Coley Pharmaceutical Group
Coley Pharmaceutical Group was a Wellesley, Massachusetts-based biopharmaceutical company that developed immunomodulatory drug candidates, led by CpG 7909, for oncology, asthma, allergy, and autoimmune disorders, before being acquired by Pfizer in 2007.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersWellesley, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Coley Pharmaceutical Group does
Coley Pharmaceutical Group was a U.S.-based biopharmaceutical company founded in 1997 and headquartered in Wellesley, Massachusetts, that developed immunomodulatory drug candidates targeting cancers, asthma, allergy, and autoimmune disorders. Its lead asset was CpG 7909, an immunomodulatory oligonucleotide-based therapeutic that was in ongoing clinical trials across multiple disease areas. The company's underlying technology centered on CpG oligodeoxynucleotide modulation of the immune system, applied as both a monotherapy and an adjuvant strategy.
Coley monetized primarily through out-licensing rather than direct commercialization: it granted Aventis Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline rights to develop its immunomodulatory drugs in various disease areas under core licensing agreements, supplementing clinical-stage internal R&D with external co-development partnerships. The company had previously traded on NASDAQ under the symbol COLY (now delisted) and raised approximately $85M across seven funding rounds between 1997 and 2007 from specialized life-science investors including Pfizer Venture Investments, Thomas McNerney & Partners, Techno Venture Management, Global Life Science Ventures, Venrock, Alafi Capital, Qiagen, and Thuja Capital.
In 2007, Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Inc. was acquired by Pfizer Inc. and became a subsidiary within Pfizer's pharmaceutical portfolio. The acquisition absorbed Coley's immunomodulatory platform into Pfizer's R&D apparatus, and the acquired entity's independent web presence was discontinued (the Pfizer-hosted coleypharma URL returns a 404). Julie Lekstrom Himes served as CXO responsible for all clinical programs at the time of the available data. The company does not appear to have any approved commercial products, and its clinical pipeline has been integrated into Pfizer's broader development portfolio.
Coley Pharmaceutical Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Coley Pharmaceutical Group
- Legal name
- Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Inc.
- Website
- https://coleypharma.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Coley Pharmaceutical Group was a Wellesley, Massachusetts-based biopharmaceutical company that developed immunomodulatory drug candidates, led by CpG 7909, for oncology, asthma, allergy, and autoimmune disorders, before being acquired by Pfizer in 2007.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Coley Pharmaceutical Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Biopharmaceuticals
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regulatory Strategy & IND/NDA/BLA Submissions Support (HLAIALAH)
Keywords
Where Coley Pharmaceutical Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wellesley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Coley Pharmaceutical Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations
Coley Pharmaceutical Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Coley Pharmaceutical Group is a biopharmaceutical company that develops immunomodulatory therapeutics and drug candidates for cancers, asthma, allergy, and autoimmune disorders. Its lead product candidate is CpG 7909, which has been in ongoing clinical trials. The company monetizes its candidates through licensing agreements with major pharmaceutical partners such as Aventis Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline.
Product overview
Coley Pharmaceutical Group is a biopharmaceutical company developing immunomodulatory drugs. The company's lead product candidate is CpG 7909, an immunomodulatory drug that has been in ongoing clinical trials. The company has licensing agreements with Aventis Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline for drug development in various disease areas.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CpG 7909 Lead immunomodulatory drug candidate of Coley Pharmaceutical Group, in ongoing clinical trials for cancers, asthma, allergy, and autoimmune disorders. The candidate is based on Coley's CpG oligodeoxynucleotide immunomodulatory platform and has been the subject of licensing agreements with major pharmaceutical partners.
Companies that use Coley Pharmaceutical Group
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Coley Pharmaceutical Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Coley Pharmaceutical Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Aventis PharmaceuticalscoreLicensing agreement with Aventis Pharmaceuticals for drug development in various disease areas. Coley Pharmaceutical Group grants Aventis rights to develop immunomodulatory drugs.
