AgonOx
AgonOx is a privately held, clinical-stage Portland, Oregon biotechnology company developing AGX-148, a selected Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) therapy enriched for tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells via CD39/CD103 biomarkers, targeting checkpoint-refractory metastatic solid tumors including melanoma, breast, ovarian, head and neck, and thyroid cancers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What AgonOx does
AgonOx, Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage biotechnology company headquartered in Portland, Oregon, developing adoptive T-cell immunotherapies for solid tumors. The company was founded in 2011 as a spin-off from the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute at Providence Cancer Institute, where its scientific founders originated the underlying programs. Its lead asset, AGX-148, is a selected Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) therapy now in a Phase 1 first-in-human trial (NCT05902520) enrolling patients with checkpoint-refractory metastatic melanoma, breast, ovarian, head and neck, and thyroid cancers.
AgonOx's core technology isolates and expands a CD8+ T cell subset co-expressing the CD39 and CD103 biomarkers ("Double Positive" or DP TILs), which the company's founders published in Nature Communications in 2018 as the defining phenotypic signature of tumor-reactive T cells in human solid tumors. The selection process is designed to produce a more potent TIL product than standard approaches, which expand all T cells from a tumor including non-tumor-reactive "bystander" cells. AgonOx also developed an OX40 agonist platform (OX40 Ligand Fusion Proteins and anti-OX40 antibodies), covered by U.S. Patent 7,959,925, that was exclusively licensed to MedImmune (AstraZeneca) in 2011. A patented CD39/CD103-based process is also used to identify tumor-reactive T Cell Receptors (TCRs) for downstream applications.
The company is pre-revenue and operates on a licensing and milestone-based economic model. It derives financial support from development milestones and sales royalties tied to partnered programs: the AstraZeneca OX40 license, an undisclosed immuno-oncology target collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo (2016), and a 2021/2023 clinical development collaboration with Phio Pharmaceuticals covering PH-762-treated DP TILs at Providence Cancer Institute. GTM is exclusively enterprise/clinical-development oriented — scientific publications, conference presentations (SITC, AACR, AAI), and press releases target the oncology research and biopharma partnership community — with no commercial sales force, no product pricing, and no current commercial-stage product. Leadership is founder-led: Andrew Weinberg, Ph.D., serves as President and Chief Scientific Officer, and Ryan Montler, MBA, as General Manager.
AgonOx firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AgonOx
- Legal name
- AgonOx, INC.
- Website
- https://agonox.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- AgonOx is a privately held, clinical-stage Portland, Oregon biotechnology company developing AGX-148, a selected Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) therapy enriched for tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells via CD39/CD103 biomarkers, targeting checkpoint-refractory metastatic solid tumors including melanoma, breast, ovarian, head and neck, and thyroid cancers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where AgonOx is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
AgonOx business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Development Milestones and Royalties: Pre-revenue clinical stage company. Revenue expected from development milestones and sales royalties from partnered programs (e.g., OX40 platform licensed to MedImmune/AstraZeneca, DP TIL technology with Phio Pharmaceuticals).
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
AgonOx product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AgonOx is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing adoptive cell therapies for solid tumors. Its lead program, AGX-148, is a selected Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) therapy that isolates and expands CD8+ T cells co-expressing the CD39 and CD103 biomarkers, which are highly enriched for tumor-reactive T cells, currently in Phase 1 clinical trials (NCT05902520) for checkpoint-refractory metastatic solid tumors. The company also maintains an OX40 agonist platform licensed to MedImmune/AstraZeneca and a DP TIL collaboration with Phio Pharmaceuticals, and operates a discovery pipeline of additional adoptive cell therapy programs.
Product overview
AgonOx is a clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company developing adoptive T-cell therapies. The company's primary focus is AGX-148, a selected tumor-reactive CD8+ TIL therapy in Phase 1 clinical development for solid tumors. The technology isolates and expands a specialized subset of CD8+ T cells that co-express CD39 and CD103 biomarkers, which are highly enriched for tumor-reactive cells. The company also developed an OX40 agonist platform, which was licensed to MedImmune (AstraZeneca) for clinical development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AGX-148 AGX-148 is an investigational adoptive cell therapy developed from a patient's own tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), specifically enriched for tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells identified by the co-expression of CD39 and CD103 biomarkers. It is currently in Phase 1 clinical development for checkpoint-refractory metastatic solid tumors including melanoma, breast, ovarian, head and neck, and thyroid cancer. The manufacturing process isolates and expands the cancer-killing CD39+CD103+ subset to produce a more precise and potent TIL product than standard approaches.
- OX40 Agonist Platform The OX40 agonist platform comprises OX40 Ligand Fusion Proteins and anti-OX40 antibody approaches designed to stimulate tumor-specific T-cell immunity by binding OX40 (transiently expressed on effector T-cells after activation by tumor antigens), thereby inhibiting apoptosis and causing proliferation of tumor-attacking T-cells. The platform was exclusively licensed globally to MedImmune/AstraZeneca in 2011, with AgonOx receiving milestone payments and royalties.
