On Monday, HCW Biologics Inc. (HCWB.US) soared nearly 70% to $5.81. The company announced that its scientists have developed a second-generation pembrolizumab-based immunotherapy drug targeting solid tumors, particularly pancreatic and ovarian cancers, utilizing their novel proprietary TRBC product discovery and development platform technology.

Since their introduction to cancer treatment in 2011, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been hailed as breakthrough cancer therapies. Immune checkpoint proteins are expressed on T-cell surfaces and serve as regulators to prevent excessive T-cell activation. However, preclinical and clinical studies highlighted by the company on Monday indicate that ICIs lack immune cell co-stimulatory activity, thereby reducing their anti-tumor efficacy.