Imvax

What Imvax does

Imvax is a privately held, clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, that develops personalized, whole tumor-derived immunotherapies for solid tumors. The company is built around its proprietary Goldspire® platform, which captures a patient's full tumor antigen signature by combining resected tumor cells with an antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (IMV-001) targeting insulin-like growth factor type 1 receptor (IGF-1R) inside proprietary implantable biodiffusion chambers (BDCs). Tumor samples are processed at Imvax's Philadelphia manufacturing facility in under 24 hours, loaded into BDCs, irradiated, and returned to the hospital for implantation in the patient's abdomen for approximately 48 hours, during which immunogenic cell death releases antigens that stimulate both innate and adaptive immunity.

The lead clinical candidate is IGV-001, an autologous biologic-device combination product for newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (ndGBM), which has received both FDA Fast Track and Orphan Drug Designations. In December 2025, Imvax reported positive Phase 2b top-line data showing median overall survival of 20.3 months versus 14.0 months for placebo (+45% improvement), although the primary progression-free survival endpoint was not met. Approximately 99 patients were enrolled across 19-20 U.S. academic medical centers. The pipeline extends the Goldspire® platform to additional solid tumors, with IHC-001 (hepatocellular carcinoma), IUC-001 (urothelial cancer), IOC-001 (ovarian cancer), and IEC-001 (endometrial cancer) in preclinical or IND-enabling stages.

Imvax has no approved products and no commercial revenue. The company is funded entirely through private capital, having raised approximately $86 million across three rounds between September 2023 and January 2025 from existing and new investors. Distribution of its investigational therapies is exclusively through clinical trial enrollment at major U.S. academic cancer centers. The company is led by Executive Chairman John P. Furey (formerly COO of Spark Therapeutics where he launched LUXTURNA), COO Sean P. Hemingway (formerly Global Head of BioLife Plasma Services at Takeda), and CFO/CLO John M. Limongelli, signaling operational and commercial readiness rather than further research scaling.

Name

Imvax

Legal name

Imvax, Inc.

Website

https://imvax.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Imvax is a privately held, clinical-stage Philadelphia biotech developing personalized whole-tumor immunotherapies via its proprietary Goldspire® platform, with lead candidate IGV-001 in Phase 2b for newly diagnosed glioblastoma and pipeline programs across multiple solid tumors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Cell Therapy Developers (Autologous) (HLAAABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Therapeutic Vaccines (e.g., Cancer/Chronic Infection) (HLAIAEAG), Personalized Therapeutic Design (neoantigen vaccines, individualized cell/gene therapies) (HLAAANAK), Therapeutic Vaccines (cancer, chronic infection immunotherapy) (HLAAAEAB)

Keywords

• Personalized cancer immunotherapy
• Autologous cell therapy
• Glioblastoma treatment
• Tumor-derived vaccines
• Biologic-device combinations

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Pre-revenue / Clinical Stage Development: Imvax is a clinical-stage biotechnology company with no approved products or commercial revenue. The company is developing personalized immunotherapies for solid tumors, with its lead candidate IGV-001 in Phase 2b clinical development for newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Revenue will depend on successful clinical development, regulatory approval, and commercialization of its pipeline products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Imvax develops personalized, whole tumor-derived autologous immunotherapies through its proprietary Goldspire® platform. The platform combines patient-derived tumor cells with antisense oligodeoxynucleotide IMV-001 against IGF-1R, loaded into implantable biodiffusion chambers (BDCs), to deliver a full tumor antigen payload and stimulate both innate and adaptive immune responses against residual tumor cells. The lead candidate IGV-001, an autologous biologic-device combination product for newly diagnosed glioblastoma, has reported positive Phase 2b results with median overall survival of 20.3 months versus 14.0 months for placebo.

