Immune System Therapeutics (IST) is a biotechnology company focused on the development of monoclonal antibodies for haematologic malignancies and auto-immune diseases.

IST has identified two novel drug targets, Kappa Myeloma Antigen (KMA) and Lambda Myeloma Antigen (LMA), on the surface of human blood cancer and autoimmune cells. These targets are highly specific to abnormal B-cells and have been identified in blood cancers such as multiple myeloma (MM), lymphomas, leukaemias and Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. As KMA and LMA are not present on healthy cells, IST’s therapies should have few side effects.

IST’s lead therapy, MDX-1097, is a first in class, disease-modifying antibody therapy for haematological malignancies that targets a novel B-cell surface antigen (KMA) that is specific to malignant cells. The lead indication for MDX-1097 is kappa-type multiple myeloma, a fatal blood cancer affecting more than 100,000 patients worldwide. MDX-1097 has recently been granted FDA orphan drug designation for multiple myeloma by the FDA. Data from a completed Phase I study and preliminary results from the ongoing Phase II study in multiple myeloma show that MDX-1097 is efficacious as a single agent with excellent safety and tolerability in patients who have received multiple previous lines of therapy. Based on the current clinical profile and mechanism of action, key opinion leaders in the US and EU view MDX-1097 at this stage of its development, as a potentially important therapeutic agent in the treatment of multiple myeloma and other blood cancers.

Vision: To cure, improve survival and eliminate the suffering of people who are affected by blood cancers and autoimmune diseases