Diakonos Oncology Secures $7M CPRIT Grant to Advance Personalized Dendritic Cell Vaccine for Refractory Melanoma

HOUSTON, TX — December 10, 2025 — Diakonos Oncology Corp., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, has been selected to receive a Product Development Research Grant valued at more than $7 million from The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). The funding will support the expansion of the company’s lead immunotherapy, DOC1021, into early-stage clinical development for refractory melanoma.

Diakonos’ proposal, titled “Advancing DOC1021: Phase 1/2 Refractory Melanoma Study,” was one of nine selected for funding out of 164 applicants.

Targeting a High-Need Population

The planned Phase 1/2 study aims to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of DOC1021 in patients with refractory melanoma—an aggressive form of skin cancer that no longer responds to standard treatments like immune checkpoint inhibitors, leaving patients with severely limited options. Enrollment for the trial is expected to begin in January 2026.

“We are honored to have CPRIT’s support as we bring DOC1021 into a new and critically underserved indication,” said Jay Hartenbach, President and COO of Diakonos Oncology. “Across more than two dozen preclinical tumor models and multiple clinical indications, our personalized dendritic cell vaccine platform has shown a consistent pattern of potent immune activation and efficacy.”

DOC1021: A Viral-Mimicking Personalized Approach

DOC1021 is a first-in-class, patient-derived double-loaded dendritic cell therapy. It uniquely combines the patient’s own dendritic cells with both tumor lysate (proteins) and amplified tumor-derived mRNA prepared from freshly obtained tumor specimens.

This proprietary double-loading approach is designed to mimic a viral infection, unlocking a synergistic and exponentially powerful TH1 response by targeting the complete spectrum of cancer antigens.

“DOC1021’s personalized dendritic cell approach, which presents each patient’s own tumor antigens in a viral-mimicking context, offers a compelling new way to re-engage the immune system against tumors that have escaped standard therapies,” said Ryan J. Sullivan, M.D., Director of the Cutaneous Medical Oncology Program at Massachusetts General Brigham Cancer Institute.

The manufacturing process does not require molecular modification of the patient’s immune cells or preconditioning chemotherapy, allowing for simple administration in the outpatient setting. DOC1021 is currently being evaluated in active clinical trials for pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma, with both programs having previously received Fast Track Designation from the FDA.