Expanding the potential of immunotherapy into precision oncology.

THE SCIENCE

Our Approach

NextPoint is launching a new world of precision immuno-oncology and tumor-targeting therapeutics through its leading scientific work on the novel B7-H7/HHLA2 axis. Our innovative approach integrates foundational science with a defined clinical biomarker to identify the right patient population for each B7-H7-directed therapy, so that we can deliver a new class of monotherapies for patients including those who do not benefit from PD-1/L1 inhibitors.

Our team of proven drug developers is simultaneously advancing therapeutic approaches blocking the B7-H7 immune signaling pathway and utilizing the unique upregulation of B7-H7 in cancer as an anchor for tumor-targeting treatment modalities.
Learn about our science

EXCITING NEW TARGET

Our Founders Independently Discovered a Novel B7 Receptor Checkpoint Axis

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  • Clinical opportunities independent of established immunotherapies
  • Broad pipeline maximizing opportunities for immunomodulation and tumor-targeting through B7-H7
  • All first-in-class assets with a strong IP position
  •  
HHLA2 - A Novel Tumor-Associated Antigen for Tumor-Targeting Therapies​

STRATEGY

Targeting A Novel Immuno-Oncology Checkpoint and Tumor-Associated Antigen

B7-H7/HHLA2 is an Exciting New Target and a Biomarker to Identify Patients Most Likely to Respond
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Our Pipeline

Broad pipeline maximizing opportunities for immunomodulation and tumor-targeting by exploiting all aspects of the B7-H7 axis

 

Discovery
Ab Development
DC Selection
Manufacturing
GLPtox/IND
Clinical
Discovery
Clinical
NPX267 (KIR3DL3)
NPX887 (B7-H7/HHLA2)
B7-H7-CD3
B7-H7-ADC
Early Discovery Programs
ABOUT US

One pathway, many possibilities

First-in-class opportunity

NextPoint is launching a new world of immuno-oncology and tumor-targeting through its leading scientific work on the novel B7-H7/HHLA2 pathway.

Attractive Monotherapies

Our innovative approach integrates foundational science with a defined clinical biomarker to deliver a new class of monotherapies for patients including those who do not benefit from PD-1/L1 inhibitors.

Precision oncology

Our team of proven drug developers is simultaneously advancing therapeutics blocking the B7-H7 immune signaling pathway and utilizing the unique upregulation of B7-H7 in cancer as an anchor for tumor-targeting modalities.
OUR TEAM

World-class team​

We are building a world-class team to help us realize the full potential of our scientific founders’ exciting discoveries and to shape the future of immuno-oncology and tumor-targeting

Ivan Cheung, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Headshot

Ivan Cheung, MBA

Chief Executive Officer

Paul Conrad, PhD, MBA, Chief Business Officer, Headshot

Paul Conrad, PhD, MBA

Chief Business Officer

Leena Gandhi, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, Headshot

Leena Gandhi, MD, PhD

Chief Medical Officer

Tatiana Novobrantseva, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Headshot

Tatiana Novobrantseva, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer

Gordon Freeman, Ph.D.

Gordon Freeman, PhD

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Xingxing Zang

XingXing Zang, PhD

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Detlev Biniszkiewicz, Board Member, Headshot

Detlev Biniszkiewicz, PhD

Chairman of the Board

Axel Hoos, Board Member, Headshot

Axel Hoos, MD, PhD

Rakhshita Dhar, Board Member, Headshot

Rakhshita Dhar

Matt Roden, Board Member, Headshot

Matt Roden, PhD

Paulina Hill, Board Member, Headshot

Paulina Hill, PhD

R. Jacob Vogelstein, Board Member, Headshot

R. Jacob Vogelstein, PhD

Ivan Cheung, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Headshot

Ivan Cheung, MBA

QUOTES FROM

OUR FOUNDERS

The combined expertise and research of Gordon Freeman, PhD (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute) and XingXing Zang, PhD (Albert Einstein College of Medicine) form the basis of NextPoint Therapeutics. We are building a world-class team to help us realize the full potential of their exciting discoveries and to shape the future of immuno-oncology and tumor targeting.

Gordon Freeman, Ph.D.

I’m fascinated by the HHLA2 pathway because it looks like an alternative, non-redundant pathway than PD-L1 for turning off the anti-tumor immune response. I want Nextpoint to test whether it can be as effective as blocking PD-L1. Can we catch lightning twice?

- Gordon Freeman, PhD

Xingxing Zang

From the discovery of the HHLA2 immune checkpoint pathway in 2013 to the first-in-class clinical trial targeting this pathway in 2023, NextPoint Therapeutics is revolutionizing the landscape of immuno-oncology and offering new hope for a broad spectrum of human cancer patients unresponsive to existing PD-1/L1 inhibitors.

