Ankyra

What Ankyra does

Ankyra Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2019 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is developing anchored immunotherapy — a platform approach that links immune-modulating molecules (cytokines such as IL-12, IL-15, IL-2, and IFN-α; antibodies targeting CD40, CD28, and CD137; and bi-agonists combining these modalities) to aluminum hydroxide so that the active drug is retained at the tumor site for weeks, broadening the therapeutic window while limiting systemic toxicity.

The company's lead candidate, tolododekin alfa (ANK-101), is a first-in-class IL-12 anchored immunotherapy currently in Phase 1/2 trials in solid tumors, including a Phase 1b combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer launched in November 2025. Phase 1 data published in Nature Communications in November 2025 reported safety and activity in solid tumor patients; preclinical canine melanoma data showed a 29% objective response rate and 47% durable disease control rate. The broader pipeline comprises additional cytokine (ANK-102/103/104), antibody (ANK-201/202/203), and bi-agonist (ANK-301/302/303) candidates in preclinical development. ANK-203 (CD137-anchored) had its first preclinical data presentation at the AACR Immuno-Oncology Conference in February 2026.

Ankyra is pre-revenue and monetizes through future commercialization of its pipeline following regulatory approval, with current activity focused on clinical execution through partnerships with the National Cancer Institute, Mount Sinai, and Mass General Brigham. The company has raised approximately $59.5 million across a 2020 round and a November 2021 $45 million Series B, with a leadership team led by CEO Howard L. Kaufman (former T-VEC and avelumab clinical lead) and CSO Sailaja Battula, PhD, alongside co-founders Tillman Gerngross, Karl Dane Wittrup, and Darrell Irvine of MIT/HHMI.

Name

Ankyra

Legal name

Ankyra Therapeutics, Inc.

Website

https://ankyratx.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ankyra Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech developing anchored immunotherapy that links cytokines and antibodies to aluminum hydroxide for localized cancer treatment. Its lead candidate, tolododekin alfa (ANK-101), an IL-12 anchored therapy, is in Phase 1/2 trials for solid tumors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cancer Immunotherapy

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Therapeutic Peptides & Protein/Peptide Biologics (HLAAAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics (mAbs) (HLAAAAAA), Immunology & Inflammation Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAD)

Keywords

• Anchored immunotherapy
• Cancer immunotherapy
• Immuno-oncology drugs
• Cytokine therapeutics
• Clinical-stage biotechnology

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Product Revenue: Pre-revenue clinical-stage biotechnology company. Expected to generate revenue through commercialization of anchored immunotherapy pipeline candidates, initially targeting oncology indications with potential expansion to other immune-mediated diseases. Revenue model will likely involve direct pharmaceutical sales following regulatory approval.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ankyra Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing anchored immunotherapy drugs that link therapeutic immune-modulating molecules (cytokines, antibodies, bi-agonists) to aluminum hydroxide to localize treatment at disease sites. Its lead candidate, tolododekin alfa (ANK-101), is an IL-12 anchored immunotherapy in Phase 1/2 clinical trials for advanced solid tumors, with an additional preclinical pipeline of anchored cytokines, antibodies, and bi-agonists.

Product overview

Ankyra Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering anchored immunotherapy to deliver better outcomes for people with cancer and other serious immune-mediated diseases. The company operates as a platform-plus-products model, with its core Anchored Immunotherapy Platform that links immune-modulating molecules to aluminum hydroxide for localized delivery. The lead product is Tolododekin alfa (ANK-101), a first-in-class IL-12 anchored immunotherapy now in Phase 1/2 clinical trials for solid tumors. The pipeline includes additional cytokine-based candidates (ANK-102, ANK-103, ANK-104), antibody-based candidates (ANK-201, ANK-202, ANK-203), and bi-agonist candidates (ANK-301, ANK-302, ANK-303) targeting various immune pathways for cancer treatment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tolododekin alfa (ANK-101) First-in-class interleukin-12 (IL-12) anchored immunotherapy for solid tumors. Links IL-12 cytokine to aluminum hydroxide for enhanced tumor retention and reduced systemic toxicity; currently in Phase 1/2 clinical trials in solid tumors including NSCLC and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
• ANK-102 IL-15 anchored immunotherapy candidate for solid tumors in preclinical development.
• ANK-103 IL-2 anchored immunotherapy candidate for solid tumors in preclinical development.
• ANK-104 IFN-α anchored immunotherapy candidate for solid tumors in preclinical development.
• ANK-201 CD40 antibody anchored immunotherapy candidate for solid tumors in preclinical development.
• ANK-202 CD28 antibody anchored immunotherapy candidate for solid tumors in preclinical development.
• ANK-203 First-in-class CD137 (4-1BB) anchored immunotherapy candidate for solid tumors in preclinical development; demonstrated robust activation of CD137 immune pathway and anti-tumor activity with no observed systemic toxicity.
• ANK-301 CD40-IL-2 bi-agonist anchored immunotherapy candidate for solid tumors in preclinical development.
• ANK-302 CD28-IL-2 bi-agonist anchored immunotherapy candidate for solid tumors in preclinical development.
• ANK-303 CD137-IL-2 bi-agonist anchored immunotherapy candidate for solid tumors in preclinical development.

