Navrogen Awarded Nat'l Cancer Institute Grant to Develop Antagonists to Treat Humoral Immuno-Oncology Positive Cancers

Navrogen Awarded National Cancer Institute Grant to Develop Antagonists to Treat Humoral Immuno-Oncology (HIO) Positive Cancers

CHEYNEY, PA, UNITED STATES, September 8, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Cheyney, PA, September 8, 2025 - Navrogen, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company specialized in
developing antibody-based therapies for cancer, today announces a grant award from the National Cancer
Institute to advance the development of antagonists to treat Humoral Immuno-Oncology (HIO) positive
cancers. HIO-positive cancers are characterized by the production of HIO factors, which are tumor-
derived proteins that suppress antibody-mediated immune responses. These factors block the engagement
of tumor-bound antibodies to natural killer (NK) cells through the CD16a Fc-receptor, thereby impairing
humoral immune-mediated killing of tumor cells. Navrogen’s proprietary research has identified four
distinct HIO factors responsible for this form of immunosuppression, with one or more of these factors
co-expressed within a patient’s tumor.
The newly awarded grant will specifically support the development of antagonists against the HIO-2
factor, which is prominently expressed in several difficult-to-treat cancers, including triple-negative
breast, colorectal, non-small cell lung, and pancreatic cancers.
“Over years of discovery research, Navrogen scientists have uncovered this novel HIO cancer paradigm
and developed a broad approach to characterize HIO factors and design therapeutic agents aimed at
overcoming their immunosuppression,” said Dr. Luigi Grasso, Chief Scientific Officer of Navrogen.
“This peer-reviewed grant not only validates the HIO paradigm but also enables us to further advance
therapeutic strategies designed to treat patients with HIO-positive cancers.”
The research reported in this press release is supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National
Institutes of Health under Award Number 1R03CA302674-01. The content is solely the responsibility of
the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
About Navrogen
Navrogen is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery of tumor-produced Humoral Immuno-
Oncology (HIO) factors that are associated with suppressed humoral immunity, poor prognosis and
limited therapeutic response of immune-mediated anti-cancer therapies. The company’s mission is to
develop best and first-in-class agents that can overcome the immunosuppressive effects of HIO factors
by employing its proprietary screening and engineering technologies as well as diagnostic assays that can
identify patients whose tumors produce HIO factors to advise physicians on therapeutic options. For more
information, please visit www.navrogen.com.

Contacts:
Nicholas Nicolaides, President and Chief Executive Officer
Navrogen, Incorporated
+1 610-399-2717
nick@navrogen.com

Steven Kyriakos, VP of Finance and Operations
Navrogen, Incorporated
+1 610-399-2718
steve@navrogen.com
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