- XingXing Zang, PhD

Investors & partners​

We’re proud to collaborate with visionary investors and esteemed partners who share our commitment to advancing the field of precision immuno-oncology and tumor-targeting therapeutics

MPM BioImpact
Leaps Logo
Sanofi Logo
Catalio Logo
Dana Farber
Simcere Logo
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Pagoda Tree Partners
Invus Logo
Arkin Bio Logo

News & Publications

NextPoint Therapeutics Chief Executive Officer Ivan Cheung Named to the 2024 TIME100 Health List
May 06, 2024
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Gordon J. Freeman, PhD, FAACR, Recognized with 2024 AACR-Cancer Research Institute Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology
February 21, 2024
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NextPoint Therapeutics Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 1a/b Clinical Trial of NPX887, a Novel Therapeutic Targeting HHLA2 to Reactivate Exhausted T and NK Cells in HHLA2+ Solid Tumors February 20, 2024
February 20, 2024
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NextPoint Therapeutics Announces Closing of Series B Financing Extension led by Catalio Capital Management
February 14, 2024
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NextPoint Therapeutics Appoints Ivan Cheung as Chief Executive Officer
February 1, 2024
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NextPoint Therapeutics Appoints Tatiana Novobrantseva, PhD, as Chief Scientific Officer
January 16, 2024
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NextPoint Therapeutics Announces IND Clearance from the FDA to Advance NPX887, a Novel Therapeutic Targeting HHLA2 to Reactivate Exhausted T and NK Cells in HHLA2+ Solid Tumors
December 7, 2023
Read the Article
NextPoint presented a new poster at the CRI-ENCI-AACR Seventh International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference in Milan, Italy
November 10, 2023
See the Poster
NextPoint Therapeutics Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 1a/b Clinical Trial of NPX267, a Novel Therapeutic Targeting KIR3DL3 to Reactivate Exhausted T and NK Cells in HHLA2+ Solid Tumors
August 17, 2023
Read the Article
BioTech 2050 Podcast Episode 160: BIO Special: New vision for immunotherapy, Detlev Biniszkiewicz, Founder & CEO, NextPoint Tx
June 7, 2023
Listen to the Episode
Axel Hoos, MD, PhD, Joins NextPoint Therapeutics Board of Directors
March 21, 2023
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NextPoint Therapeutics Appoints Leena Gandhi, MD, PhD, as Chief Medical Officer
February 21, 2023
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NextPoint Therapeutics Announces $80 Million Series B Financing co-led by Leaps by Bayer and Sanofi Ventures to Advance Novel Immuno-Oncology Programs
January 10, 2023
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NextPoint presented a new poster 37th SITC Annual Meeting in Boston, MA
November 8, 2022
See the Poster
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Careers

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Ivan Cheung, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Headshot

Ivan Cheung, MBA

Chief Executive Officer

Ivan Cheung is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a member of the Board of Directors at NextPoint Therapeutics. He previously served as the U.S. CEO of Eisai, where he guided the significant growth of the North America business to over $1.5 billion in revenue. Under his leadership, lenvatinib was successively launched in a range of tumor types as monotherapy as well as in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor. Ivan also led the global R&D and first-ever full U.S. approval of a monoclonal antibody therapeutic to treat the underlying pathophysiology of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease with lecanemab. His stewardship led to the first wide reimbursement access from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for this class of medicines. In addition, Ivan held leadership roles in business development, corporate strategy, finance, and talent management at Eisai. Prior to Eisai, he advised pharmaceutical and biotech companies at Booz Allen Hamilton. Ivan received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BSE from Duke University.
Paul Conrad, PhD, MBA, Chief Business Officer, Headshot

Paul Conrad, PhD, MBA

Chief Business Officer

Paul Conrad is the Chief Business Officer at NextPoint Therapeutics. He previously served as VP and Head of Business Development, Alliance Management, and Pipeline Strategy at bluebird bio, playing a pivotal role in expanding the Company’s oncology cell therapy pipeline. Prior to bluebird, Paul was Global Head of Immunology and Oncology Transactions at Shire Pharmaceuticals where he led the team focused on growing Shire’s business in areas such as autoimmune disease, hematology, immunology, and rare cancers. With over 25 years in biopharma, Paul’s expertise spans in a variety of areas including R&D, alliance management, and venture capital. He holds a chemical engineering degree from Princeton University, a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Leena Gandhi, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, Headshot

Leena Gandhi, MD, PhD

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Leena Gandhi is the Chief Medical Officer at NextPoint Therapeutics. As a faculty member at Dana-Farber, she held positions in both the Thoracic Oncology Program and Early Drug Development Center where she led the clinical trials efforts in thoracic oncology. Dr. Gandhi later became the Director of Thoracic Medical Oncology at New York University. In her subsequent role as Vice President of Immuno-Oncology Development at Eli Lilly, she led the development of novel immuno-oncology agents across cancer types before returning to Dana-Farber, where she most recently served as the Director of the Center for Cancer Therapeutic Innovation, a cross- malignancy novel therapeutics hub. She received her PhD from UC Berkeley and her MD from NYU, followed by postgraduate training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Tatiana Novobrantseva, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Headshot

