Imaxio and Centre Léon Bérard announce the execution of a collaboration agreement and the award of a grant for the preclinical development of an anticancer immunotherapy based on the Imaxio’s IMX313 technology
Imaxio, a biotech company specialized in immunology, announces today the execution of a collaboration agreement with Centre Léon Bérard, and the award of a grant, as part of the program “Proof of Concept CLARA” from the Cancéropôle Lyon Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (CLARA), to finance the ORPhEE project.
The ORPhEE project, “non-antigen specific intratumoral immunostimulation”, is an initiative of both Imaxio and its partner Centre Léon Bérard (Comprehensive Cancer Center), also based in Lyon. Its objective is to achieve the preclinical development, within the next 30 months, of an immunotherapy used to improve current anticancer therapies by leveraging on the pro-immunogenic effect of Imaxio’s IMX313 technology. ORPhEE’s budget will benefit, through the program Proof of Concept CLARA, from the support of Lyon Metropole up to 354 k€.
The PI3 platform (Christophe Caux) and its laboratories “Immunomonitoring” (Christine Ménétrier-Caux) and “Immunotherapy” (Stéphane Depil) from the Department of Translational Research of Centre Léon Bérard (CLB), in close interaction with the Cancer Research Center of Lyon (CRCL), will be in charge of the evaluation of the immunotherapy efficacy, whereas Imaxio will be responsible for manufacturing the product and completing toxicology evaluation.
“To be awarded with a Proof of Concept CLARA grant is a real acknowledgement of the work we have completed to date with the teams of Centre Léon Bérard”, declares Alexandre Le Vert, Imaxio’s Chief Executive Officer. “This also strengthens the way we trust in our IMX313 technology, which will now be used in immuno-oncology. Its field of application is not limited to infectious diseases anymore.”
“Both of our early-stage and clinical-stage research teams will be able, thanks to this grant, to provide the ORPhEE project with their skills in immunology and immunotherapy”, adds Marina Rousseau-Tsangaris, Deputy Director of Translational Research at Centre Léon Bérard. “There is a significant synergy between Centre Léon Bérard and Imaxio teams, which will allow to rapidly push forward the product candidate up to clinics.”
With more than 8 million of deaths reported worldwide by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2012, there is still a strong medical need for the improvement of current anticancer therapies. In France, the National Institute of Cancer (INCa) estimates that 350.000 new cases of cancer generate more than 150.000 deaths every year.
However, a link has been recently established between immunology and oncology, and immunotherapies are now one of the most strategic sources of innovation in anticancer therapy. This is why the American Cancer Society declares that this new type of anticancer treatment will significantly impact the way we fight cancer in the future.