NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. and
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.,
Oct. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), a global biopharmaceutical company,
and Harpoon Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing novel
T-cell recruiting biologic therapies, announced today that they
have entered an immuno-oncology research collaboration. The goal of
the collaboration is to incorporate Harpoon's tri-specific T-cell
activating construct (TriTAC™) platform with AbbVie's
research-stage immuno-oncology targets to develop novel cancer
therapeutics.
Under the terms of the agreement, Harpoon will engineer TriTAC
molecules directed against selected cancer targets using its
proprietary platform, evaluate the molecules for pharmacologic
properties, and provide AbbVie the right to pursue further
development and commercialization of these molecules. Financial
terms were not disclosed.
"This collaboration is the first for Harpoon and highlights the
high level of industry interest in best-in-class platform
technologies. We are excited about partnering with AbbVie to help
generate novel T-cell engagers for the treatment of cancer based on
the combination of T-cell receptors with TriTACs," said
Jerry McMahon, Ph.D., chief
executive officer, Harpoon Therapeutics.
"T-cell therapies represent the next wave of innovation in
cancer treatment," said Tom Hudson,
M.D., vice president, oncology early discovery and development,
AbbVie. "Harpoon's technology offers the potential for a unique
approach to engage the immune system through AbbVie's
investigational therapies in development."
About Harpoon Therapeutics
Harpoon Therapeutics is an
immuno-oncology company founded by Patrick
Baeuerle, Ph.D., a pioneer in the development of T-cell
engaging therapies, and MPM Capital. The company is focused on the
discovery and development of novel T-cell engaging biologics for
the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Harpoon Therapeutics
created a novel T-cell recruiting drug discovery platform called
TriTAC™ (tri-specific T-cell activating construct) to unleash the
targeted cell-killing properties of a patient's own immune system
through T-cell activation. This approach is being optimized to
penetrate tissues and extend serum exposure, and has the potential
to address a broad range of cancers, including solid tumors, and
immunologic diseases. HPN424, a prostate-specific membrane antigen
(PSMA)-targeting TriTAC™ biologic, is in development for the
treatment of prostate cancer and is expected to enter a clinical
trial in 2018. For more information, please visit
www.harpoontx.com.
About AbbVie
AbbVie is a global, research-driven
biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative
advanced therapies for some of the world's most complex and
critical conditions. The company's mission is to use its expertise,
dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to markedly
improve treatments across four primary therapeutic areas:
immunology, oncology, virology and neuroscience. In more than
75 countries, AbbVie employees are working every day to advance
health solutions for people around the world. For more information
about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on
Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
AbbVie Forward-Looking Statements
Some statements in
this news release may be forward-looking statements for purposes of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words
"believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project" and similar
expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking
statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements
are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual
results to differ materially from those indicated in the
forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include,
but are not limited to, challenges to intellectual property,
competition from other products, difficulties inherent in the
research and development process, adverse litigation or government
action, and changes to laws and regulations applicable to our
industry.
Additional information about the economic, competitive,
governmental, technological and other factors that may affect
AbbVie's operations is set forth in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," in
AbbVie's 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. AbbVie undertakes no
obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking
statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except
as required by law.
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SOURCE AbbVie