Tatiana Novobrantseva, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer

Tatiana Novobrantseva is the Chief Scientific Officer at NextPoint Therapeutics. Most recently she served as the CSO of Immuno-oncology at Moderna. In the prior role, she co-founded Verseau Therapeutics and served as CSO, guiding programs from target identification to an advanced novel therapeutics pipeline. Tatiana also consulted on drug development program for various companies throughout the years. At Jounce, she directed programs on immune system reactivation against cancer. Tatiana held roles at Alnylam and Biogen, uncovering the critical role of B cells in fibrosis, advancing siRNA delivery, and leading a dendritic cell cancer vaccine initiative.

 

She earned her Ph.D. in B cell immunology from the University of Cologne in Germany in the Laboratory of Klaus Rajewsky. She holds a Diploma in Engineering in Physics and a Master’s degree in Molecular Biology from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

Gordon Freeman, Ph.D.

Gordon Freeman, PhD

Scientific Founder

Gordon Freeman, Ph.D. is in the Department of Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Freeman earned his BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and PhD in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Harvard University.

Dr. Freeman’s research identified the major pathways that control the immune response by inhibiting T cell activation (PD-L1/PD-1 and B7-2/CTLA-4) or stimulating T cell activation (B7-2/CD28). In 2000, Dr. Freeman discovered PD-L1 and PD-L2, and showed they were ligands for PD-1, thus defining the PD-1 pathway and the drug target: block the interaction. He showed the function of PD-1 was to inhibit immune responses and that blockade enhanced immune responses. He showed that PD-L1 is highly expressed on many solid tumors such as breast and lung, as well as some hematologic malignancies and allows these tumors to inhibit immune attack. This work provided the critical translational insights for development of a successful strategy for cancer immunotherapy – blocking the PD-1-ligand interaction. More recently, he identified the HHLA2/KIR3DL3 pathway as an alternative immunoinhibitory pathway for cancer immune evasion.

Dr. Freeman has published over 400 scientific papers and holds over 90 US patents on immunotherapies. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Inventors, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is a Fellow of the AACR and SITC Academies. He has received numerous awards including the 2014 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Tumor Immunology, 2017 Warren Alpert Foundation award, the 2020 Richard Smalley, MD, memorial award, and the 2024 AACR-CRI Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology for his work that led to development of PD-L1/PD-1 pathway blockade for cancer immunotherapy.
Xingxing Zang

XingXing Zang, PhD

Scientific Founder

XingXing Zang is Professor, Louis Goldstein Swan Chair in Cancer Research, and founding Director of Institute for Immunotherapy at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York. His research has centered on new immune checkpoints, spanning from fundamental biology to new immunotherapies. Several novel drugs from his lab are currently in clinical trials in a broad spectrum of human cancers. He discovered new members of the B7 family and CD28 family including B7x, HHLA2 and TMIGD2, discovered the HHLA2-KIR3DL3 immunosuppressive pathway, discovered the HHLA2-TMIGD2 immunostimulatory pathway, demonstrated the biology and therapeutic potential of the KIR2DL5-PVR pathway, and significantly contributed to other immune checkpoints B7-H3, Tim-3, ICOS, PD-L1/PD-1, BTNL2, etc. He is the scientific founder of several drug companies.

Dr. Zang received a M.Med. from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China, a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh in the lab of Rick M. Maizels in Scotland, and had postdoctoral training with James P. Allison at the University of California at Berkeley and at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Detlev Biniszkiewicz, Board Member, Headshot

Detlev Biniszkiewicz, PhD

Chairman of the Board

Dr. Detlev Biniszkiewicz, Managing Director at MPM BioImpact and current Chairman of NextPoint Therapeutics, brings extensive oncology and immuno-oncology expertise to his role. Formerly, he served as President and CEO of Surface Oncology (NASDAQ: SURF), guiding the organization through to clinical development and public offering. At AstraZeneca, he was a leader of its Oncology Unit, contributing to the development of breakthrough medicines like Lynparza® and Tagrisso®, two innovative medicines that help thousands of patients suffering from cancer. His group transformed AstraZeneca’s Oncology pipeline through licensing deals, collaborations, and external research. He also held roles at Novartis, including Global Head of Portfolio. Early in his career, he worked at the Boston Consulting Group and conducted academic research at MIT’s Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

Axel Hoos, Board Member, Headshot

Axel Hoos, MD, PhD

Board Member

Dr. Axel Hoos is a distinguished physician-scientist, executive, entrepreneur and leader who currently serves as CEO of Scorpion Therapeutics. He is recognized as an Immuno-Oncology pioneer for his work on the development of the anti-CTLA-4 antibody ipilimumab, the first FDA-approved checkpoint immunotherapy, and the creation of a new development paradigm for cancer immunotherapies, which launched the field of Immuno-Oncology. 

