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News|Articles|August 13, 2025

CIT Therapeutics and Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation Launch Multimillion Dollar Partnership to Advance Cancer Therapy

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Key Takeaways

  • CIT and IFLI's partnership focuses on advancing SUMOylation-targeted therapies for follicular lymphoma, with IFLI committing up to $2.5 million.
  • SUMOylation inhibition can reprogram tumor microenvironments, enhance sensitivity to chemo and radiotherapy, and suppress oncogenic signaling.
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The collaboration will fund early-stage clinical development of SB-4826, CIT’s first-in-class SUMO E1 inhibitor, for patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma.

Topline Findings

  • Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation Investment (IFLI) in CIT Therapeutics: IFLI commits up to $2.5 million to advance CIT’s SUMOylation-targeted therapy SB-4826 into Phase I/Ib trials for relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL).
  • IFLI’s Strategic FL Collaborations: IFLI is supporting multiple innovative programs in 2025, including NanoCell Therapeutics’ NCTX-01 dual CAR T-cell therapy, PeproMene Bio’s PMB-CT01 BAFF-R CAR T-cell therapy, and Tempus’ real-world FL data library.
  • CIT’s Clinical Vision: CIT Therapeutics aims to transform cancer care with novel biological mechanism therapies, aligning with IFLI’s mission to accelerate development of targeted treatments for high-risk and relapsed FL patients.

CIT Therapeutics announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with the Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation (IFLI) to advance SB-4826, its lead oncology candidate, into a Phase I/Ib trial for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, including relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL).

Under terms of the partnership, IFLI is committing up to $2.5 million to back CIT’s clinical programs, with a focus on advancing treatments for FL.1

How will CIT and IFLI’s Partnership Accelerate the Development of SUMOylation-Targeted Therapies for Follicular Lymphoma?

"This partnership represents a significant step forward in bringing SUMOylation-targeted therapies to the clinic,” said Michel Azoulay, MD, chief medical officer, IFLI, in a press release. “We are proud to support CIT in pioneering this new therapeutic modality. Inhibiting SUMOylation can reprogram tumor microenvironments, sensitize tumors to chemo and radiotherapy, and suppress oncogenic signaling."

IFLI’s Other Strategic Collaborations in 2025

The move follows a series of strategic collaborations by IFLI this year, supporting innovative CAR T-cell therapies, gene-targeted approaches, and real-world data initiatives aimed at accelerating treatment options for patients with relapsed or high-risk FL.

  • In June, NanoCell Therapeutics, Inc. announced the closing of a seed-extension financing round, with participation from IFLI for NCTX-01, a dual-CAR CD19/CD22 in vivo CAR T-cell therapy for aggressive B-cell malignancies, including FL.
  • In May, PeproMene Bio and IFLI announced that the first patient with relapsed or refractory FL treated in the PMB-102 trial of PMB-CT01 (BAFF-R CAR T cells) achieved complete remission.
  • In February, Tempus announced that it had entered into a collaboration with IFLI to develop a de-identified, multimodal real-world data library focused on high-risk FL patients, aiming to accelerate the development of targeted therapies for patients who experience disease progression within 24 months of treatment.2-4

CIT Therapeutics on its Mission and Partnership

"Our vision is to transform cancer care by developing therapies that target novel biological mechanisms, which aligns with that of IFLI," said Yuan Chen, PhD, founder, CEO, CIT Therapeutics, professor, chief, division of surgical sciences, professor, division of surgical oncology, department of surgery, University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and Moores Cancer Center. "We are excited for this partnership and eager to start our clinical trial to deliver meaningful benefit to patients."

References

  1. CIT Therapeutics Forms Strategic Partnership with the Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation (IFLI), Securing Up to $2.5M to Advance Novel Cancer Therapies. PR Newswire. August 13, 2025. Accessed August 13, 2025. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cit-therapeutics-forms-strategic-partnership-with-the-institute-for-follicular-lymphoma-innovation-ifli-securing-up-to-2-5m-to-advance-novel-cancer-therapies-302528447.html
  2. NanoCell Secures Seed-Extension Financing from The Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation to Advance Lead Clinical Candidate for B Cell Malignancies. NanoCell. June 16, 2025. Accessed June 16, 2025. https://nanocelltx.com/2025/06/16/nanocell-secures-seed-extension-financing-from-the-institute-for-follicular-lymphoma-innovation-to-advance-lead-clinical-candidate-for-b-cell-malignancies/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
  3. PeproMene Bio, Inc. and the Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation (IFLI) Announce The First Follicular Lymphoma (FL) Patient Treated with BAFF-R Targeting CAR-T Cells (PMB-CT01) Achieves a Complete Response. Pepromene Bio. May 20, 2025. Accessed August 13, 2025. https://pepromenebio.com/pepromene-bio-inc-and-the-institute-for-follicular-lymphoma-innovation-ifli-announce-the-first-follicular-lymphoma-fl-patient-treated-with-baff-r-targeting-car-t-cells-pmb-ct01-achieves-a-comp/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
  4. Tempus Announces Collaboration with IFLI Aimed at Supporting Development of Targeted Therapies for Follicular Lymphoma. Tempus. February 13, 2025. Accessed August 13, 2025. https://www.tempus.com/news/tempus-announces-collaboration-with-ifli-aimed-at-supporting-development-of-targeted-therapies-for-follicular-lymphoma/?srsltid=AfmBOorl31XddrP-Hwp7ELVtYezxThYJx6KKZF3XM2J7rM1ibsvSDCMn&utm_source=chatgpt.com

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