CoStim Pharmaceuticals

CoStim Pharmaceuticals was a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based cancer immunotherapy company founded in 2011. The company developed antibody therapeutics targeting immune checkpoint proteins, including PD-1, to harness the immune system against cancer. Its programs were designed to block cancer immune evasion signals and were intended to act as standalone agents or in combination with other therapies. Backed by MPM Capital and Atlas Venture, CoStim raised approximately $10 million in a Series A round before being acquired by Novartis in February 2014 — just 12 months after its Series A — as Novartis sought to enter the PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor race and complement its CAR-T cell therapy program.