On 20 January 2016: Imugene Limited (ASX:IMU), a clinical stage immuno-oncology company, reported the extension of a partnership with the Medical University of Vienna to discover and develop new mimotope-based immunotherapies against validated and new oncology targets (Press release, Imugene, JAN 20, 2016, View Source [SID:1234509852]).
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A mimotope is a small molecule, often a peptide, which mirrors the structure of an epitope, the specific target to which an antibody binds. Because of this property it induces an antibody response similar to the one elicited by the epitope. Mimotope vaccines can trigger B-cells to produce antibodies cross reactive with the native epitope they recognise.
Imugene will own the Intellectual Property in the mimotope vaccines generated under the partnership as well as the right to use the platform to generate additional mimotope vaccines independent of the University. In addition, Imugene is entitled to access additional mimotope vaccines of interest to it.
Professor Dr Ursula Wiedermann, Chief Scientific Officer of Imugene said "This is particularly exciting since mimotope cancer vaccines are set to be part of the next wave of the immunooncology revolution in cancer therapy. This project will position Imugene competitively in immuno-oncology research, expanding its pipeline and will efficiently transform Imugene into a multi-asset biopharmaceutical company." Executive Chairman Mr Paul Hopper said "Imugene has secured a strategic license and entered into a research collaboration with the Medical University of Vienna which greatly extends the company’s oncology franchise and pipeline. Thanks largely to the strong relationships being developed between Imugene and the Medical University of Vienna and Prof. Wiedermann on the HER-Vaxx program, we are now able to actively participate in this paradigm shifting research underway at the Medical University of Vienna and systematically develop cutting edge drug candidates. Work has commenced and we look forward with anticipation to developments in this area. Whilst being cautious about the early stage of the program, what is particularly exciting is the potential to discover mimotopes for vaccination against cancer targets offering the opportunity to further develop the current treatment concepts of best selling drugs." "This collaboration gives Imugene the opportunity to build on our unique and promising pipeline of immuno-oncology B-cell vaccines. This innovative approach to cancer therapy will ensure