Infinitopes Launches AI-Powered Cancer Vaccine Trial with $35M Funding Boost

OXFORD, England – January 21, 2026 – Biotechnology firm Infinitopes has secured $35.1 million in total seed financing to launch a first-in-human clinical trial for its pioneering cancer vaccine, ITOP1. The treatment, designed using advanced artificial intelligence, aims to prevent the recurrence of oesophageal cancer, a disease with notoriously poor long-term survival rates.

The announcement follows the successful closure of a $15.4 million funding extension co-led by existing backer Octopus Ventures and new US-based investor Amplify Bio. In a significant show of confidence from the patient advocacy sector, UK charity Macmillan Cancer Support also joined the round, underscoring the urgent need for new therapies in this area.

This capital injection propels the Oxford-based company into the clinical stage, initiating the VISTA trial for ITOP1. The Phase I/IIa study will evaluate the vaccine's ability to stop cancer from returning in patients who have undergone surgery, a critical juncture where current medical options are severely limited.

Addressing a Critical Unmet Need

For patients diagnosed with locally advanced oesophageal cancer, the path is arduous. The standard of care typically involves intensive chemotherapy and major surgery to remove the tumour. Yet, even after this gruelling regimen, the threat of recurrence looms large. Medical research indicates that between 35% and 52% of patients will see their cancer return, most often within the first two years post-surgery.

Once the cancer reappears, the prognosis is bleak. Treatment options become largely palliative, and the median survival time is a mere 3 to 10 months. This stark reality has created a significant unmet clinical need for a therapy that can effectively eliminate residual cancer cells left behind after surgery and prevent the disease from re-establishing itself.

Infinitopes aims to fill this therapeutic void with ITOP1. By priming the body's immune system to hunt down and destroy lingering cancer cells, the vaccine offers a novel, preventative strategy. The VISTA trial is designed to integrate seamlessly into the current treatment pathway. Patients will receive a priming dose of the vaccine after their initial chemotherapy but before surgery, a neoadjuvant approach intended to maximize the immune response while the primary tumour is still present. A booster dose is administered after the patient has recovered from the operation, reinforcing the body’s defences against recurrence.

“Recent clinical evidence has made it abundantly clear that the time for cancer vaccines is now,” remarked Elliot Hershberg, Partner at Amplify Bio. “After years of searching, Infinitopes has clearly distinguished itself as the company positioned to drive this progress forward.”

The Science of a Precision, Off-the-Shelf Vaccine

At the heart of Infinitopes' strategy is a sophisticated blend of artificial intelligence and immunology. The company's 'AI/ML Precision Immunomics' platform sifts through vast amounts of biological data to identify the optimal protein fragments, or antigens, that are highly specific to tumour cells but absent from healthy tissue. This AI-driven discovery process is key to creating a vaccine that is both highly targeted and broadly applicable.

Unlike fully personalized neoantigen vaccines, which are custom-manufactured for each patient based on their unique tumour mutations, ITOP1 is an 'off-the-shelf' product. The antigens it targets are carefully selected for being common across a large population of oesophageal cancer patients. This approach promises to make the therapy more scalable, accessible, and cost-effective than bespoke alternatives, without sacrificing precision.

Once the targets are identified, they are delivered using a proprietary, high-efficiency viral vector system. This delivery mechanism is engineered to provoke a powerful and durable response from CD8+ T-cells—the immune system's elite cancer-killing operatives. The goal is to establish long-term immunological surveillance that can protect the patient for years.

Jonathan Kwok, Chief Executive Officer of Infinitopes, stated, “This new funding unlocks our potentially groundbreaking Phase I/IIa trial, enabling proof-of-concept evaluation of Infinitopes' AI/ML-precision targeted, off-the-shelf vaccine platform to prevent recurrence after surgical resection. We aim to lead the development of innovative medicines that bring hope to patients suffering from cancers with unmet medical needs.”

Investor Confidence Signals a New Era

The substantial $35.1 million seed round reflects a growing investor appetite for the next generation of cancer therapies. The diverse syndicate of backers—spanning established UK venture capital, a strategic US biofund, and a major patient charity—signals broad confidence in the company's technology and clinical strategy. The participation of Macmillan Cancer Support is particularly noteworthy, representing a form of impact investing that directly links capital to the pursuit of tangible patient benefits.

Hershberg of Amplify Bio added, “The combination of rigorous AI-powered immunomics profiling, a highly scalable off-the-shelf vector, and a defined clinical strategy is exactly what this field needs. Infinitopes has the potential to redefine immunotherapy and precision oncology in the years to come.”

This funding round firmly positions Infinitopes at the vanguard of a resurgence in the cancer vaccine field, which has been buoyed by recent scientific breakthroughs and the success of related technologies like mRNA vaccines. The company is betting that its unique combination of AI-powered target discovery and a potent vector system will overcome the historical hurdles that have limited the success of previous cancer vaccine attempts.

A UK Biotech Success Story

Infinitopes' journey from an academic concept to a clinical-stage company is a testament to the strength of the UK's life sciences ecosystem. Spun out of the University of Oxford and initially supported by the charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the company has leveraged the nation's world-class research base to build its innovative platform.

The UK's regulatory and funding environment has also played a crucial role. In 2022, Infinitopes was awarded an 'Innovation Passport' under the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA) Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP), a post-Brexit initiative designed to accelerate the development and approval of promising new medicines. This early regulatory engagement, coupled with the MHRA's subsequent approval to begin the VISTA trial, has provided a clear path forward.

Furthermore, the company has secured two maximum-size, non-dilutive awards from Innovate UK, the government's innovation agency, further validating its technology and business plan. Now the largest tenant at Oxford University's BioEscalator innovation hub, the company has grown from its three academic co-founders to a team of 20, drawing talent from across oncology, immunology, and biomanufacturing. The VISTA trial, set to be conducted across multiple UK NHS university cancer centres, will continue this collaborative tradition. With the study now underway, the medical community and patients alike will be watching closely for early findings, which Infinitopes anticipates sharing at major conferences later this year.