TIDMIVO
Imperial Innovations Group plc
24 August 2016
RNS Reach
24 August 2016
Imperial Innovations Group plc
Cell Medica and UCL collaborate to develop modified T cell
receptor products for the treatment of cancer
Imperial Innovations Group plc (AIM: IVO or 'the Group',
'Innovations') notes today's announcement by portfolio company Cell
Medica (the 'Company') of a new research collaboration with UCL
(University College London) which will see the Company utilise
UCL's novel T cell receptor (TCR) technology to generate
leading-edge modified TCR products for the treatment of cancer.
The collaboration also provides Cell Medica with an exclusive
worldwide option and licence agreement for these technologies, as
well as TCR gene sequences for the development and
commercialisation of specific products.
The collaboration builds on the research of Professor Hans
Stauss and Professor Emma Morris of UCL, global leaders in
developing modified TCRs for cancer treatments, both of whom are
based at the Royal Free Hospital, a UCL Partners academic health
science centre.
UCL will conduct the preclinical and early clinical research
under the guidance of a Joint Steering Committee. Cell Medica will
support the product development work with its substantial
experience in manufacturing clinical-grade cell therapies and
establishing robust production processes suitable for industrial
scale-up. Following completion of successful first-in-man studies,
the products will transfer to Cell Medica for later-stage clinical
development and commercialisation.
Cell Medica has entered into an exclusive licence and option
agreement with UCL Business, the technology commercialisation
company of UCL, for the dominant TCR platform patent and two target
antigens. As part of this agreement, both parties can bring targets
or platform technologies to the collaboration, aiming to generate
leading-edge modified TCR products.
In addition, UCL and Cell Medica have signed a Sponsored
Research Agreement under which Cell Medica will fund all research
and development with an exclusive option to licence all products
developed within the collaboration. The financial terms of this
transaction have not been disclosed.
Russ Cummings, CEO at Imperial Innovations, said:
"This new collaboration with UCL adds the modified TCR
technology platform to Cell Medica's strategy to develop
breakthrough treatments for cancer using cellular immunotherapy
products.
"It follows the recent exclusive licensing agreement and a
co-development partnership signed with the Baylor College of
Medicine (Baylor) and the acquisition of Delenex Therapeutics, all
of which have significantly added to Cell Medica's armoury as it
seeks to capitalise on the market opportunity for next-generation
products which harness the human immune response to fight
cancer."
Cell Medica is a cellular immunotherapy company, focused on the
development, manufacture and marketing of cell-based therapeutics
for the treatment of cancers and infectious disease. As at 31
January 2016, the Group had a 27.0% interest in the issued share
capital of the Company with such interest having a net fair value
of GBP21.0 million.
For further information contact:
Imperial Innovations Group plc 020 3053 8834
Russ Cummings, Chief Executive
Officer
Jon Davies, Director of Communications
Instinctif Partners 020 7457 2020
Adrian Duffield/Melanie Toyne-Sewell/Chantal
Woolcock
J.P. Morgan Cazenove (Nominated
Adviser) 020 7742 4000
Michael Wentworth Stanley/Alec
Pratt
Cenkos Securities 020 7397 8926
Stephen Keys
Notes to editors
About Imperial Innovations - www.imperialinnovations.co.uk
Imperial Innovations Group plc ("Innovations") creates, builds
and invests in pioneering technology companies and licensing
opportunities developed from outstanding scientific research from
the 'Golden Triangle', the geographical region broadly bounded by
London, Cambridge and Oxford. This area has an unrivalled cluster
of outstanding academic research and technology businesses, and is
home to four of the world's top 10 universities, as well as leading
research institutions, the cream of the UK's science and technology
businesses and many of its leading investors.
Innovations supports scientists and entrepreneurs in the
commercialisation of their ideas, through the licensing of
intellectual property, by leading the formation of new companies,
by recruiting high-calibre management teams and by providing
investment and encouraging co-investment. Innovations remains an
active investor over the life of its portfolio companies, with the
majority of Innovations' investment going into businesses in which
it is already a shareholder.
Since becoming a public company in 2006, Innovations has raised
more than GBP440 million of equity from investors, which has
enabled it to invest in some of the most exciting spin-outs to come
out of UK academic research. In addition, the Group has agreed
GBP80.0 million in loan facilities from the European Investment
Bank (EIB).
Between Innovations' admission to AIM (August 2006) and 31 July
2015, Innovations had invested a total of GBP236.8 million across
its portfolio companies, which had raised collectively investment
of GBP1.3 billion.
About Cell Medica - www.cellmedica.co.uk
Cell Medica develops, manufactures and markets cellular
immunotherapy products for the treatment of cancer and infections.
The Company employs leading-edge technologies to develop cell-based
therapies with the potential to transform the lives of cancer
patients in the years ahead.
The Company's lead oncology product, baltaleucel-T, is aimed at
a range of cancers associated with the oncogenic Epstein Barr virus
(EBV), including non-Hodgkin lymphomas, Hodgkin lymphoma and
nasopharyngeal carcinoma. This novel cancer immunotherapy is
currently under study in an international Phase II clinical trial
(CITADEL) for the treatment of advanced NK/T cell lymphoma. Cell
Medica is working in collaboration with the Baylor College of
Medicine on the development of baltaleucel-T with funding provided
in part by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of
Texas.
Cell Medica recently announced an important expansion of its
collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine to include the
development of next-generation cellular immunotherapies
incorporating chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) with genetically
enhanced potency for the treatment of cancers that do not respond
to conventional therapies.
In addition to its oncology programmes, Cell Medica is marketing
Cytovir CMV for the treatment of cytomegalovirus infections and
developing Cytovir ADV for the treatment of adenovirus infections.
Both products are for the treatment and prevention of viral
infections in patients who are profoundly immunosuppressed
following a bone marrow transplant.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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