On March 17, 2026 Enara Bio, a pioneer in Dark Antigen discovery and bispecific T cell engager innovation, reported new data to be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2026, highlighting its lead clinical candidate, ENA101, a first-in-class bispecific T cell engager (TCE) targeting DARKFOX, a novel cancer-specific Dark Antigen discovered with Enara’s EDAPT platform.
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ENA101 was engineered using Enara’s proprietary EnTiCE T cell engager platform, enabling potent redirection of T cells to destroy cancer cells while maintaining exquisite specificity and robust manufacturability. In multiple preclinical studies, ENA101 demonstrated:
Picomolar binding affinity to the DARKFOX-A3 peptide-HLA complex using an optimized TCR mimic.
Robust cancer cell killing across a range of DARKFOX-A3⁺ solid tumor models with low pM EC50 values.
Compelling in vivo anti-tumor activity, achieving deep tumor regression in xenograft models while maintaining a large preclinical safety window.
A New Class of Cancer Targets: DARKFOX and the Power of the Dark Proteome in Cancer
DARKFOX, encoded by a previously unknown alternative open reading frame (alt-ORF) of FOXM1, is one of the most advanced antigens emerging from Enara’s transformational EDAPT discovery engine.
It is highly prevalent, tumor-specific, and homogeneously expressed, addressing longstanding limitations in solid‑tumor target specificity.
Its HLA-A*03:01–presented peptide (DARKFOX-A3) has a robust cell surface copy number providing a clinically targetable and therapeutically attractive interface for T cell engager design.
Enara’s EDAPT platform applies genomic, proteomic, and machine learning-driven strategies to uncover and validate noncanonical antigens (Dark Antigens), creating a new horizon of targets for immunotherapy development.
Upcoming AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Oral Presentation
Enara’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Joe Dukes, will deliver an oral presentation titled:
"ENA101: A first-in-class bispecific T cell engager targeting a DARKFOX peptide presented by solid tumors."
Session: Advances in Therapeutic Antibodies
Date/Time: Monday, April 20, 2026, 2:30–4:30 p.m. PST
Abstract Presentation Number: 4052
The presentation will highlight the clinical opportunity associated with DARKFOX, the engineering of ENA101, and the comprehensive preclinical dataset supporting its advancement into clinical development.
Abstracts are available on the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) website.
(Press release, Enara Bio, MAR 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234663672])