Imugene
Imugene is a clinical-stage Australian biotech developing immuno-oncology therapies — azer-cel (cell therapy for blood cancers) and onCARlytics (oncolytic virus platform for solid tumors) — targeting cancer patients with limited treatment options.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersSydney, Australia
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Imugene does
Imugene Limited (ASX: IMU) is a publicly-listed clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2013 and headquartered in Sydney, Australia, with operations in the United States and Europe. The company develops immunotherapies for cancer, with two core technology platforms: azer-cel, a cell therapy targeting blood cancers (specifically B-cell malignancies including lymphoma), which has demonstrated an 82% response rate in clinical trials and received FDA confirmation that Phase 1b data supports a Phase 3 registrational study; and onCARlytics (CF33-CD19), an oncolytic virus platform designed to enable a 'mark and kill' combination strategy when paired with CAR-T cell therapies for solid tumors.
The company's business model is pre-commercial: Imugene generates no product revenue and instead finances operations through equity raises and milestone-linked licensing arrangements. Notable funding events include a $53.9M round in September 2022, a $13M Precision BioSciences-led tranche in August 2023, a $3.25M Precision BioSciences tranche in September 2024, and a $8.6M raise in April 2026. Precision BioSciences is also the licensor of azer-cel, triggering an $8M milestone payment to Precision BioSciences in Q4 2025. In November 2025, Imugene entered a strategic collaboration with JW Therapeutics to evaluate onCARlytics combined with JW's Carteyva CD19 CAR-T in refractory solid tumors, including preclinical work and a Phase 1 trial in China.
Imugene's customer-facing surface is essentially absent — its end users are cancer patients treated within clinical trials, not paying customers. The company serves a horizontal use-case segmentation (blood cancer patients, solid tumor patients) and addresses unmet need where conventional therapies show limited efficacy. Management announced a 50% operating cost reduction initiative to extend runway through upcoming clinical milestones. The global oncolytic virus immunotherapy market is projected to grow from approximately $156.8M in 2024 to $429.1M by 2030, with a broader projection exceeding $5B by 2031, situating Imugene within an emerging but increasingly competitive space (over 100 companies, 110 drugs in development per third-party landscape reports).
Imugene firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Imugene
- Legal name
- Imugene Limited
- Website
- https://imugene.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Imugene is a clinical-stage Australian biotech developing immuno-oncology therapies — azer-cel (cell therapy for blood cancers) and onCARlytics (oncolytic virus platform for solid tumors) — targeting cancer patients with limited treatment options.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Imugene industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cancer immunotherapy / oncology biopharmaceuticals
- NAICS
- Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)
- SIC
- Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Oncology Gene Therapies (incl. oncolytic vectors & gene-modified approaches) (HLAAACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- CAR-T & TCR-T Therapies (HLAAABAC)
Keywords
Where Imugene is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sydney
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Markets served
Imugene business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Imugene product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Imugene is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing proprietary immunotherapies for cancer. Its core offerings are azer-cel, an allogeneic cell therapy for blood cancers such as lymphoma that achieved an 82% response rate in a Phase 1b trial, and onCARlytics (CF33-CD19), an oncolytic virus platform designed to be combined with CAR-T cell therapies to treat solid tumors through a 'mark and kill' approach. The company advances these candidates through in-house clinical development and strategic partnerships.
Product overview
Imugene is a biotechnology company developing immunotherapies for cancer treatment. The company's product portfolio consists of oncolytic virus immunotherapies including onCARlytics (CF33-CD19) for solid tumors and azer-cel for blood cancers. Imugene's approach focuses on viral-based cancer therapies that can be combined with other treatment modalities like CAR-T cell therapies to enhance anti-tumor responses.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- azer-cel: Blood cancer immunotherapy cell therapy program targeting blood cancer
- onCARlytics
Products and services
- azer-cel
Quantifiable outcome
- 82% response rate in lymphoma trial
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Imugene
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Imugene technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Imugene partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- JW TherapeuticscoreImugene and JW Therapeutics announced a strategic collaboration to evaluate a combination therapy involving Imugene's onCARlytics oncolytic virus and JW's Carteyva CD19 CAR-T cell therapy for refractory solid tumors. The partnership includes preclinical studies and a Phase 1 trial in China, aiming to develop a novel 'mark and kill' treatment strategy. The collaboration leverages both companies' platforms to generate data and advance clinical development.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Imugene competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CG Oncology: CG Oncology develops cretostimogene grenadenorepvec, an oncolytic virus immunotherapy for bladder cancer (FDA-approved). Directly comparable as a clinical/commercial-stage oncolytic virus company targeting solid tumors with similar mechanism of action to Imugene's onCARlytics.
