Layoff
Dec 2023Reportedly reduced workforce by about 60% (34 employees) and refocused resources on lead candidate AB248.
SourceCompany research
Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Updated Jul 30, 2026
Overview
Asher Bio (Asher Biotherapeutics) is a clinical-stage, privately held biotechnology company founded in 2019 that develops cis-targeted immunotherapies designed to selectively activate specific immune cells and reduce off-target toxicity. Its lead product is etakafusp alfa (AB248), a CD8-targeted IL-2 immunotherapy in Phase 1 oncology studies; the broader pipeline includes AB821 and other cis-targeted cytokine programs.
Primary product
Etakafusp alfa (AB248), a CD8-targeted IL-2 immunotherapy
Founded
2019
Headquarters
650 Gateway Blvd. Suite 100, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
Team size
11-50
Work style
Flexible
Industry
Biotechnology Research
Sub-industry
Cis-targeted immunotherapies / immuno-oncology cytokine fusion proteins
Offices
650 Gateway Blvd. Suite 100, South San Francisco, CA 94080
San Francisco, CA, United States
Business model
clinical-stage biotechnology
drug discovery and development
partnered clinical collaboration
future therapeutic commercialization/licensing
Funding
Stage
Series C
Total raised
$218.3M
Latest round
Series C · Apr 2024
Latest amount
$55M
Apr 2024 · RA Capital Management
Sep 2021 · Wellington Management Company LLP
Mar 2021 · Third Rock Ventures
Sep 2019
Aug 2019 · Y Combinator
People & investors
Leadership
Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Board Member
Founder, Board Observer, Scientific Advisor
Consulting Chief Medical Officer
Consulting Chief Financial Officer / Chief Business Officer
Head of Operations
Founders
Robert Schreiber
Academic co-founder; Professor of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine
Ton Schumacher
Academic co-founder; Senior Member, Netherlands Cancer Institute; Professor of Immunotechnology, Leiden University
Work & culture
Mission-driven, entrepreneurial, and patient-focused. The company emphasizes rigorous decision-making, enthusiastic execution, inspired innovation, and seamless collaboration.
Work style
Flexible
Compensation
No public salary bands or compensation ranges were disclosed on the careers page; the careers page also states there are currently no open positions.
Benefits
Flexible PTO
Flexible work arrangements
90% medical/dental/vision coverage
401(k) contributions
Product & market
Pricing
Not publicly disclosed; as a clinical-stage biopharma, the model appears to rely on equity financing, sponsored clinical collaborations, and eventual therapeutic commercialization/licensing.
Differentiators
- —Selective cis-targeting that activates only the desired immune cell type
- —Designed to reduce off-target toxicity versus conventional cytokines
- —CD8-focused biology for both IL-2 and IL-21 programs
- —Broad platform applicability across oncology and other immune-mediated diseases
- —Combination-therapy oriented development strategy
Technology
cis-targeting platform
CD8-targeted cytokine therapeutics
etanakafusp alfa / AB248 (CD8-selective IL-2 mutein fusion protein)
AB821 (CD8-targeted IL-21 fusion protein)
antibody-cytokine fusion proteins
anti-CD8β targeting
clinical-stage oncology trial programs
Customers
Patients with cancer
Patients with autoimmune disease
Patients with chronic viral infection
Pharma collaborators for combination trials and supply agreements
Competitors
Synthekine
iTeos Therapeutics
Kymera Therapeutics
Vigil Neuroscience
Scale & contact
Estimated revenue
USD 1M-10M
Estimated monthly visits
2.3K
Traffic estimate as of Jul 2026
Signals & risks
Latest news
Asher Bio · May 2026
Announced ASCO 2026 presentations for AB248 and AB821, highlighting updated clinical data and early program design progress.
Asher Bio · Jan 2025
Announced an Amgen-sponsored clinical trial collaboration to test etakafusp alfa (AB248) with IMDELLTRA in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.
Business Wire · Jan 2025
Announced a supply agreement with AstraZeneca to support a global NSCLC study of AB248 with rilvegostomig.
Asher Bio · Apr 2024
Closed a $55M Series C led by RA Capital Management with participation from AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Janus Henderson Investors, Third Rock Ventures, Wellington Management, Boxer Capital and others.
Asher Bio · Apr 2024
Announced publication of two Cancer Discovery manuscripts on AB248 design and preclinical data.
Jobs and careers at Asher Bio
0 jobs at Asher Bio
No open positions
Check back later for new openings