 

Dr. Hoos previously served as R&D Governance Chair and Head of Oncology at GSK, and Medical Lead for Immunology/Oncology at BMS. He currently serves as a trustee on the Board of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, Director on the Board of NextPoint Therapeutics, and member of the Scientific Advisory Board and Co-Director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Consortium at the Cancer Research Institute.

Rakhshita Dhar, Board Member, Headshot

Rakhshita Dhar

Board Member

Rakhshita Dhar is Senior Director of Venture Investments Health at Leaps by Bayer. She joined the team in 2021 and is responsible for search & evaluation and healthcare focused investment for Leaps. She currently sits on the board of Deka Biosciences, Gro Bio, Bloom Sciences, ReCode Therapeutics, Vesigen Therapeutics and NextPoint Therapeutics. 

 

Prior to joining Leaps, Rakhshita was Director of Business Development at Roche Pharmaceuticals where she led collaborations with Dyno Therapeutics and Rheos Biosciences. She also spent a few years at MassBio developing an accelerator program for life-science start-ups. 

 

She got her Undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Mumbai University and her Masters in Molecular Biology from Georgetown University. 

Matt Roden, Board Member, Headshot

Matt Roden, PhD

Board Member

Matthew Roden is CEO at Aktis Oncology, and is an Executive Partner at MPM BioImpact, serving on the Boards of NextPoint Therapeutics and ReNAgade Therapeutics. Matt’s career has spanned senior leadership roles in the biopharma industry, healthcare equity capital markets, and in basic science as an immunologist and structural biologist. Prior to Aktis Oncology and MPM, Matt was a senior leader at Bristol Myers Squibb, serving as SVP and Head of Enterprise Strategy, Head of Strategic Corporate Development, and Head of Global BD Assessment. Matt served on the R&D Leadership Team representing External Innovation with transactions cumulatively valued at over $125 billion. Earlier, Matt was a biotech equity research analyst at UBS and J.P. Morgan. He holds a PhD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and was a pre-doctoral fellow at the National Cancer Institute.

Paulina Hill, Board Member, Headshot

Paulina Hill, PhD

Board Member

Paulina joined Sanofi Ventures in 2022 with a background in early stage biotech investing. Prior to joining Sanofi, Paulina was a Principal on the investment team at Omega Funds where she served as the board director/observer for Scorpion Therapeutics, Arrakis Therapeutics, IFM, and additionally led or co-led Omega’s investments in Theseus, Ikena, Synthekine and Vanqua Bio. 

 

Previous to Omega Funds, Paulina began her career with Polaris Partners. Paulina served on the boards of Kala Pharmaceuticals, Neuronetics and Lyra Therapeutics, Microchips Biotech, Arsenal Medical and CAMP4 Therapeutics, where she was the founding CEO. Paulina completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Robert Langer’s lab at MIT. Paulina completed her PhD in Molecular Medicine from Wake Forest School of Medicine. 

R. Jacob Vogelstein, Board Member, Headshot

R. Jacob Vogelstein, PhD

Board Member

Jacob Vogelstein is the Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Catalio Capital Management, LP. He is primarily responsible for managing the firm and for making investments in private breakthrough biomedical technology companies. He serves on the Investment Committee of Catalio’s flagship Nexus strategy and on the firmwide Management Committee.


Jacob currently serves on the Boards of Boost Neuroscience, Blackrock Neurotech, Iambic Therapeutics, ManaT Bio, Nextpoint and Pheast Therapeutics.


Jacob has received widespread recognition for his innovative work in biomedical engineering including the Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering.


Jacob earned his BSc. degree in Bio-Electrical Engineering from Brown University and his Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

B7-H7-ADC:

NextPoint is developing a novel antibody-drug conjugate optimized to target B7-H7 on tumor cells.

B7-H7-CD3:

NextPoint is developing a novel and potent T cell engager targeting B7-H7 which is designed to activate a tumor-directed immune response.

Clinical-Stage Project:
NPX267

NPX267 is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting KIR3DL3 which blocks the interaction with B7-H7 to re-activate T and NK cells. NPX267 is being studied in patients with solid tumor malignancies in a Phase 1 clinical trial.

Clinical-Stage Project:
NPX887

NPX887 is an Fc-enhanced monoclonal IgG1 antibody that targets B7-H7 to block its immunosuppressive interaction with KIR3DL3 on T and NK cells while sparing the interaction with its stimulatory ligand, TMIGD2. NPX887 is being studied in patients with solid tumor malignancies in a phase 1 clinical trial.