SQZ Biotechnologies Co. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company, which engages in developing cell therapies for patients with cancer, infectious diseases, and other serious conditions. The company is headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts and currently employs 53 full-time employees. The company went IPO on 2020-10-30. The firm is focused on unlocking the full potential of cell therapies to benefit patients. In oncology, it is developing cell therapy platforms that are based on directing tumor antigen-specific immune activation via engineered antigen presentation. Its clinical-stage cell therapy candidates include SQZ Enhanced APC (eAPC) Platform, SQZ Activating Antigen Carrier (AAC) Platform and SQZ Tolerizing Antigen Carrier (TAC) Platform. The SQZ eAPC platform is the second-generation product candidate designed to generate tumor specific CD8+ T cell activation to drive the antitumor immune response. The SQZ AAC platform is designed to induce antigen presentation in vivo by deriving antigen carriers from engineering red blood cells (RBCs) with tumor specific antigens and adjuvants. Its SQZ TAC platform is designed to induce antigen-specific immune tolerance in vivo by utilizing a similar approach to the AAC platform.
