On November 1, 2017 Vedanta Biosciences, an affiliate of PureTech Health (LSE: PRTC) developing a new category of therapies for immune and infectious diseases based on rationally designed consortia of human microbiome-derived bacteria, reported that it has exclusively sub-licensed key intellectual property from JSR Corporation to develop and commercialize microbiome-derived cancer immunotherapies based on live biotherapeutics (Press release, Vedanta Biosciences, NOV 1, 2017, View Source [SID1234521457]). These live biotherapeutics have been shown to activate CD8+ T cells, a type of white blood cell that is the predominant effector in cancer immunotherapy. The sub-licensed intellectual property is based on the pioneering research of Dr. Kenya Honda, Professor, of Keio University School of Medicine and his collaborators in the University of Tokyo in Japan. An IND filing for the lead product candidate is planned in 2018.
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!
“Dr. Honda’s research suggests an entirely new approach to cancer immunotherapy harnessing the human microbiome, which has the potential to significantly enhance the effectiveness of cancer therapies,” said Bernat Olle, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Vedanta Biosciences. “We are actively developing product candidates containing defined bacterial consortia that activate CD8+ T cells and stimulate the immune system to fight cancer alone and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors. This license to additional intellectual property from Dr. Honda’s institution further strengthens Vedanta’s leading IP position in the microbiome field.”
In validated pre-clinical models of cancer, Vedanta’s orally administered product candidates containing defined bacterial consortia induced CD8+ T cells, potentiating the immune system’s attack of tumor cells. The tumor fighting effects of a variety of checkpoint inhibitors were significantly amplified when combined with the bacterial consortia, suggesting a potentially novel approach for combination cancer immunotherapy.
About Key Intellectual Properties
Keio University and The University of Tokyo joined the Leading Advanced Projects for Medical Innovation (“LEAP”), part of Advanced Research and Development Programs for Medical Innovation at The Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (“AMED”), in 2016. Their research and development is focused on the development of therapeutic cocktails of bacteria isolated from the gut microbiota. The licensed intellectual properties were developed as a part of the AMED-LEAP Research Program and are exclusively licensed to JSR Corporation (TSE: JSR) from Keio University and The University of Tokyo.