ImmunoScape Appoints Peter Olagunju as CEO to Advance TCR-Based Cancer Immunotherapy Platform Toward the Clinic
ImmunoScape Pte. Ltd., an A*STAR spin-out backed by Amgen Ventures and EDBI, has appointed Peter Olagunju as its new Chief Executive Officer as the biotechnology company prepares to advance its next-generation T-cell receptor (TCR)-based cancer immunotherapy platform toward clinical development.
Olagunju brings more than two decades of experience spanning clinical development, cell therapy manufacturing, technical operations and biotechnology leadership. His appointment comes at an important stage for ImmunoScape as the company works to translate its proprietary Seed-and-Boost platform from an advanced research technology into clinical-stage cancer therapies.
ImmunoScape was established as a spin-out from Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and is focused on developing TCR-based approaches designed to address challenges that have limited the effectiveness of cell therapies against solid tumors. The company’s technology is being developed with potential applications across autologous, allogeneic and in vivo cell therapy approaches.
As Olagunju takes over the CEO role, ImmunoScape co-founder Michael Fehlings, Ph.D., will continue to guide the company’s scientific and technical strategy as Chief Technology Officer. The leadership structure is intended to combine the company’s scientific expertise with Olagunju’s experience in taking biotechnology platforms through development, manufacturing and regulatory milestones.
Leadership Experience Across Cell and Gene Therapy
Olagunju joins ImmunoScape with a track record spanning the development and commercialization of cell and gene therapies. According to the company, he has contributed to seven approved therapies, including PROVENGE®, ZYNTEGLO®, ABECMA®, ADSTILADRIN®, SKYSONA® and LYFGENIA®.
His experience covers multiple stages of the biotechnology development process, from building technical and manufacturing capabilities to supporting clinical and regulatory programs and establishing operational organizations.
Before joining ImmunoScape, Olagunju served as Chief Executive Officer of a Catalio Capital-backed oncology company. During his tenure, he led the company from its formation through a $14 million seed financing and ultimately to a corporate transaction.
Earlier in his career, Olagunju held Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer positions at TCR² Therapeutics. In those roles, he was involved in the company’s operational activities and served as an operations leader during its acquisition by Adaptimmune.
He has also held senior leadership positions at FerGene and bluebird bio, adding experience across cell and gene therapy development, manufacturing and commercialization.
Beyond his executive roles, Olagunju serves as Chairman of the Board of March Biosciences. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business.
Focus on TCR-Based Cancer Immunotherapy
ImmunoScape’s core technology is centered on T-cell receptors, or TCRs, which enable T cells to recognize specific antigens presented by cells. TCR-based approaches have attracted significant interest in oncology because they can potentially target cancer-associated proteins and intracellular tumor antigens that are not readily accessible to conventional antibody-based therapies.
However, developing effective cell therapies for solid tumors remains a major challenge. Solid tumors can create a complex biological environment that suppresses immune-cell activity and can limit the ability of engineered T cells to survive and remain functional after entering the tumor.
ImmunoScape is developing its Seed-and-Boost platform to address this challenge. The company describes persistence as a key limitation for engineered T-cell therapies in solid tumors, where therapeutic cells may encounter an environment that makes sustained activity difficult.
The Seed-and-Boost strategy is designed to support the persistence and continued activity of engineered T cells within tumors. Rather than focusing only on generating tumor-targeting cells, the platform is intended to address what happens after the cells reach the tumor and encounter its surrounding microenvironment.
The company believes the approach could have broader applicability because it is being developed for use across different cell therapy delivery models.
Platform Designed for Multiple Delivery Approaches
One aspect of ImmunoScape’s strategy is the potential application of its Seed-and-Boost technology across autologous, allogeneic and in vivo delivery approaches.
Autologous cell therapies use a patient’s own cells, which are collected, genetically modified or otherwise engineered outside the body, expanded and subsequently returned to the patient. This approach has produced important clinical advances but can involve complex manufacturing and logistics.
Allogeneic approaches use cells obtained from a donor. These approaches are being investigated as a way to develop more standardized, potentially off-the-shelf cell therapies.
In vivo cell therapy represents another emerging strategy in which therapeutic cells or their genetic modifications are delivered directly within the patient’s body rather than relying entirely on conventional external manufacturing processes.
By designing its platform to potentially operate across these modalities, ImmunoScape aims to create a technology that can be integrated into different therapeutic development strategies.
