Nectin Therapeutics and the EIC Accelerator: A New Cancer Antibody

Nectin Therapeutics, based in Jerusalem, is developing NTX1088, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody against the poliovirus receptor (PVR, also called CD155), which tumours use to suppress the immune system's attack through the DNAM1 pathway. The EIC Accelerator granted €2,499,999 towards a total cost of €3,571,427 for the project, which runs from August 2024 to January 2028, according to CORDIS. Israel is associated with Horizon Europe, so Israeli companies can receive EIC funding.

On 17 June 2026 Nectin presented Phase 1a/1b results at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting. Of 91 patients treated, NTX1088 was well tolerated with no dose-limiting toxicities, and among 41 evaluable patients on active doses combined with Merck's pembrolizumab (Keytruda), confirmed partial responses were seen in gastric, bladder, lung, head and neck cancers and melanoma, according to PR Newswire. The patients had a median of four prior lines of therapy. The lead investigator at MD Anderson Cancer Center said Phase 2 studies were warranted. The press release did not give a response rate.

Where Nectin Stands Now

The Phase 1 study is active but no longer recruiting, with primary completion estimated for December 2026, according to ClinicalTrials.gov. The EIC project report says the company engaged with the European Medicines Agency through the CTIS system and opened a site at the Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, according to CORDIS. Nectin's last announced financing was an extension of its Series A to more than $25 million in November 2022, according to BioSpace.

The Technology: Unblocking a Brake on Immune Cells

Checkpoint inhibitors such as pembrolizumab release brakes on immune cells. Nectin describes PVR as a key regulator of the DNAM1 axis and an important driver of tumour-mediated immune suppression, and NTX1088 is designed to block it. Most patients in the trial had already received checkpoint inhibitors. The trial tested eight dose levels from 12 mg to 1,750 mg, and 1,750 mg was chosen for expansion based on pharmacokinetics and target occupancy.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

The project runs until January 2028, so it is too early to judge it. So far it has supported the Phase 1 trial's expansion, including into Europe. In the report's earlier data cut, 38 evaluable combination patients showed one complete response, five partial responses and 24 cases of stable disease, with the longest response lasting 86 weeks.

1. Phase 1 dose escalationCompletedDose selected.
2. European trial siteOpenedWarsaw.
3. Efficacy signalEarlyResponses in Phase 1.
4. Phase 2UnverifiedNot yet announced.

The Money

Nectin is privately held. In March 2022 it announced a $5.4 million investment from the Cancer Focus Fund to support the Phase 1 study, and in November 2022 it extended its Series A to more than $25 million. No new round has been announced since, and its accounts are not public.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

The trial enrolled heavily pretreated patients, many of whom had received checkpoint inhibitors before. The EIC project report says Nectin opened a site for its early-stage trial of a new mechanism at a Polish cancer centre, though how many patients were treated there is not public.

The Verdict

Nectin Therapeutics and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.