Alloplex has developed a differentiated, non-engineered, autologous cellular therapy derived, from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. SUPLEXA therapeutic cells display broad anti-tumor activity and are comprised of cells of both innate and adaptive phenotypes and as such employs a multi-modal anti-tumor strategy comprised entirely of normal activated immune cells.
The first in-human clinical trial, designed to yield both safety and efficacy data, commenced in 2Q 2022. Patients with a variety of solid tumors were enrolled in the trial.
The story behind Alloplex
Frank Borriello, Sharron Gargosky & James Lederer
Alloplex is led by its scientific founder and CEO, Dr. Frank Borriello MD, PhD – a Harvard-trained immunologist with over two decades pharmaceutical industry experience where he held positions of increasing responsibility, beginning as an oncology clinical trial medical monitor and later developing a keen interest in Search and Evaluation and expertise in Business Development.
After a long hiatus from basic research, several unrelated elements coalesced to inspire Dr. Borriello to launch Alloplex Biotherapeutics.
The first element provided the scientific underpinning and stemmed from his realization that many immune pathways were reported in the literature to drive some level of anti-tumor benefit but that they was no platform for systematically combining their individual contributions. Furthermore, that the molecular methods existed for expressing an array of immunomodulatory protein ligands which could be used to specifically engage naturally occurring receptors on patient-derived white blood cells and thereby transforming them into tumor killing cells.
The second element provided the motivation and came from the premature loss of his brother, Gaetano Borriello, PhD, an accomplished computer scientist, to colorectal cancer at age 56. The personal loss emphasized the huge unmet medical need still remaining in spite of the significant investment and high level of activity in cancer medicine over many decades.
The third and final element provided the serendipitous catalyst and came in the form of the purchase of the company where Dr. Borriello was employed as Head of Search and Evaluation. This event created a career inflection point and the unexpected opportunity to develop a company dedicated to the singular goal of developing an anti-tumor cellular therapy.
The inspiration
The ‘Inspiration Wall’ in our Boston Headquarters is a display of photos of people we’ve known personally who have lost the battle with cancer. It is a constant reminder of the importance of doing everything we can to the best of our abilities for the sake of the people who are impacted by cancer today and in the future.
