Novel platform uses DNA-loaded polymeric nanoparticles to precisely reprogram cells in patients, offering potential to reset the immune system and transform treatment for life-threatening autoimmune diseases 

ImmunoVec will conduct the multi-year award in collaboration with world-renowned researchers at Johns Hopkins University, MD Anderson and other U.S. institutions

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — ImmunoVec, a biotechnology company pioneering a novel approach to in vivo cell engineering, today announced its launch from stealth with an up to $40.7 million award from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Engineering of Immune Cells Inside the Body (EMBODY) program. EMBODY is led by ARPA-H Program Manager Daria Fedyukina, Ph.D. The funding will accelerate development of ImmunoVec’s first-in-class in vivo cell therapy for autoimmune diseases, from pre-clinical studies through a first-in-human clinical trial.

ImmunoVec will conduct the project in collaboration with world-renowned researchers at Johns Hopkins University, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and other U.S. institutions. Together, the team will evaluate the ability of ImmunoVec’s DNA-loaded polymeric nanoparticle platform to precisely reprogram immune cells in patients, reset the immune system and transform treatment of multiple, serious autoimmune diseases.

“We are very grateful to ARPA-H for this award, which provides incredible validation for ImmunoVec’s differentiated approach to in vivo cell engineering,” said Ryan Wong, Ph.D., ImmunoVec CEO and co-founder. “By precisely reprogramming immune cells directly within the body, we aim to overcome the fundamental limitations of current cell therapies, and deliver safer, more potent, and far more accessible treatments at an unprecedented scale, speed, and cost.”

Most emerging viral and non-viral in vivo cell engineering approaches are expensive to manufacture and lack cell-type specificity, limiting their scalability and creating safety concerns due to off-target effects. The ImmunoVec platform circumvents these challenges through a dual-precision design that pairs targeted polymer-based DNA delivery vehicles with proprietary, cell type-specific promoters that exclusively deliver the therapeutic payload within the intended cell population.

Unlike viral vectors and lipid nanoparticles, ImmunoVec’s biodegradable polymers are low-cost, scalable, and non-immunogenic, offering the potential for a safer and more flexible manufacturing process. In parallel, its DNA-based payload enables durable, long-term expression, a key advantage over transient mRNA systems. This dual-regulation strategy has the potential to provide unprecedented control, therapeutic efficacy, and safety by ensuring genetic therapies are delivered and expressed only by the desired cell types.

ImmunoVec’s ARPA-H-funded project will apply the company’s platform to develop a novel polymeric nanoparticle capable of engineering natural killer (NK) cells in vivo with a CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) construct. This approach aims to deplete B cells that cause autoimmune disease (autoreactive cells), and offers significant advantages over traditional ex vivo CAR therapies.

“We founded ImmunoVec to translate this promising, next-generation, cell type-specific platform into the clinic, led by a team with a rare blend of scientific innovation and operational excellence,” said William Woodward, ImmunoVec chairman, co-founder, and managing general partner at Anthem Venture Partners.

ImmunoVec’s platform is de-risked and validated, and the team has a track record of advancing potentially curative therapies toward the clinic. The company has developed a pipeline of cell type-specific gene therapies for multiple, potentially fatal pediatric immune diseases, such as X-linked chronic granulomatous disease, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome and IPEX syndrome. Pre-clinical data demonstrate that these therapies restore normal gene expression and have the potential to safely and effectively reduce or eliminate symptoms of these serious illnesses.

“We created ImmunoVec to fundamentally change how gene and cell therapies are delivered,” said Luke Riggan, Ph.D., director of Cell Therapy at ImmunoVec. “Compared to ex vivo CAR-T therapies, which can be slow and prohibitively expensive, our in vivo approach can be delivered in days, at a fraction of the cost, and potentially reach far more patients.”

In addition to the ARPA-H-funded project, ImmunoVec is advancing a series of preclinical programs utilizing its platform to create next-generation cell therapies for autoimmune diseases, solid tumors, and genetic disorders. The company is also securing funding as part of a Series A financing to accelerate its development pipeline.

About ImmunoVec
ImmunoVec is pioneering the next generation of in vivo cell engineering, developing therapies for autoimmune diseases, solid tumors, and genetic disorders. The company’s proprietary platform combines synthetic, cell type-specific promoters across multiple delivery vehicles to enable precise and durable expression of therapeutic payloads within targeted cells. ImmunoVec is led by scientific Co-Founders Ryan Wong, Ph.D., and Luke Riggan, Ph.D., along with Chairman William Woodward, a renowned venture capitalist and serial entrepreneur, and Doug Sills of Anthem Venture Partners. The company operates out of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) in Los Angeles, providing access to world-class facilities and collaborations with leading scientists. For more information, visit https://immunovec.com/

This research was funded, in part, by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government.

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