Infinity Pharmaceuticals

Infinity Pharmaceuticals is a Cambridge based Biotechnology Company working towards the discovery and development of treatments for cancer. The company’s lead product candidate, IPI-549 is an oral drug which selectively inhibits phosphoinositide-3-kinase gamma (PI3K-gamma). PI3K-gamma is a signal-transducing enzyme which is a critical modulator in cancer and immunity. As of March 2019, the drug is being studied for activity, safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics.

IPI-549 is being developed to inhibit the growth of cancer tumors. Research by the company has demonstrated transcriptional reprogramming of tumor-related macrophages by blocking PI3K-gamma signaling. It showed promise in promoting anti-tumor immune response by reprogramming pro-tumor phenotype to anti-tumor phenotype in the tumor microenvironment.

The drug is tested for use as monotherapy and in combination therapy with a PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor called nivolumab. The test study includes four parts; monotherapy and combination dose-escalation components with monotherapy expansion and combination expansion components. Approximately 200 patients with advanced cancer tumors relating to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), melanoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) were selected as a part of this study. In combination expansion component study, the drug was evaluated with cancer patients suffering from NSCLC, HNSCC, and melanoma whose tumors show resistance to immune checkpoint blockade therapy.

Eric Lander, Frank Moss, and Michael Foely founded the company in 2001, and the company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.