and immunologist. He is head of the Division of Antibody-based Immunotherapy at University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein & Kiel University. Prof. Peipp is a recognized expert in the field of bispecific antibodies and immunotherapy, with over 150 publications and 4000 citations to his credit. His work focuses on the modulation of antibody effector functions and strategies to enhance the recruitment and activation of various immune cell populations (T cells, MAIT cells, NK cells, macrophages). His knowledge and expertise are key for Biomunex in the development of new immunotherapeutic approaches using bispecific antibodies.

Dr. Simon Plyte, CSO of Biomunex, said: “We are delighted to welcome Prof. Greten, Prof. Klenerman, Dr. Lantz, Prof. Massard and Prof. Peipp onto our Scientific Advisory Board. Their complementary expertise in immuno-oncology, basic and translational immunology and clinical development will be an invaluable asset for Biomunex for the establishment of our clinical strategy. In addition, these five experts have in-depth knowledge of MAIT cell biology, which will be fundamental in helping us develop our MAIT engagers, Biomunex’ new class of bispecific antibodies capable of engaging MAIT cells to kill tumor cells for the treatment of cancer”.

Biomunex is the leading company on the development of this new class of bispecific antibodies, MAIT engagers. By leveraging the collective knowledge of the Scientific Advisory Board, Biomunex is poised to unlock the full therapeutic potential of MAIT engagement. The guidance provided by these experts will help optimize the development pathway of this next generation immunotherapy, ensuring that Biomunex' MAIT engagers reach patients swiftly and deliver meaningful therapeutic advances in cancer treatment.

‍About Biomunex :

Biomunex Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company based in Paris (France) and Cambridge, MA, USA, led by an international and experienced team. Biomunex specializes in the discovery and development of breakthrough immunotherapeutic approaches, based on solid data and proven biological and clinical evidence, to address unmet medical needs in oncology.

Biomunex has created and developed BiXAb®, a robust, “Plug and Play”, next-generation bi- and multi-specific antibody technology platform, using a proprietary computational modeling approach, with a very robust IP and patent portfolio. The BiXAb platform, which allows the generation of bispecific antibodies from any pair of monoclonal antibodies in a simple, fast and cost-effective manner, has been validated through licensing agreements and collaborations with the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, with Sanofi then Onward Therapeutics, and most recently with Ipsen.

Biomunex is the first company worldwide developing MAIT engagers, an immuno-oncology approach that allows, through bispecific antibodies from its BiXAb platform, to specifically target and engage MAIT cells, a subpopulation of T cells present throughout the body, particularly in mucosal and barrier tissues, to kill cancer cells, for the treatment of solid tumors.