- Replimune Group: Replimune develops a pipeline of oncolytic virus therapies (RP1, RP2, RP3) for solid tumors, with a 'tumor plus immune system' combination strategy. Comparable as a pure-play oncolytic virus immunotherapy developer with combination-therapy focus similar to Imugene's CF33-CD19 platform.
- Genelux Corporation: Genelux is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing oncolytic virus immunotherapies (Olvi-Vec) for solid tumors. Directly comparable as a small-cap, clinical-stage oncolytic virus developer with similar therapeutic focus to Imugene.
- Allogene Therapeutics: Allogene is a clinical-stage company developing allogeneic (off-the-shelf) CAR-T cell therapies for hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Comparable to Imugene's azer-cel program, which is also an allogeneic CAR-T (developed with Precision BioSciences' ARCUS platform) targeting B-cell lymphomas.
- Iovance Biotherapeutics: Iovance develops autologous cell therapies for solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, including lifileucel (FDA-approved TIL therapy). Comparable as a clinical/commercial-stage cell therapy company targeting cancers with limited treatment options, similar to Imugene's lymphoma focus.
Broad incumbents
- Amgen: Amgen commercializes Imlygic (talimogene laherparepvec), the first FDA-approved oncolytic virus therapy, for melanoma. Relevant as the incumbent validating the oncolytic virus category and as a potential strategic acquirer given its oncology and bispecific T-cell engager expertise relevant to Imugene's combination strategy.
Emerging players
- Precision BioSciences: Precision BioSciences is the licensor of azer-cel's underlying ARCUS gene-editing technology and receives milestone payments from Imugene (company history). Comparable as an allogeneic CAR-T developer with a related platform technology, and a strategic counterparty to Imugene.
- Turnstone Biologics: Turnstone Biologics is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing oncolytic virus-based immunotherapies (e.g., TILT-123) for solid tumors. Comparable as a smaller peer pursuing combination strategies using oncolytic viruses to enhance tumor-infiltrating immune responses.
- Lokon Pharma: Lokon Pharma is a privately held Swedish clinical-stage company developing oncolytic virus immunotherapies (e.g., LOAd703) for solid tumors. Comparable as a niche, emerging player in the oncolytic virus space with combination-therapy focus, similar to Imugene's approach.
Regional players
- JW Therapeutics: JW Therapeutics is a China-based CAR-T cell therapy company with Carteyva (relmacabtagene autoleucel) approved for lymphoma. Direct strategic partner with Imugene for combination studies of onCARlytics + Carteyva in solid tumors in China.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Imugene social profiles
Digital presenceImugene financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Imugene leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Imugene funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Imugene M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Imugene
What does Imugene do?
Imugene is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing proprietary immunotherapies for cancer. Its core offerings are azer-cel, an allogeneic cell therapy for blood cancers such as lymphoma that achieved an 82% response rate in a Phase 1b trial, and onCARlytics (CF33-CD19), an oncolytic virus platform designed to be combined with CAR-T cell therapies to treat solid tumors through a 'mark and kill' approach. The company advances these candidates through in-house clinical development and strategic partnerships.
Is Imugene a public or private company?
Imugene is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Imugene founded?
Imugene was founded in 2013. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Imugene based?
Imugene is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, in the Oceania region.
Who are Imugene's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CG Oncology, Replimune Group, Genelux Corporation, Allogene Therapeutics and Iovance Biotherapeutics. Amgen is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Precision BioSciences, Turnstone Biologics and Lokon Pharma. JW Therapeutics is listed as a regional player.
Does Imugene have an API?
No public API is recorded for Imugene.
What industry is Imugene in?
Imugene's product category is Cancer immunotherapy / oncology biopharmaceuticals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAACAF, Oncology Gene Therapies (incl. oncolytic vectors & gene-modified approaches), with a secondary code of HLAAABAC, CAR-T & TCR-T Therapies. Its NAICS code is 325414 and its SIC code is 2836.