LTZ Therapeutics Raises $38 Million in Support of Advancing Myeloid Engager Immunotherapy Pipeline

- Erin Lavelle Joins LTZ’s Board of Directors to Guide Strategic Operations -

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. & SHENZHEN, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LTZ Therapeutics, a clinical-stage, immunotherapy-focused biotechnology company, today announced the completion of an oversubscribed $38 million financing round to accelerate development of its Universal Myeloid Cell Engager (U-MCE™)-based immunotherapy pipeline, particularly its lead asset LTZ-301 targeting oncology and autoimmune diseases. The round was led by GL Ventures, with substantial participation from a sovereign wealth fund and continued support from existing shareholders. This financing brings LTZ’s total funding to approximately $130 million since its founding in 2022.

Proceeds from this round will be used to accelerate development of LTZ’s pipeline, supporting the company’s ongoing Phase 1 clinical study of its lead asset, LTZ-301, which is actively enrolling patients from multiple top clinical sites in the US, as well as the Investigational New Drug (IND) filing and Phase 1 initiation of its second asset, LTZ-232.

“This financing empowers us to translate the potential of our Myeloid Engager Platform into tangible clinical impact for patients,” said Robert Li, Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer of LTZ Therapeutics. “We are building strong momentum across our pipeline and we’re grateful for the robust support from high-caliber investors, whose partnership enables us to accelerate the development of innovative immunotherapies designed to harness myeloid biology to address significant unmet medical needs.”

Coinciding with this financing round, LTZ has appointed Erin Lavelle as the company’s independent board director.

“We’re excited to welcome Erin Lavelle to our board at this pivotal stage of growth,” added Li. “Erin brings over 25 years of industry executive experience spanning across large pharma and biotech, including both private and public companies. Most recently as the chief operating officer and chief financial officer of ProfoundBio, Ms. Lavelle led the company’s $1.8 billion acquisition by Genmab and the $112 million oversubscribed Series B financing preceding the acquisition, and spearheaded the company’s public company readiness efforts. Erin’s addition to LTZ Board will be invaluable as we continue advancing our clinical pipeline and scaling the company globally.”

“GL Ventures is pleased to partner with LTZ as the company scales its novel, proprietary U-MCE platform to harness the therapeutic potential of myeloid biology through multiple early-stage programs,” according to a statement from GL Ventures. “The transition of its lead asset LTZ-301 into Phase 1, alongside the upcoming IND filing for LTZ-232, reflects the team’s operational efficiency and proven ability to execute on this first-in-class modality. We will continue to support Robert and his team as they advance this innovative platform to bring breakthrough treatment options to patients.”

About the Science

LTZ’s approach focuses on the fusion of reverse translational science, with a deep understanding of tumor microenvironment (TME) biology – especially myeloid biology. Macrophages appear to be one of the most prevalent immune cell populations in TME of various hematologic and solid tumors. Therefore, effectively engaging and activating macrophages to kill cancer cells offers significant therapeutic potential for patients. LTZ is developing its own U-MCE Platform to primarily enhance the phagocytic function of monocytes and macrophages of different polarization states to foster anti-tumor immunity and offer potential therapeutic benefit for other non-oncology diseases.

About LTZ-301

LTZ-301 is a novel myeloid engager bi-specific antibody that depletes CD79b+ B-cells by redirecting monocytes and macrophages toward CD79b+ B-cells, leading to enhanced phagocytosis and depletion of cancer cells. CD79b is a unique tumor antigen receptor that is highly expressed in B-cell malignancies, including the ones of relapse/resistance to the existing CD19 or CD20-based therapies. The ongoing LTZ-301 Phase 1 clinical study is actively enrolling patients with relapsed/refractory Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (r/r NHL) from top US clinical centers. Preclinical studies of LTZ-301 demonstrated potent pharmacology in both in vitro and in vivo studies with a favorable safety profile.

About LTZ

LTZ Therapeutics is a clinical-stage, immunotherapy-focused biotechnology company pursuing the development of novel therapies, with the company's Universal Myeloid Cell Engager (U-MCE™) Platform, to improve clinical outcomes in patients with oncology and autoimmune diseases. With main operations in Redwood City, California and Shenzhen, China, LTZ is dedicated to developing myeloid engager immunotherapies for broad disease indications. For more information, please visit https://www.ltztherapeutics.com/.