Product overview

Imvax is a clinical-stage biotechnology company with a platform-plus-products architecture. The core technology is the Goldspire® platform, a personalized, whole tumor-derived immunotherapy that combines patient-derived tumor cells with an antisense oligonucleotide (IMV-001) delivered via proprietary biodiffusion chambers. The lead product is IGV-001 for newly diagnosed glioblastoma, which has completed Phase 2b trials and received FDA Fast Track designation. The pipeline includes multiple programs (IHC-001 for hepatocellular carcinoma, IUC-001 for urothelial cancer, IOC-001 for ovarian cancer, IEC-001 for endometrial cancer, and ICC-001) at various stages from IND-enabling to preclinical studies, all leveraging the same Goldspire® platform technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Goldspire®: Imvax's proprietary immunotherapy platform that delivers personalized, whole tumor-derived immunotherapies by capturing a tumor's full antigen signature and using it to stimulate the patient's innate and adaptive immunity.

Products and services

• IGV-001 Autologous biologic-device combination product candidate derived from the Goldspire® platform for the treatment of newly diagnosed glioblastoma (ndGBM). Combines patient-derived tumor cells with antisense oligodeoxynucleotide IMV-001 loaded into proprietary biodiffusion chambers implanted for approximately 48 hours. FDA Fast Track Designation and Orphan Drug Designation granted; Phase 2b top-line results announced December 2025 showed median overall survival of 20.3 months versus 14.0 months for placebo (+45%) with no drug-related serious adverse events.
• IHC-001 Pipeline product candidate for hepatocellular carcinoma (primary liver cancer) being developed using the Goldspire® platform. Preclinical studies are ongoing.
• IUC-001 Pipeline product candidate for urothelial (bladder) cancer being developed using the Goldspire® platform. Preclinical studies are ongoing.
• IOC-001 Pipeline product candidate for ovarian cancer being developed using the Goldspire® platform. Preclinical studies are ongoing.
• IEC-001 Pipeline product candidate for endometrial cancer being developed using the Goldspire® platform. Currently in IND-enabling stage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Phase 2b trial: Median OS of 20.3 months vs 14.0 months placebo (+45% improvement)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Adaptimmune Therapeutics: Develops engineered autologous TCR-T cell therapies for solid tumors. Comparable cell therapy modality and oncology focus to Imvax's Goldspire platform.
• Iovance Biotherapeutics: Pioneer in tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) autologous cell therapy, with an FDA-approved product (Amtagvi) in solid tumors. Comparable as a commercial-stage autologous cell therapy developer in oncology.
• Mustang Bio: Clinical-stage cell and gene therapy company developing autologous and allogeneic therapies for oncology, including CAR-T programs for solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.
• Ziopharm Oncology: Develops cell and gene therapies for solid tumors, including autologous CAR-T programs for GBM. Comparable as a clinical-stage personalized cell therapy developer targeting brain tumors.
• Northwest Biotherapeutics: Developer of DCVax-L, an autologous dendritic cell vaccine for glioblastoma. Closely comparable as both companies pursue personalized cell-based immunotherapy approaches for newly diagnosed GBM.
• Aivita Biomedical: Develops autologous dendritic cell vaccines (e.g., AV-GBM-1) for glioblastoma, using patient-specific tumor antigens. Comparable therapeutic modality and target indication to Imvax's IGV-001.

Emerging players

• Candel Therapeutics: Develops viral immunotherapies and autologous cancer vaccines including CAN-3110 for glioblastoma. Adjacent modality but competing in the same indication as Imvax.

Broad incumbents

• Bristol-Myers Squibb: Large immuno-oncology incumbent with Opdivo (nivolumab) and a broad oncology pipeline. Relevant as a potential strategic acquirer of cell therapy assets like Imvax's IGV-001.
• Merck & Co. Owns Keytruda (pembrolizumab), the dominant checkpoint inhibitor, and has historically pursued combination and acquisition strategies in GBM and solid tumor immunotherapy.
• F. Hoffmann-La Roche / Genentech: Major oncology player with broad immunotherapy portfolio and active interest in personalized cell-based approaches for solid tumors. Plausible strategic acquirer of Imvax's autologous platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/imvax_inc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imvax-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Imvax