Dan MacLeod

Chief Scientific Officer @ Optieum Biotechnologies. Cell therapy. Immuno-Oncology. Autoimmune. CAR T. Opinions are my own.

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

@carlhjune making the case for targeting the stroma with FAPa CAR T for solid tumors.
#aacr2026 #CART

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

Creative new use for CARs in Alzheimers disease!

https://t.co/trmCVQLr7f

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

Infographic generated by @NotebookLM

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

Moderna personalized vaccine adds benefit to Keytruda in melanoma Ph 2. Looking to Ph 3 to confirm neoantigen reactivity drives response, even in low-TMB populations. https://t.co/SUAjvNS3ie

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

@NotebookLM generated infographic

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

Really impactful update on CD19 CAR T for autoimmune diseases. B cell reset leading to durable, drug-free remissions in SLE, SSc, and IIM. 24 patients.

[Nature Medicine @NatureMedicine]

In the phase 1/2 CASTLE basket trial, autologous CD19 CART therapy in patients with treatment-refractory SLE, SSc or IIM was safe with improved disease activity and patient-reported global health in most patients. #CARTtherapy #SLEResearch
https://t.co/O1v4JadxcK

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

Recent pre-print on a new modality: CAR T drug conjugate (CAR-T-DC)
Novel approach to combining the trafficking specificity and potency of T cells and the broad activity of chemo.
https://t.co/5dAPAuzRQL

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

Allogeneic IL13Ra2 CAR T phase 1 trial in high grade glioma patients.

https://t.co/2OG3NddWJC

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

In vivo CAR T trial, 5 SLE patients. Near complete peripheral B cell depletion within 6 hours of treatment.

https://t.co/hNNRbdvfEA

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

@iskander https://t.co/Ezh81oB6Lj

ASCO, looks like the abstract will be released next week.
Curious to see the data!

[The New York Times @nytimes]

Breaking News: A baby with a rare disorder made medical history by receiving the first custom gene-editing treatment. The technique used has the potential to help people with thousands of other uncommon genetic diseases. https://t.co/6RB5ttiKmX

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

This funding is under the "Strengthening Program for Pharmaceutical Startup Ecosystem" by Japan AMED. A very unique program for startups that offers tremendous support for the translation and development of technologies out of Japan.
https://t.co/7Mu1sdQ9Yu

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

Thrilled to share that Optieum has secured up to $39M from AMED! 🎉
This funding supports development of our lead program OPTF01, a CAR T therapy targeting FAPa to overcome immunosuppressive barriers and transform solid tumor treatment. Thank you AMED!

https://t.co/himxFJvUWB

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

@Jeff_Sunman Good luck!

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

@aedwards02 Glad it landed!
Honestly I'm still trying to wrap my head around this study, T cells never fail to keep things interesting

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

Optieum's groundbreaking Eumbody platform is designed to dynamically harmonize CAR binding domains to produce the best CARs for solid tumors and other challenging diseases. Stay tuned!

https://t.co/v1HqT5W6D8

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

Excited to share that I've joined Optieum Biotechnologies as CSO!

#celltherapy #CART #immunotherapy
#solidtumor #hemeonc #autoimmune

https://t.co/WFHnEMpWhj

[Dan MacLeod @dantmacleod]

After 3.5 incredible years at ImmunoScape, I’m moving on to pursue my next chapter. Grateful for the team’s brilliance & dedication, incredible work advancing TCR-T cell therapy discovery and development.
Excited for what’s ahead—more to share soon!
#CellTherapy #NewAdventure

[Rupert D. @Sports_BioTech1]

$DTIL Neat article published today by @endpts highlighting an early success story from @PrecisionBioSci partner, iECURE's in-vivo clinical trial targeting ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency in infants (link below).

A baby boy with OTC who was treated ~six months ago at six months of age will likely no longer require a liver transplant to stabilize his condition, thanks to iECURE's treatment that utilizes $DTIL proprietary editor, ARCUS to insert in-vivo a healthy copy of the non-functioning gene.

"Six months after treatment, his [the baby boy's] ammonia and glutamine levels are normal and he hasn't experience any more metabolic crises. The response hit the absolute upper level of what we anticipated. It checked every box" said iECURE CEO, Joe Truitt.

Truitt also said that iECURE is in the midst of rising the remainder of their Series A funding ($50MM) -- that will last through the second half of this year and should "be enough to get data from the first four patients".

iECURE plans to treat three more infants with the same dose level in 1H25, including one baby in the United States later this month.

This is the first indication of $DTIL editor, ARCUS working in-vivo, in humans.

iECURE plans to present more detailed results at a medical conference in March.

https://t.co/ontDuvL81y