Licensing Deal Analysis: Immunomic exclusively licensed patent portfolio from Annias Immunotherapeutics

Underlying technology is currently in Phase II clinical trials for Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive form of brain cancer.

Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc. (ITI), a privately held, Maryland-based biotechnology company, today announced an exclusive license with Annias Immunotherapeutics, a privately held Immuno-oncology company, for rights to intellectual property related to targeting antigens of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in cancer as well as methods of improving cancer vaccination. Both clinical stage cancer immunotherapy companies are focused on research and development of a potential new generation of cancer vaccines. The license includes upfront payment, milestones and royalties.

This new license allows Immunomic to combine its investigational nucleic acid based immunotherapy platform, LAMP-Vax, with a patented and proprietary CMV immunotherapy platform, developed at Duke University by Drs. John H. Sampson and Duane A. Mitchell and licensed to Annias. This approach could harness the body’s immune system to recognize, attack and destroy tumor cells that express CMV, which is over-expressed in a variety of human cancers, including GBM.

Annias Immunotherapeutics exclusively licensed this patent portfolio from Duke University to develop immunotherapeutic approaches to treat cancers that contain Cytomegalovirus (CMV). Annias is currently pursuing multiple clinical development strategies towards this goal. An ongoing randomized phase I/II trial is testing the safety and efficacy of a novel multi-epitope peptide vaccine in combination with immunological pre-conditioning in patients suffering from GBM. Annias is continuing to develop all aspects of the technology outside of the field that was licensed to Immunomic.

Immunomic has now exclusively licensed rights to the intellectual property portfolios for the treatment of cancer, including GBM, using nucleic acid and dendritic cell vaccination approaches coupled with LAMP-based technologies.

Cancer immunotherapy is widely viewed as a transformative area of cancer treatment and a burgeoning market. Immunomic’s LAMP-Vax technology is being studied in several oncology indications and has Phase I data in GBM, prostate cancer and melanoma & Phase II data in AML.

About ITI

Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc. (ITI) is a privately-held clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering the study of the LAMP-based nucleic acid immunotherapy platforms. These investigational technologies have the potential to alter how we use immunotherapy for cancer, allergies and animal health. On the heels of two landmark deals in 2015, including an exclusive worldwide license with Astellas Pharma Inc. to explore the use of LAMP-vax for use in the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases, which resulted in over $350M in licensing revenue that year, the company has now focused on the application of LAMP technology to immuno-oncology. 

About Annias

Annias Immunotherapeutics, Inc., is a clinical stage immuno-oncology company focused on the development of novel immunotherapeutic approaches to treat cancers that contain Cytomegalovirus (CMV). The company’s product candidates are based on a patented and proprietary immunotherapeutic platform, which harnesses the body’s immune system to recognize and destroy tumor cells that contain CMV. Examples include Glioblastoma Multiforme (a lethal brain tumor) as well as many breast, prostate and colorectal cancers.