Business
immatics Research Collaboration
immatics Research Collaboration.
About this update from Scancell Holdings Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n \n29 June 2010\n\n Scancell Holdings Plc \n\n (`Scancell' or the `Company') \n\n Research collaboration with immatics to \n\n develop novel ImmunoBody® vaccines for colorectal cancer \n\nScancell Holdings Plc, (PLUS:SCLP), the developer of therapeutic cancer\nvaccines, today announces a research collaboration with immatics\nbiotechnologies GmbH (\"immatics\") to explore the development of novel\nImmunoBody® vaccines for colorectal cancer.\n\nimmatics discovers and develops tumor-associated peptides (TUMAPs) for the\nimmunotherapy of cancer. TUMAPs with the highest specificity for particular\ncancers are identified directly from primary human tumour tissue samples. From\nthousands of identified TUMAPs the most suitable ones are selected and combined\nto a single multi-peptide product to form a therapeutic cancer vaccine. The\ngoal is to provoke a number of specific T-cell responses which finally result\nin the destruction of tumour cells presenting the TUMAPs.\n\nimmatics' most advanced product, IMA901, has been evaluated in a Europe-wide\nmulti-centre Phase II clinical trial in renal cancer. Positive data of this\nPhase II study have recently been published at the ASCO 2010 meeting. immatics'\npipeline also includes IMA910 for the treatment of colorectal carcinoma\nwhich has recently entered a large Phase I/II clinical trial.\n\nScancell's first vaccine using its patented ImmunoBody® technology is SCIB1, a\nnovel DNA vaccine being developed for the treatment of melanoma, which is\ncurrently in Phase 1 clinical trials. An advantage of Scancell's Immunobody®\nplatform is that it specifically targets dendritic* cells, leading to a\nsignificant enhancement of the immune response. This enhanced immune response\nagainst TRP-2 (a melanoma protein called Tyrosinase-Related Protein 2) is\nanticipated to lead to the inhibition and regression of both primary and\nmetastatic melanoma tumour growth.\n\nIn the research collaboration with immatics, colorectal cancer-specific TUMAPs\nwill be incorporated into ImmunoBody® constructs to create ImmunoBody® vaccines\ntargeted towards colorectal cancer. If the research project is successful,\nimmatics and Scancell will explore the further development of any product\ncandidates.\n\nPaul Higham, CEO of Immatics said: \"'We are very pleased to enter this research\ncollaboration with Scancell a...