Cellus

Cellus is a South Korean pre-clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing next-generation immuno-metabolic anti-cancer therapeutics that target the tumor microenvironment (TME), specifically tumor-associated macrophages (TAM). Founded in 2020 as a spin-off from Seoul National University and Catholic University of Korea, the company's lead candidate is CLS-A1, a monoclonal antibody neutralizing CXCL16 to overcome immunotherapy resistance in cold tumors like triple-negative breast cancer. Cellus is also advancing CLS-A2, a bispecific antibody targeting both CXCL16 and RANKL for bone metastasis, alongside small molecule programs CLS-S1 (an ADAMTS4/5 dual inhibitor) and CLS-S3 (targeting MYC mutations). By reshaping the immunosuppressive environment surrounding tumors rather than targeting cancer cells directly, Cellus aims to dramatically improve the response rates of existing checkpoint inhibitors.