Immunome and Morphimmune Announce Definitive Merger Agreement and Simultaneous Private Placement Investment of $125 Million to Develop Targeted Cancer Therapies

Immunome (Nasdaq: IMNM), a biopharmaceutical company utilizing a proprietary human memory B-cell platform to discover and develop antibody therapeutics to improve patient care, and Morphimmune, a private biotechnology company focused on developing targeted oncology therapeutics, today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement.

The Boards of Directors of both companies have approved the all-stock transaction. The combined company, which will operate as Immunome and retain the same ticker symbol, will be headquartered in Seattle, WA and will maintain cost-efficient research lab facilities in Exton, PA and West Lafayette, IN.

Clay B. Siegall, Ph.D., who was appointed CEO and President of Morphimmune earlier this year, will serve as the CEO, President, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Immunome. Dr. Siegall previously served as the CEO and President of Seagen, Inc., which he co-founded in July 1997. Under his nearly 25 years of leadership, Seagen became an industry leader in ADC therapeutics, earned FDA approvals for four cancer therapies, and grew to over $2 billion in annual revenue. During his tenure, he raised well over $1 billion of financing for Seagen from public and private markets and oversaw the company’s acquisition of Cascadian Therapeutics. In March of 2023, Pfizer, Inc. agreed to purchase Seagen for $43 billion.

“Clay Siegall’s track record of drug development and shareholder value creation is exceptional, and we are honored to have him serve as Chairman and CEO after the merger closes,” said Michael Rapp, Immunome Board Chairman. “By building on the accomplishments of Purnanand Sarma and the Immunome team, Clay will be positioned to develop best-in-class targeted cancer therapies across multiple modalities.”

The companies also announced an oversubscribed private placement investment of $125 million with participation from Enavate Sciences, EcoR1 Capital, Redmile Group, Janus Henderson Investors, Avidity Partners, Woodline Partners LP, and other leading institutional investors. In connection with the PIPE, James P. Boylan, Chief Executive Officer of Enavate Sciences, will be appointed to the Board of Directors of Immunome. Both the merger and private placement are expected to close by the end of Q4 2023.