Quantifiable outcome

• 29% objective response rate in canines with advanced melanoma
• +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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• National Cancer Institute (NCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative research partnership for clinical trials. NCI serves as a key clinical trial site for Phase 1 studies of tolododekin alfa. NCI researchers co-author presentations and publications on anchored immunotherapy research.
• Merck & Co.strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator displayed on company website. Merck is a major pharmaceutical company involved in immuno-oncology withKeytruda (anti-PD-1 therapy). Potential partnership for combination therapy development.
• Johnson & JohnsonstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator displayed on company website. J&J's Janssen pharmaceutical division has active oncology programs and could be a strategic partner for drug development or commercialization.
• Regeneron PharmaceuticalsstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator displayed on company website. Regeneron has established immuno-oncology capabilities with products like Libtayo and could be a potential partner for combination therapy development.
• Jenga BiostrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator displayed on company website. Jenga Bio is a biotech company focused on immunotherapy development.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner institution. Co-founder Karl Dane Wittrup is C.P. Dubbs Professor at MIT and co-founder Darrell Irvine is a professor at MIT and Investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Multiple research collaborations with MIT faculty.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator displayed on company website. MSK is a leading cancer research and treatment institution with active immunotherapy research programs.
• University of IllinoisstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator displayed on company website. Research partnership for veterinary oncology studies with anchored immunotherapy in canine melanoma models.
• Mount Sinai (Icahn School of Medicine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical trial site for Phase 1b study of tolododekin alfa in combination with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody in NSCLC patients. Dr. Thomas Marron serves as lead author on ASCO presentation.
• Mass General Brigham/Harvard Medical SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical trial site for Phase 1 study of tolododekin alfa. Dr. Jong Chul Park from Mass General Brigham is lead author on quality-of-life data presentation at ASCO.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bolt Biotherapeutics: Clinical-stage developer of immune-stimulating antibody conjugates (ISACs) that localize immune agonism to tumors. Direct technical analog to Ankyra's anchored immunotherapy concept — both link potent immune modulators to a tumor-localizing anchor (Bolt's antibody-drug conjugate vs. Ankyra's aluminum hydroxide).
• Medicenna Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing engineered cytokines (IL-2, IL-4) and superkines for oncology. Direct overlap with Ankyra's anchored cytokine strategy (IL-2, IL-12, IL-15, IFN-α) and serves as a useful comparable for cytokine-based immuno-oncology valuation and partnership dynamics.
• CytomX Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech using Probody masked antibody technology to localize immune activation to the tumor microenvironment. Comparable platform approach — restricting potent immune agonists until they reach the tumor — with multiple IO programs in solid tumors.
• Compass Therapeutics: Clinical-stage IO biotech developing bispecific antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates for solid tumors. Ankyra's CFO/COO and CMO executives previously worked at Compass, indicating close operational and strategic parallels in clinical-stage immuno-oncology development.
• BioAtla: Clinical-stage biotech developing Conditionally Active Biologics (CABs) — antibodies and other proteins engineered to be active preferentially in the tumor microenvironment. Directly comparable mechanism (localized immune activation) to Ankyra's anchoring approach.
• Werewolf Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech engineering PREDATOR platform cytokines and antibodies that are masked until activated in the tumor microenvironment. Closely mirrors Ankyra's strategy of delivering potent immune agonists with reduced systemic toxicity, and competes for the same combination-therapy IO investor pool.
• Replimune: Clinical-stage biotech developing oncolytic virus immunotherapies delivered intratumorally. Both companies pursue locoregional immune activation in solid tumors, and CEO Howard Kaufman held prior leadership roles at Replimune — making it the closest comparable in mechanism, stage, and strategic intent.

Emerging players

• Oncorus: Clinical-stage developer of intratumorally administered oncolytic immunotherapies. Shares Ankyra's locoregional delivery premise and is focused on solid tumors with cold/limited treatment options, though its modality (oncolytic virus) differs from anchored biologics.
• Pyxis Oncology: Clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing antibody-drug conjugates and immunotherapies. Comparable clinical-stage profile, capital structure, and IO focus targeting difficult solid tumors, though working through a different mechanism (ADCs vs. anchored cytokines/antibodies).
• Immuneering Corporation: Clinical-stage biotech applying bioinformatics-driven approaches to oncology drug discovery, including immuno-oncology candidates. Connected to Ankyra through its new CSO Sailaja Battula's prior role, providing a real-world talent and pipeline-comparable reference point.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ankyratx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ankyratx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors7 records

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Ankyra