On December 12, 2023 Imugene Ltd ("Imugene") (ASX: IMU), a clinical stage immuno-oncology company, and NeoImmuneTech, Inc. ("NIT"), (KOSDAQ: 950220) a clinical-stage T-cell-focused biopharmaceutical company, reported a strategic collaboration to evaluate Imugene’s allogeneic CAR T, azer-cel, in combination with NIT’s proprietary immune T cell amplifier "Fc-fused recombinant human interleukin-7", NT-I7, for the treatment of cancer (Press release, NeoImmuneTech, DEC 12, 2023, https://mcusercontent.com/e38c43331936a9627acb6427c/files/6a6df5ec-bcfd-bb50-bb42-3b1d0e5e3600/Imugene_and_NeoImmuneTech_to_Improve_Cancer_Treatments.pdf [SID1234638448]).
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Azer-cel is an allogeneic CD19 CAR T cell therapy program with extensive clinical data and a potentially fast-to-market development strategy. Azer-cel has demonstrated clinically meaningful activity with an acceptable safety profile in blood cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia.
NT-I7 (efineptakin alfa) is the only long-acting human IL-7 cytokine in clinical stage development. NT-I7 plays a key role in T cell development and survival, boosts cancer fighting T cell numbers, their health, and functionality to enhance immune function and potentially provides improved cancer fighting benefits to patients. NT-I7 exhibits favorable stability, activity and safety profiles on patient dosing compared with naturally occurring IL-7, making it an ideal combination partner for cell therapy drugs like azer-cel.
"We are delighted to be working with NIT on the potential to enhance azer-cel activity as part of this research collaboration," said Leslie Chong, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Imugene.
Dr. Se Hwan Yang, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of NeoImmuneTech said: "NT-I7 has already shown encouraging results in multiple indications in immuno-oncology and infectious diseases, both as a monotherapy or in combination. The research collaboration with Imugene, an industry leader in allogeneic cell therapy, could greatly expand the potential of our asset and accelerate its path to commercialization, as we did in acute radiation syndrome."
The strategic collaboration is effective immediately and will continue for two years whilst there are relevant research activities being performed under the research plan. Such research activities will be performed exclusively in the United States. The strategic collaboration may be terminated upon completion of the research activities, by agreement, or according to common commercial termination provisions. Imugene will fund its component of the strategic collaboration by its existing planned research activities. No additional or new funding is required for the initial activities by Imugene for the strategic collaboration. The funding of Imugene research activities is material and is allowed for in the Company’s existing research budget.
Each party has full intellectual property (IP) rights (patents) to their individual background technology. In the event new IP is generated from the strategic collaboration (each a "Joint Collaboration Technology"), the parties shall discuss in good faith the filing, prosecution, maintenance, enforcement, defense of any patent applications relating thereto, as well as each party’s right to use, such Joint Collaboration Technology.