HONG KONG, March 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Akeso, Inc. (9926.HK) ("Akeso" or the "Company") announced today that its proprietary first-in-class trispecific antibody, AK150 (ILT2/ILT4/CSF1R), has received Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for clinical trials in patients with advanced solid tumors.
AK150 is currently the only ILT2/ILT4/CSF1R trispecific antibody under development globally and is also Akeso's first trispecific molecule to enter the clinical stage. Engineered via Akeso's leading AI-driven drug discovery platform and its proprietary Tetrabody technology, AK150 stands as a global first-in-class innovation, once again demonstrating the company's deep expertise and strong R&D capabilities in the field of multispecific antibody therapeutics.
ILT2, ILT4, and CSF1R exhibit high expression levels in various solid tumors, particularly prominent in tumor types with significant immunosuppressive microenvironments, including non-small cell lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, and some refractory breast cancers. Although current single- or dual-target therapies against macrophage related targets (such as those targeting ILT2, ILT4, or CSF1R) have shown some potential globally, they still fall short of fully breaking the immunosuppressive network of the tumor microenvironment. This underscores an urgent need for multi-target synergistic innovative therapies capable of multi-dimensional immune remodeling to improve anti-tumor efficacy—especially to overcome the clinical challenge of traditional immunotherapy's insensitivity to "cold tumors".
By simultaneously targeting ILT2, ILT4, and CSF1R, AK150 enables synergistic anti-tumor activity through coordinated modulation of both innate and adaptive immune systems. It holds high therapeutic potential not only for hot tumors but also for converting "cold tumors" into "hot tumors", thereby fundamentally improving tumor responsiveness to immunotherapy.
CSF1R, ILT2, and ILT4 each play important immunomodulatory roles in the tumor microenvironment, together constructing a complex immunosuppressive network. The synergistic blockade of these three targets can relieve immune suppression at multiple levels. AK150 depletes immunosuppressive myeloid cells by CSF1R blockade, while simultaneously releasing the "molecular brakes" on remaining myeloid populations by ILT2 and ILT4 blockade. Meanwhile, ILT2 blockade by AK150 also has the potential to activate CD8+ T cells and Natural Killer (NK) cells, enhancing the anti-tumor immune response. This innovative design holds promise for addressing key challenges in solid tumor drug development.
About AK150
AK150 is a proprietary, humanized anti-CSF1R, ILT2, and ILT4 trispecific antibody developed by Akeso. By binding to CSF1R, AK150 blocks the interaction between CSF1R and CSF1/IL-34, thereby inhibiting CSF1R-dependent survival of myeloid cells, eliminating M2-like TAMs; By binding to ILT2/ILT4, AK150 blocks the interaction between ILT2/ILT4 and HLA-A/B/C/E/G, relieving immunosuppression of myeloid cells, and restoring the activity and function of NK cells and CD8+ T cells. Therefore, by synergistically blockade CSF1R/ILT2/ILT4, AK150 achieves multi-pathway blockade of both innate and adaptive immunity, enabling multi-dimensional relief of immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment and overcoming the limitations of poor clinical efficacy by single-target drugs. . Preclinical animal models have demonstrated that AK150 exhibits dose-dependent tumor inhibition across all tested dosage groups.
About Akeso
Akeso (HKEX: 9926.HK) is a leading biopharmaceutical company committed to the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of the world's first or best-in-class innovative biological medicines. Founded in 2012, the company has established a robust R&D innovation ecosystem centered on its proprietary Tetrabody multi-specific antibody platform, Dual-Shield Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs), Dual-Lock T-cell engager (TCE), Tissue-Smart siRNA, Cell Therapies, and Flex-Nano mRNA platforms. Supported by a global-standard GMP manufacturing infrastructure and a highly efficient, integrated commercialization model, the company has evolved into a globally competitive biopharmaceutical focused on innovative solutions. With fully integrated multi-functional platform, Akeso is internally working on a robust pipeline of over 50 innovative assets in the fields of cancer, autoimmune disease, inflammation, metabolic disease and other major diseases. Among them, 27 candidates have entered clinical trials (including 15 bispecific/multispecific antibodies and bispecific ADCs. Additionally, 7 new drugs are commercially available. Through efficient and breakthrough R&D innovation, Akeso always integrates superior global resources, develops the first-in-class and best-in-class new drugs, provides affordable therapeutic antibodies for patients worldwide, and continuously creates more commercial and social values to become a global leading biopharmaceutical enterprise.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement by Akeso, Inc. (9926.HK, "Akeso") contains "forward-looking statements". These statements reflect the current beliefs and expectations of Akeso's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. These statements are not intended to form the basis of any investment decision or any decision to purchase securities of Akeso. There can be no assurance that the drug candidate(s) indicated in this announcement or Akeso's other pipeline candidates will obtain the required regulatory approvals or achieve commercial success. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in P.R.China, the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; Akeso's ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the Akeso's patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.
Akeso does not undertake any obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, except as required by law.
