MAIA Biotech

MAIA Biotechnology, Inc. is a clinical-stage, publicly-traded immuno-oncology company founded in 2018 by Vlad Vitoc, Frank Perabo, and Leah DiMascio. The firm, headquartered in Chicago, is listed on the NYSE American under the ticker MAIA. CEO and Chairman Vlad Vitoc, a physician with an MBA, brings over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical and biotech oncology, having managed numerous compounds across various tumor types. The company's mission is to develop and commercialize first-in-class drugs with novel mechanisms of action to extend the lives of cancer patients.

The company's core focus is on developing targeted immunotherapies for cancer. As a clinical-stage entity, MAIA Biotechnology does not currently generate revenue from product sales and is dependent on equity and debt financing to fund its operations. Its business model involves placing individual drug candidates into dedicated, R&D-focused subsidiary companies. This structure allows for concentrated R&D support for each drug while leveraging the parent company's infrastructure and management, aiming for capital efficiency. MAIA has established subsidiaries in Australia and Romania to conduct pre-clinical and clinical activities.

MAIA's lead drug candidate is ateganosine (also known as THIO), a telomere-targeting agent. This investigational drug has a dual mechanism, designed to be incorporated into the telomeres of cancer cells by the enzyme telomerase, which is highly active in most cancers. This action causes DNA damage and selective cancer cell death, which in turn activates both the innate and adaptive immune systems. THIO is being evaluated in clinical trials for its potential to make tumors that are resistant to immunotherapy responsive to treatment. The primary clinical program is THIO-101, a Phase 2 trial evaluating THIO sequenced with an immune checkpoint inhibitor for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have progressed after prior treatments. Recent data has shown promising results in extending median overall survival for these patients. The company is also planning a pivotal Phase 3 trial, THIO-104, expected to begin in 2025.

Keywords: MAIA Biotechnology, immuno-oncology, cancer therapy, targeted therapy, telomere targeting, ateganosine, THIO, non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical, Vlad Vitoc, THIO-101, NYSE: MAIA, cancer drug development, checkpoint inhibitors, DNA damage response, telomerase, cGAS/STING pathway, immunotherapy resistance, oncology therapeutics, biopharmaceutical, cancer research