Arcus Biosciences, Inc. Security Rating

Arcus Biosciences is a biotech company that visions to create new cancer therapeutics through the use of emerging insights in immunology. The Company's lead program targets the adenosine pathway, which has been shown to play a significant role in driving immuno-suppression in the tumor micro-environment. Like IDO inhibitors, adenosine receptor antagonists and inhibitors of adenosine production are expected to be highly synergistic with other immuno-oncology mechanisms, as well as with chemotherapy. Because of the promise of the adenosine pathway, several adenosine receptor antagonists that were discovered years ago and initially developed for other indications have been repurposed for oncology.Arcus has generated novel, small- molecule dual antagonists of key adenosine receptors A2aR and A2bR. The Company believes that its lead molecule, AB928, will be the first clinical compound that was designed specifically for its immune-stimulating properties.  Arcus has other product candidates in earlier stages of development that target the adenosine pathway, including a CD73 inhibitor (which blocks the generation of extracellular adenosine in tumors) that could be the first small-molecule inhibitor of CD73 to enter clinical trials.