Date: Nov 02, 2011 Source: BusinessWeek (
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USA-based AgonOx has entered into an exclusive global partnership with MedImmune, the global biologics arm of Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN), to develop agonists using its OX40 platform.
MedImmune will lead further preclinical and clinical studies of this tumor-specific T-cell immunity stimulator for the potential treatment of cancer. Financial terms of the collaboration have not been disclosed.
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"We are very pleased to collaborate with MedImmune to advance our OX40 agonist programs," said AgonOx chief executive Llew Keltner, noting that "MedImmune has impressive capabilities in immuno-oncology, and we believe offers great potential for eventually bringing therapies utilizing the OX40 mechanism to trigger tumor-specific immune responses to patients."
MedImmune will also support further OX40 research at Providence Cancer Center, where the foundational preclinical and clinical development of OX40 has been conducted. Additional details of the agreement will not be disclosed.
"Typically, the first line of defense against cancer in the body is the immune system," said Walter Urba, Director of Cancer Research at the Robert W Franz Cancer Research Center, Portland, Oregon, adding: "OX40 agonists have shown very intriguing preclinical and clinical behavior in specific activation of T-cells to attack tumors, and I am pleased to have MedImmune engaged in moving OX40 forward into additional human studies."
