Reactivating The Immune System Against Cancer

We’re OX2 Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel immune therapy platform with the potential to make devastating cancers manageable—if not curable.

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New Approach to Immune Checkpoint Modulation

OX2 Therapeutics is engineering a transformative peptide immunotherapy, ARL200, to act as a master regulator of the immune system and optimize its response against a wide range of cancers. Here’s how it works:

1A: Tumors shed PD-L1 and CD200 ligands that bind to inhibitory receptors and induce immune suppression.

1B: Specifically, these ligands disrupt APCs’ communication with T Cells, which allow tumors to evade detection.

1C: Moreover, they enable monocytes to make new inhibitory cells that further suppress the immune system.

To overcome this serious immune suppression, OX2 developed ARL200, a peptide that binds to a specific activation receptor to override these suppressive signals.

It takes charge of the signaling pathways of these immune checkpoints to neutralize PD-L1 and CD200 and down-regulate CTLA-4 on T cells. This broad-spectrum immune reactivation can eliminate the need for complex combination therapies.

Following the reversal, ARL200 further restores T cell immune response by facilitating three critical requirements:
1) enhancing antigen presentation;
2) stimulating the production of maturation cytokines; and
3) inducing CD80/86 co-stimulatory expression.

Why ARL200 is Different

We aren't just adding another treatment; we are rewriting the immunological rules for resistant cancers.

Broad Application

ARL200 is being developed as a platform therapy for the treatment of multiple solid tumors. With its Phase I clinical trial for pediatric diffuse midline glioma and recurrent high-grade glioma underway, OX2 plans to expand into additional tumor types over time. OX2 Therapeutics' in vivo experiments with oncolytic virus, gene therapy and focused ultrasound supports ARL200’s potential for broad application.

Precision Modulation

ARL200 is designed to regulate CD200 signaling with more nuance than conventional approaches, modulating both activating and inhibitory pathways to fine-tune immune response rather than simply blocking it.

Reduced Toxicity

Unlike antibody-based therapies that broadly inhibit checkpoint pathways, ARL200 is designed to activate and rebalance immune signaling. This approach of reigniting rather than restraining the immune system can offer a controlled response of the body’s natural defenses with improved tolerability and less toxicity.

Explore Platform

We Aim to Outwit and Outlast Formidable Cancers

Founded in 2016, OX2 Therapeutics is driven by a singular goal: to transform fatal cancers into manageable, and ultimately curable, diseases. We believe patients facing devastating diagnoses deserve better options—and that the immune system, when guided by ARL200, can be a powerful force in that fight.

Born out of the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota and advanced by leading experts in oncology, immunology, and translational science, our work focuses on the tumor microenvironment where cancer cells can suppress certain immune responses to survive and proliferate.

Our patented peptide platform is designed to interact with key immune pathways at a fundamental level, helping to restore immune surveillance and promote durable anti-tumor activity.