 |
AMPLIMMUNE ENTERS INTO BROAD ALLIANCE WITH NCI
Collaboration Will Focus on
Potential New Therapies for Cancer and Autoimmune Disease
FREDERICK, Md., Oct. 13, 2009 - Amplimmune, Inc., has entered into a broad agreement with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for further advancement of two Amplimmune product candidates into
therapies for cancer and autoimmune disease.
Under the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), Amplimmune will collaborate on multiple projects with NCI and its contractor, SAIC-Frederick Inc., under the umbrella
of the NCI's Advanced Technology Partnerships Initiative (ATPI). The goal of ATPI is to accelerate the translation of cancer and AIDS research into clinical therapies, diagnostics, and treatments.
NCI-Frederick's prime contractor, SAIC-Frederick is facilitating these partnerships for NCI.
The collaborations will focus on furthering development of AmplimmuneÕs AMP-110 and AMP-224 therapeutic biologic candidates. AMP-224 blocks activation of the PD-1 receptor and
inhibits immune evasion typically induced by tumors or infectious disease pathogens. AMP-110 is being developed as a biologic to treat autoimmune/inflammatory disease and has been
demonstrated to attenuate key inflammatory pathways that contribute to a wide range of different autoimmune diseases.
"We are very pleased to establish this broad CRADA with the National Cancer Institute," said Michael Richman, Amplimmune's President and CEO. "We look forward to collaborating with
investigators at NCI and feel that these collaborations will have a significant impact on accelerating development and advancing AMP-224 and AMP-110 into the clinic," he added.
"We value the opportunity to collaborate with Amplimmune on development of their leading therapeutic biologic candidates to treat cancer and immune disorders. This partnership reflects the true
potential of NCI's ATPI - to accelerate leading innovations into clinical application in the fight against cancer, through strategic partnerships. We look forward to working closely with our
colleagues at Amplimmune on our shared goals under the CRADA," said David Hoekzema, SAIC-Frederick's Vice President of Business Development.
About Amplimmune Inc.
Headquartered in Rockville, Md., Amplimmune is focused on developing novel biologics targeting key co-stimulatory/co-inhibitory molecules that rebalance the immune system and are
intended for treating cancer, autoimmune disease, infectious disease, and transplantation. With its strong development focus, Amplimmune is rapidly advancing two lead molecules toward
clinical development: one in the area of cancer and the other in the autoimmune disease setting. AMP-224 will be advancing into a phase 1 clinical trial for cancer in 2010. Working closely
with its founders at Johns Hopkins University and other collaborators, Amplimmune is expanding its technology base in the area of immune co-stimulatory/co-inhibitory molecules and has
assembled a large foundation of reagents, models, know-how, and intellectual property to further develop its product pipeline as well as to discover novel biomarkers, ligands, and receptors.
For more information: www.amplimmune.com
About SAIC-Frederick
SAIC-Frederick, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a Fortune 500 company, is the operations and technical support contractor
for the National Cancer InstituteÕs research and development center in Frederick, Md. This is a national laboratory dedicated to rapidly translating basic research into new technologies for
diagnosing, treating, and preventing cancer and AIDS. SAIC-Frederick maintains a full suite of advanced technologies in areas such as nanotechnology, genomics and imaging; operates the
federal government's drug and vaccine manufacturing facilities; operates the high-performance Advanced Biomedical Computing Center; and supports more than 300 clinical trials for patients in the United States and around the world.
Information about the NCI's Advanced Technology Partnerships Initiative can be found at ATPIhome.com .
Contacts:
Frank Blanchard
SAIC-Frederick, Inc.
(301) 846-1893
blanchardf@mail.nih.gov
Gary Fanger
Amplimmune Inc.
301-309-9800
fangerg@amplimmune.com
|
