BIONAVIGEN Oncology

Bionavigen is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel oncology therapeutics. The company's lead program, BNV-001 (now known as AGEN1571), is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting the ILT2 (LILRB1) receptor, an immune checkpoint expressed on both innate and adaptive immune cells. By inhibiting ILT2, the therapy aims to reverse immune suppression and enhance anti-tumor responses across various solid tumors. Bionavigen was founded by Dr. Debasish Roychowdhury, a former oncology executive at Sanofi and Eli Lilly, bringing significant clinical development expertise to the firm. In January 2021, the company was acquired by Agenus to bolster its immuno-oncology pipeline and accelerate the development of ILT2-targeted therapies.