- GlaxoSmithKlinecoreLicensing agreement with GlaxoSmithKline for drug development in various disease areas. Coley Pharmaceutical Group grants GlaxoSmithKline rights to develop immunomodulatory drugs.
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Coley Pharmaceutical Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Innate Pharma: Innate Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in innate immunity-based therapeutics for cancer, directly comparable to Coley's immunomodulatory focus on cancers and autoimmune disorders.
- Idera Pharmaceuticals: Idera (now merged into Aceragen) developed oligonucleotide-based TLR agonists for oncology and autoimmune diseases, directly paralleling Coley's CpG 7909 mechanism and immunomodulatory therapeutic focus.
- Dynavax Technologies: Dynavax developed TLR9 agonist-based immunotherapies, including the approved HEPLISAV-B hepatitis B vaccine, sharing Coley's core TLR9/CpG mechanism and immunomodulatory drug development thesis.
- Hemispherx Biopharma: Hemispherx (now AIM ImmunoTech) developed Ampligen, a TLR3-targeted innate immune modulator, making it a directly comparable immunomodulatory drug developer with similar mechanism-class overlap to Coley.
- Celldex Therapeutics: Celldex developed immunomodulatory antibody-based therapeutics for cancer and inflammatory diseases, overlapping Coley's therapeutic areas (cancer, allergy, autoimmune) and immunology-first drug development approach.
- Vical Incorporated: Vical developed plasmid DNA and nucleic-acid-based immunomodulatory therapeutics for infectious disease and oncology, sharing Coley's DNA-based immunomodulator modality and clinical-stage profile.
Regional players
- Transgene: Transgene is a French clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing immunomodulatory and oncolytic virus therapies for cancer, comparable to Coley in mechanism class and therapeutic focus but operating primarily in European markets.
Broad incumbents
- Pfizer Inc. Pfizer, Coley's 2007 acquirer, is a broad pharmaceutical incumbent operating globally across oncology, immunology, vaccines, and many other areas that overlap Coley's stated therapeutic focus.
- GlaxoSmithKline: GSK is a global pharmaceutical incumbent and disclosed licensing partner of Coley for immunomodulatory drug development, with overlapping therapeutic focus in respiratory, oncology, and immunology.
Emerging players
- Anadys Pharmaceuticals: Anadys developed small-molecule and immunomodulatory therapeutics (later acquired by Roche), sharing Coley's clinical-stage drug development profile and immunology-adjacent therapeutic focus.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Coley Pharmaceutical Group social profiles
Digital presenceColey Pharmaceutical Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Coley Pharmaceutical Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Coley Pharmaceutical Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Coley Pharmaceutical Group 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 Coley Pharmaceutical Group
What does Coley Pharmaceutical Group do?
Coley Pharmaceutical Group is a biopharmaceutical company that develops immunomodulatory therapeutics and drug candidates for cancers, asthma, allergy, and autoimmune disorders. Its lead product candidate is CpG 7909, which has been in ongoing clinical trials. The company monetizes its candidates through licensing agreements with major pharmaceutical partners such as Aventis Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline.
Is Coley Pharmaceutical Group a public or private company?
Coley Pharmaceutical Group is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Coley Pharmaceutical Group founded?
Coley Pharmaceutical Group was founded in 1997. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Coley Pharmaceutical Group based?
Coley Pharmaceutical Group is headquartered in Wellesley, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Coley Pharmaceutical Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Innate Pharma, Idera Pharmaceuticals, Dynavax Technologies, Hemispherx Biopharma, Celldex Therapeutics and Vical Incorporated. Transgene is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Pfizer Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline. Anadys Pharmaceuticals is listed as an emerging player.
Does Coley Pharmaceutical Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Coley Pharmaceutical Group.
What industry is Coley Pharmaceutical Group in?
Coley Pharmaceutical Group's product category is Biopharmaceuticals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAIALAH, Regulatory Strategy & IND/NDA/BLA Submissions Support.