Altor BioScience is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and viral infections, based on its engineered cytokine technology platforms. It was formed in 2002 by Dr. Hing C. Wong as a spin-off from Sunol Molecular Corporation, and is backed by leading venture capital funds, including Sanderling Ventures and TVM Capital. They have two proprietary technology platforms: the STAR™ platform and the IL-15 Superagonist platform.

The immune system is the human body’s defense system against disease. Their STAR^TM and IL-15 technologies are based on the cytokines interleukin-2 and interleukin-15 and can jump start the immune system by activating and expanding immune cells in the body. The cytokine interleukin-15 (IL-15) plays a crucial role in the immune system by affecting the development, maintenance, and function of the natural killer (NK) and T cells. As part of the immune defense against disease, these immune cells are primarily involved in recognizing and targeting the destruction of foreign invaders and abnormal cells, such as virally infected cells and tumor cells. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has previously listed IL-15 as the most promising product candidate that could potentially cure cancer. Their proprietary IL-15 platform utilizes the potency of IL-15 to provide ideal immunotherapeutic product candidates with broad applications for cancers and viral infections that can also be used as powerful adjuvants in combination therapies.

In various experimental models, ALT-803 and ALT-801 exhibit potent immunostimulatory activity when administered in combination with other types of therapeutic agents. Altor is positioning its immunotherapeutic platform to be employed as the backbone therapy in next-generation combination immunotherapy approaches.  

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