The company’s ability to apply its technology across these approaches will ultimately depend on clinical development and manufacturing validation, but the platform’s flexibility is a central component of its development strategy.
Moving From Platform Development to the Clinic
Olagunju’s appointment comes as ImmunoScape prepares for the next stage of its development. The company is now focused on translating its Seed-and-Boost platform into clinical applications.
Adrian Bot, MD, Ph.D., an ImmunoScape Board Member and former Chief Scientific Officer of Kite Pharma and Capstan Therapeutics, highlighted Olagunju’s experience across multiple stages of biotechnology development.
“Peter is the rare executive who has done this at every stage: building manufacturing platforms from academic starting points, guiding products through regulatory approval, and running a company from formation through successful outcomes,” Bot said.
He added that Olagunju has helped bring seven therapies to commercialization and has experience building organizations designed to operate efficiently while advancing complex therapeutic programs.
According to Bot, this combination of technical knowledge and operational experience will be important as ImmunoScape transitions from platform development to clinical execution.
The company is now expected to focus on preparing its technology for clinical testing, establishing the necessary development and manufacturing infrastructure, and working with partners to progress its programs toward human studies.
Addressing Challenges in Solid Tumors
Olagunju said the central challenge addressed by ImmunoScape’s technology is the difficulty of maintaining engineered T-cell activity within solid tumors.
“Solid tumors have been the hardest problem in cell therapy, and the limiting factor has consistently been persistence — getting engineered T cells to survive and keep working inside the tumor,” Olagunju said.
He described ImmunoScape’s Seed-and-Boost strategy as an approach intended to directly address this limitation while maintaining flexibility across different cell therapy modalities.
His experience is particularly relevant to this stage because moving an advanced cell therapy platform into the clinic requires more than scientific validation. Companies must establish appropriate manufacturing processes, quality systems, regulatory strategies, clinical development plans and operational infrastructure.
The transition from laboratory research to clinical development is therefore a major milestone for ImmunoScape. The company will need to demonstrate that its technology can be translated into reproducible therapeutic products and ultimately evaluated in clinical studies.
Scientific and Operational Leadership
With Fehlings remaining as Chief Technology Officer, ImmunoScape will retain continuity in its scientific and technical leadership while adding an executive with extensive development and operational experience.
Fehlings, one of the company’s co-founders, will continue to oversee the scientific and technology strategy behind the platform. His role will complement Olagunju’s responsibilities as CEO, including corporate strategy, financing, partnerships and clinical and operational execution.
The leadership combination reflects ImmunoScape’s progression from an academic-originated technology toward a biotechnology company preparing for clinical development.
The company’s backing from Amgen Ventures and EDBI also provides institutional support as it works to advance its platform. As an A*STAR spin-out, ImmunoScape is part of Singapore’s growing biotechnology ecosystem, while its scientific and commercial strategy is aimed at addressing challenges in cancer immunotherapy globally.
Next Steps for ImmunoScape
Olagunju said his immediate priority will be working with ImmunoScape’s partners to move the Seed-and-Boost platform into the clinic.
“My immediate priority is working with our partners to move our platform into the clinic,” he said.
That transition will represent an important phase for the company. Clinical development will provide an opportunity to evaluate whether the platform’s approach to T-cell persistence can translate into measurable therapeutic effects in patients with solid tumors.
ImmunoScape’s strategy is built around the premise that improving the durability of engineered T-cell activity could help address one of the persistent challenges in solid-tumor cell therapy. The company’s platform is being developed with potential applications across multiple therapeutic formats, including autologous, allogeneic and in vivo approaches.
With Olagunju now leading the company and Fehlings continuing to oversee its scientific and technical strategy, ImmunoScape is preparing to move its technology into the next stage of development.
The appointment also underscores the broader evolution of the cell and gene therapy sector, where scientific advances increasingly need to be matched by scalable manufacturing, regulatory expertise and clinical execution. ImmunoScape’s next phase will focus on bringing those elements together as it works to advance its TCR-based cancer immunotherapy platform from technology development toward clinical testing.
About ImmunoScape
ImmunoScape is a premier, clinical-stage Singapore-headquartered biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of next-generation cell immunotherapies in oncology. With operations in Singapore and Boston, ImmunoScape drives innovation to deliver transformative treatments for solid tumors using its proprietary deep immunomics and high-throughput TCR discovery platforms. For more information, please visit immunoscape.com.