Quantifiable outcome
- Phase 1 dose escalation completed with promising clinical activity and acceptable tolerability profile in patients with checkpoint-refractory metastatic solid tumors
Companies that use AgonOx
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
AgonOx technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
AgonOx partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Phio PharmaceuticalscoreClinical development collaboration to test PH-762 treated 'double positive' (DP) CD8 tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in patients with melanoma and other advanced solid tumors. Trial conducted at Providence Cancer Institute. Phio provides financial support for clinical trial and receives future development milestones and sales royalties from AgonOx's DP TIL technology.
- Providence Cancer Institute / Earle A. Chiles Research InstitutecoreLong-standing research and clinical collaboration. AgonOx grew out of the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute. Joint development of methods for identification, isolation and expansion of tumor-specific CD8 T cells. PI Brendan Curti leads clinical trials at Providence. Research on CD39/CD103 published in Nature Communications.
- Daiichi SankyominorStrategic collaboration to develop an undisclosed immuno-oncology target. Preclinical development collaboration with exclusive option for Daiichi Sankyo to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize the program worldwide. Financial terms not disclosed.
- MedImmune (AstraZeneca)coreExclusive global partnership to develop OX40 agonist platform for cancer therapy. MedImmune licensed the OX40 agonist platform and leads preclinical and clinical studies. AgonOx receives milestone payments and royalties. Supports continued OX40 research at Providence Cancer Center.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
AgonOx competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Iovance Biotherapeutics: Iovance is the leading commercial TIL therapy company with FDA-approved lifileucel (Amtagvi) for melanoma. It is the most directly comparable peer to AgonOx's AGX-148, both targeting solid tumors with tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte approaches.
- Adaptimmune Therapeutics: Adaptimmune develops engineered TCR-T cell therapies for solid tumors (e.g., Tecelra for synovial sarcoma). It is a comparable adoptive cell therapy peer with overlapping target indications and biomarker-driven TCR identification science.
- Allogene Therapeutics: Allogene is a clinical-stage allogeneic CAR-T company developing off-the-shelf cell therapies for cancer. It is comparable to AgonOx as an adoptive cell therapy biotech targeting cancer with platform-based approaches.
- Fate Therapeutics: Fate Therapeutics is a clinical-stage cell therapy company developing iPSC-derived NK and T cell therapies for cancer. Comparable as a clinical-stage cell therapy platform company pursuing novel immune cell modalities.
Emerging players
- Turnstone Biologics: Turnstone is a clinical-stage biotech developing selected TIL and tumor-reactive T cell therapies for solid tumors. It is a close emerging-stage peer with similar science around enriching tumor-reactive lymphocyte populations.
- Cellectis: Cellectis is a clinical-stage cell therapy company developing allogeneic CAR-T and gene-edited adoptive cell therapies. It overlaps with AgonOx as a clinical-stage cell therapy platform company, though with a different modality.
- Caribou Biosciences: Caribou is a clinical-stage cell therapy company developing allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies using CRISPR-based genome editing. It is comparable as an emerging clinical-stage cell therapy platform company.
- Adicet Bio: Adicet Bio develops gamma-delta T cell therapies for cancer, including off-the-shelf allogeneic cell therapy approaches. Comparable to AgonOx as a clinical-stage cell therapy biotech focused on oncology.
Broad incumbents
- Bristol Myers Squibb: Bristol Myers Squibb markets approved CAR-T therapies (Breyanzi, Abecma) and operates broadly in cell therapy and immuno-oncology. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same cancer cell therapy category.
- Gilead Sciences (Kite): Gilead's Kite Pharma unit markets approved CAR-T therapies (Yescarta, Tecartus) and is a leading broad incumbent in cell therapy for cancer, providing a comparable large-pharma reference point.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
AgonOx social profiles
Digital presenceAgonOx financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AgonOx leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
AgonOx funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AgonOx 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 AgonOx
What does AgonOx do?
AgonOx is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing adoptive cell therapies for solid tumors. Its lead program, AGX-148, is a selected Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) therapy that isolates and expands CD8+ T cells co-expressing the CD39 and CD103 biomarkers, which are highly enriched for tumor-reactive T cells, currently in Phase 1 clinical trials (NCT05902520) for checkpoint-refractory metastatic solid tumors. The company also maintains an OX40 agonist platform licensed to MedImmune/AstraZeneca and a DP TIL collaboration with Phio Pharmaceuticals, and operates a discovery pipeline of additional adoptive cell therapy programs.
Is AgonOx a public or private company?
AgonOx is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was AgonOx founded?
AgonOx was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is AgonOx based?
AgonOx is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does AgonOx make money?
One revenue line is on record: development Milestones and Royalties.
Who are AgonOx's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Iovance Biotherapeutics, Adaptimmune Therapeutics, Allogene Therapeutics and Fate Therapeutics. Emerging players are Turnstone Biologics, Cellectis, Caribou Biosciences and Adicet Bio. Broad incumbents are Bristol Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences (Kite).
Does AgonOx have an API?
No public API is recorded for AgonOx.