immatics and Cancer Research UK team up for vaccine trial

Collaboration

The cancer vaccines specialist immatics biotechnologies GmbH, has signed a collaboration with the UK charity Cancer Research UK for the further development of IMA950, a vaccine for treating glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer.

Cancer Research UK will sponsor and conduct a Phase I trial of IMA950 to be carried out at leading glioma research centres in the UK through the charity’s Drug Development Office. Tuebingen-based immatics will supply the drug for the trial and monitor the immune system of treated patients.

After the completion of the study, immatics will have an exclusive first right to take a license to the data for further development of IMA950. No financial details were disclosed.

Paul Higham, CEO of immatics, said, “Cancer Research UK is a world-renowned cancer research organisation and we are delighted that through this collaboration we will be able to efficiently move our third therapeutic cancer vaccine into the clinic, highlighting the wide applicability and productivity of our Xpresident technology platform.

Victoria John, head of clinical partnerships at Cancer Research UK’s Drug Development Office, said, “This form of glioma is very difficult to treat successfully and we hope this trial will help to establish if the immatics vaccine might offer another viable treatment option for people with this type of cancer.”

IMA950 consists of 11 tumour-associated peptides (TUMAPs), which the immatics platform selected on the basis of their natural presentation by tumour tissue, immunogenicity and their relevance to tumour function. immatics’ lead product generated through the platform, IMA901, has completed a Phase II trial in renal cancer. immatics’ pipeline also includes IMA910, in Phase II for colorectal cancer.