Vaccinex
Updated: December 03, 2025
CEO - Maurice Zauderer
Country: USA | Funding: $86.9M (+)
Founded: 1997
Website: https://www.vaccinex.com/
Vaccinex develops novel therapeutic antibodies for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Its drugs are based on the inhibition of semaphorin SEMA4D - potent biological effector believed to prevent immune infiltration and induce myeloid-derived suppressor cells in tumors, as well as trigger neuroinflammation through reactive gliosis in the brain. The company's lead drug candidate, pepinemab, blocks SEMA4D and has the potential to enhance immune activity against tumors and reprogram underlying pathogenic immune mechanisms that exacerbate damage in chronic neurological diseases such as Asheimer's disease and Huntington's disease. The company is also advancing candidates for the treatment of cervical, pancreatic and lung cancer. Vaccinex uses its proprietary ActivMAb drug discovery platform, which enables the discovery and development of highly selective antibodies with novel mechanisms of action against complex membrane proteins.
Founded: 1997
Website: https://www.vaccinex.com/
Vaccinex develops novel therapeutic antibodies for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Its drugs are based on the inhibition of semaphorin SEMA4D - potent biological effector believed to prevent immune infiltration and induce myeloid-derived suppressor cells in tumors, as well as trigger neuroinflammation through reactive gliosis in the brain. The company's lead drug candidate, pepinemab, blocks SEMA4D and has the potential to enhance immune activity against tumors and reprogram underlying pathogenic immune mechanisms that exacerbate damage in chronic neurological diseases such as Asheimer's disease and Huntington's disease. The company is also advancing candidates for the treatment of cervical, pancreatic and lung cancer. Vaccinex uses its proprietary ActivMAb drug discovery platform, which enables the discovery and development of highly selective antibodies with novel mechanisms of action against complex membrane proteins.
