DiCaprio Backs Novel Cancer Therapy Targeting Intractable Tumors

SINGAPORE & SAN DIEGO – March 04, 2026 – Biotechnology firm ImmunoScape has announced a major stride in the fight against some of the world's most difficult-to-treat cancers, securing a partnership with a premier U.S. cancer center and a strategic investment from actor and philanthropist Leonardo DiCaprio. The collaboration will fast-track the company’s novel “Seed and Boost” immunotherapy platform into a clinical trial targeting aggressive solid tumors.

The Singapore- and San Diego-based company, an A*STAR spin-out, has executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a globally renowned, NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center to launch an investigator-initiated clinical trial. This move represents a critical step in bringing a potentially transformative T-cell receptor (TCR)-based therapy to patients battling cancers with grim prognoses.

A New Hope for Intractable Cancers

The upcoming trial, scheduled to dose its first patients by September 2026, will focus on what the company describes as “high-unmet need solid tumors.” The target indications include ovarian, mesothelioma, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers—diseases notorious for their resistance to current treatments and devastatingly low survival rates.

Ovarian cancer, for example, is often diagnosed late and has high recurrence rates, leaving patients with limited options and a poor prognosis. Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest malignancies, with few effective therapies. By targeting these specific cancers, ImmunoScape is stepping into a therapeutic battlefield where new weapons are desperately needed.

The urgency of this mission is a driving force behind the accelerated timeline. “Cancer patients need new innovative therapies, and this sense of urgency is driving our efforts to test patients before the end of 2026,” commented Dr. Evan Newell, PhD, Chair of ImmunoScape’s Scientific Advisory Board.

The partnership with a leading U.S. cancer institution provides not only a prestigious clinical setting but also deep expertise in the complex field of cellular immunotherapy, which will be crucial for the trial's success. “We are honored that a major U.S. Cancer Center has agreed to partner with us to fast-track our Seed and Boost therapeutic approach into a clinical trial,” said Michael Fehlings, PhD, CEO of ImmunoScape. “Their experts see the potential that this novel new approach may bring to patients in need.”

'Seed and Boost': Engineering a Smarter Attack on Tumors

At the heart of this new clinical effort is ImmunoScape’s differentiated “Seed and Boost” strategy, a two-pronged attack designed to overcome the primary obstacles that have hindered the success of cell therapies in solid tumors: T-cell exhaustion and lack of persistence.

Traditional cell therapies, while revolutionary in blood cancers, often fail against solid tumors because the engineered T-cells become worn out or fail to survive long enough in the harsh tumor microenvironment to eliminate the cancer. ImmunoScape’s platform aims to solve this with a clever combination:

• The Seed: This involves taking a patient’s own T-cells (autologous) and engineering them with a high-affinity T-cell receptor (TCR). This receptor is designed to recognize a specific cancer marker called Wilms Tumor 1 (WT1). WT1 is an intracellular antigen highly expressed in many solid tumors but minimally present in healthy adult tissues, making it an ideal target ranked by the National Cancer Institute as a top priority for immunotherapy.

• The Boost: After the engineered T-cells are infused back into the patient, a second component is administered. This “Boost” is a clinical-stage fusion protein, known as Immuno-STAT™ technology, that acts as a powerful activator. It is designed to selectively find and stimulate only the WT1-targeting T-cells, causing them to expand in number and remain active inside the patient's body. This process mimics a natural immune response while leaving the rest of the body's T-cells untouched, potentially reducing side effects.

This approach differs significantly from competitors, many of whom rely on a single, large infusion of engineered cells. The “Boost” component could allow for lower initial cell doses, reduced manufacturing complexity, and a more sustained, durable anti-tumor attack. Adrian Bot, MD, PhD, an ImmunoScape Board Member and former Chief Scientific Officer of Kite Pharma, believes the platform could be transformative. “ImmunoScape's Seed and Boost therapeutic approach has the potential to transform how we treat difficult solid tumor cancers,” he said. “It may be able to simultaneously improve treatment efficacy, improve the patient experience, and lower therapeutic costs.”

The DiCaprio Effect: Celebrity Investment Meets Biotech Innovation

Adding a significant tailwind to ImmunoScape’s announcement is the strategic investment from Leonardo DiCaprio. Known globally for his acting career and his extensive environmental philanthropy through his foundation, DiCaprio’s move into biotech investment signals a broadening of his impact-focused portfolio.

His involvement brings more than just capital; it shines a powerful international spotlight on ImmunoScape’s work, potentially attracting further investment, talent, and public support. This “Hollywood halo effect” can be instrumental in accelerating the notoriously long and expensive process of drug development.

In a statement, DiCaprio expressed his motivation for backing the company. “ImmunoScape is pioneering innovative cancer therapies, and its upcoming clinical trials targeting pancreatic, ovarian, and mesothelioma cancers are highly encouraging,” he said. “Through this investment, I hope to play a small role in helping accelerate their development.”

DiCaprio's investment underscores a growing trend of impact investing where financial support is directed toward companies aiming to solve critical global challenges, from climate change to human health.

From Singaporean Spin-Out to Global Contender

ImmunoScape's journey to this pivotal moment began in Singapore as a spin-out from the nation's prestigious Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). The company has since established operations in California and steadily built a foundation of scientific credibility and strong financial backing.

To date, ImmunoScape has raised $39 million over four funding rounds, with a roster of prominent investors that includes Amgen Ventures and EDBI, the investment arm of Singapore’s Economic Development Board. The “Boost” technology itself is part of a strategic collaboration with Cue Biopharma, showcasing ImmunoScape's ability to forge key partnerships to build its platform.

Reflecting on this trajectory, Choon Peng Ng, Chairman and Co-founder of ImmunoScape, highlighted the company’s origins. “From our company's origins as a spin-out of Singapore's A*STAR Research Agency to today, we are thrilled that the team's Singapore-based research has led us to this milestone of a major clinical trial against difficult cancers.”

Further validating their scientific approach, the company’s scientists have been selected to present their work on the “Seed and Boost” mechanism at the upcoming American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in April 2026. This selection provides a peer-reviewed stamp of approval and signals strong interest from the wider scientific community as ImmunoScape prepares to take its innovative therapy from the lab into the clinic, where it matters most.