On March 30, 2015 ZIOPHARM Oncology and Intrexon reported their oncology programs will be strengthened through Intrexon’s new global collaboration focused exclusively on novel chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) products with Merck Serono, the biopharmaceutical division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany (Press release, Intrexon, MAR 30, 2015, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2030444 [SID:1234502865]). Intrexon will share the economic provisions of this collaboration, including upfront payment, milestones and royalties, equally with ZIOPHARM.
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
Under the collaboration Merck Serono will elect CAR-T targets, two initially, for which it will provide certain research funding. Through its agreement with Intrexon, ZIOPHARM will be responsible for any additional research and development expenditures. Once these candidates reach investigational new drug (IND) stage, the programs will be transferred to Merck Serono for clinical development and commercialization. ZIOPHARM and Intrexon will also independently conduct research and development on other CAR-T candidates, with Merck having the opportunity during clinical development to opt-in. ZIOPHARM’s other oncology programs will continue through its Exclusive Channel Collaboration (ECC) with Intrexon.
"Controlled CAR-T treatments hold the promise of delivering the powerful benefit of a targeted immune response to cancer with the ability to modulate immune toxicity, leading to safer, more efficacious treatments," said Jonathan Lewis, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of ZIOPHARM. "The collaboration with Merck Serono brings world-class resources to our development efforts that greatly enhance our ability to translate CAR-T therapies from bench to bedside."
"Harnessing the power of the immune system in a regulated manner is key to address the challenges of current CAR-T approaches and combat malignancies with adoptive cell therapies," said Gregory Frost Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Head of Intrexon’s Health Sector. "We believe our alliances with Merck Serono and ZIOPHARM will accelerate progress in our synthetic immuno-oncology pipeline and drive next-generation medicines to market."
R.J. Kirk, Chairman and CEO of Intrexon, commented, "The success of our partners is our #1 goal so it is gratifying for us to see the progress being made in the programs initiated under our ECC with ZIOPHARM. We look forward to seeing this progress accelerating in the coming months and years."