Verismo Therapeutics, a subsidiary of HLB Innovation, announced today that it has received a strategic investment of up to $4.05 million (approximately 5.9 billion KRW) from the Innovative Follicular Lymphoma Foundation (IFLI). IFLI is a global non-profit foundation dedicated to advancing treatments for follicular lymphoma.

This partnership is designed to accelerate the development of Verismo’s lead candidate, SynKIR-310, for follicular lymphoma. The goal is to treat not only follicular lymphoma but also other subtypes of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

"We are delighted to receive this strategic investment from IFLI, who shares our vision," said Brian Kim, CEO of Verismo Therapeutics. "These funds will enable us to accelerate the clinical development of our SynKIR-310 program, which is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials, and deliver a new treatment option to follicular lymphoma patients more quickly and efficiently."

Verismo’s SynKIR-310 is being evaluated in a clinical trial involving patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma who have either previously received or not received CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T cell) therapy. The trial is an open-label, single-arm study conducted at multiple sites.

This partnership will expand the clinical trial to include follicular lymphoma patients, with a plan to enroll up to 18 patients to determine the optimal dose for Phase 2. IFLI will disburse the investment over three years.

"We are excited to support the development of Verismo’s next-generation, innovative cell therapy targeting CD19 with SynKIR-310," said Michelle Azzole, CMO of IFLI. "We anticipate that this will accelerate clinical development in patients with follicular lymphoma who have failed first-line therapies and support further research in additional non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) subtypes."

IFLI has a proven track record of contributing to the advancement of lymphoma treatments through strategic funding and collaborative partnerships. The foundation has supported research to improve the understanding and treatment of follicular lymphoma using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequencing at Washington University in St. Louis.