GCIOncimmune Holding sees ‘commercial momentum’ with further contact wins
The global immunodiagnostics company, Oncimmune Holdings, said its ImmunoINSIGHTS business continues to experience commercial momentum with further commercial contracts.
Dr Adam M Hill, Chief Executive of Oncimmune told investors this morning: "Earlier this month we reported on the commercial momentum we have experienced in Q2 FY22 and committed to update investors on further commercial progress before the end of the calendar year.”
Following the recent signing of a MSA with a ‘leading’ global pharmaceutical company, ImmunoINSIGHTS has signed a contract to provide autoantibody biomarker services. The second contract, which has now been agreed, is expected to be signed in the next few days.
It explained that both programmes are scheduled to be completed and be invoiced by the end of FY22 and that the Company expects these programmes to lead to follow-on studies.
Firstly, Oncimmune will develop a multiplexed assay to measure Immunoglobulin E (IgE) autoantibodies on its SeroTagTM platform for planned autoimmune studies, while as part of the second, pending contract, Oncimmune will evaluate the autoantibody profiles of patient samples collected in an autoimmune trial for chronic idiopathic urticaria1 ("CIU"), it noted.
This study will measure the autoimmune profile in chronic, idiopathic (meaning 'of unknown cause') cases of CIU to uncover insights to support the clinical development of a therapeutic.
Meanwhile, the Group has also signed an autoantibody profiling collaboration with the EORTC, an independent, non-profit cancer research organisation. EORTC conducts international translational and clinical research with the aim of improving cancer treatments.
The new research project, co-funded with the EORTC Melanoma Group and MSD, will evaluate the autoantibody profiles of patient samples collected in the ongoing phase 3 EORTC1325/KEYNOTE-054 trial investigating KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), MSD's anti-PD-1 therapy, as monotherapy for surgically resected, high-risk melanoma, it said.
The project will explore autoantibody profiles as biomarkers of clinical response melanoma patients recruited onto the EORTC1325/KEYNOTE-054 trial, which assessed pembrolizumab versus placebo in an adjuvant setting (in which the drug is administered after surgery).
Oncimmune explained to investors that pembrolizumab is an immune checkpoint inhibitor ("CPI") which has uses in over 15 types of cancer, including for the treatment of melanoma skin cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, bladder cancer as well as Hodgkin lymphoma.
The Company explained that the project will use its SeroTag immuno oncology discovery array to explore the response to therapy and the potential for immune related adverse events ("irAEs") among patients treated with pembrolizumab, nivolumab and ipilimumab.
The utility of the SeroTag immuno oncology discovery array was previously reported when the results of a prior study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology ("ASCO") meeting in 2020. Oncimmune said the aim of this new research project ‘is to explore whether autoantibody patterns are associated with recurrence-free survival in the adjuvant setting.’
Oncimmune has already studied autoantibodies in patients receiving CPI therapy, including pembrolizumab, so the project will build on expanding the discovery antigen set and focusing on recurrence among patients treated with pembrolizumab in the adjuvant setting, it noted.
Additionally, the Company said it is also in the final stages of agreeing two new collaborations with world-leading US-based academic institutes that will in part focus on new market segments for our existing technology platform, including chimeric antigen receptor cell therapy cells ("CAR-T") and chimeric antigen receptor natural killer cells ("CAR-NK").
The Company highlighted to its shareholders that CAR-T and CAR-NK cell therapies ‘are some of the fastest growing segments in the pharmaceutical market globally and represent significant clinical and commercial growth opportunities for the ImmunoINSIGHTS business.’
Commenting, Dr Hill added: “These agreements further demonstrate the applicability and significance of our ImmunoINSIGHTS service to key players within both the pharmaceutical industry and research field and represents another endorsement of the capabilities of ImmunoINSIGHTS to contribute to medical innovation. We also have forthcoming collaborations with two leading US-based academic institutions within CAR-T and CAR-NK represent an exciting expansion of our technology platform into these fast-growing markets.
These contracts announced today and earlier this month underpin the commercial momentum we are currently experiencing and we look forward to building on this in the coming months."
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