Medigene's Global Research & Collaboration Agreement with BioNTech to Extend Beyond Initially Announced Term
21 Mayo 2024 - 3:00AM
Planegg/Martinsried, May 21, 2024.
Medigene AG (Medigene or the “Company”, FSE: MDG1, Prime Standard),
an immuno-oncology platform company focusing on the discovery and
development of differentiated T cell immunotherapies for solid
tumors and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX, “BioNTech”) have announced
that their collaboration to advance T cell receptor (TCR)
immunotherapies against cancer will extend beyond the initial
three-year term outlined at the signing of the agreement in
February 2022. This extension will enable ongoing and future work
required to potentially generate novel TCRs directed against
multiple newly nominated antigen targets that could further expand
the BioNTech warehouse of TCR candidates.
“We are pleased about the extension of
our partnership with BioNTech aiming at the development of highly
differentiated TCR-based therapies for patients suffering from
solid tumors. The collaboration solidifies our position as a leader
in the field of TCR generation while we continue to deliver very
promising TCR candidates,” said Dr. Selwyn Ho, Chief Executive
Officer at Medigene. “The ongoing work between our scientific
teams reflects the strength of our partnership in the fight against
cancer, and we look forward to making further progress in making a
difference in the lives of cancer patients.”
In February 2022, Medigene and BioNTech entered
into a global multi-target collaboration to discover and develop T
cell receptor immunotherapies against multiple cancer targets
including PRAME (PReferentially expressed Antigen in MElanoma). The
agreement also included non-exclusive licenses to some of the
proprietary technologies contained in Medigene’s End-to-End
Platform including its PD1-41BB costimulatory switch
protein.
About Medigene AG
Medigene AG (FSE: MDG1) is an immuno-oncology
platform company dedicated to developing differentiated T cell
therapies to effectively eliminate cancer. Its End-to-End Platform
consists of multiple proprietary and exclusive technologies that
generate optimal T cell receptors, armor and enhance these T cells
to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), and
ensure the T cells drug product composition maximizes safety,
efficacy and durability of response. This creates potential
best-in-class, T cell receptor engineered T cell (TCR-T) therapies
to treat multiple solid tumor indications for both its in-house
product pipeline and partnering. Medigene’s lead TCR-T program
MDG1015 is on track for IND filing in 3Q 2024 and CTA filing in 4Q
2024. For more information, please visit www.medigene.com
About Medigene’s End-to-End Platform
Medigene’s immunotherapies help activate the
patient’s own defense mechanisms by harnessing T cells in the
battle against cancer. Medigene’s End-to-End Platform combines
multiple exclusive and proprietary technologies to create
best-in-class, differentiated TCR-T therapies. The platform
includes multiple TCR generation and optimization technologies
(e.g., Allogeneic-HLA (Allo-HLA) TCR Priming), as well as product
enhancement technologies (e.g., PD1-41BB and CD40L-CD28
Costimulatory Switch Proteins, iM-TCR) to address challenges in
developing effective, durable and safe TCR-T therapies.
Partnerships with multiple companies including BioNTech and
Regeneron, continue to validate the platform’s assets and
technologies.
About Medigene’s PD1-41BB Costimulatory
Switch Protein
Checkpoint inhibition via PD-1/PD-L1
pathway:
Cells of solid tumors are sensitive to killing
by activated T cells but can escape this killing activity by
producing inhibitory molecules known as ‘checkpoint proteins’, such
as the Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1), on their surface. When
this occurs, activated T cells which express PD-1, the natural
receptor for PD-L1, are inactivated. The expression of PD-L1 is an
adaptive immune resistance mechanism for tumors that can help them
survive and grow.
The 4-1BB (CD137) costimulatory signaling
pathway:
Effective T cell immune responses to antigens
typically require both a primary antigenic stimulation via the T
cell receptor (TCR) and costimulatory signals. The intracellular
signaling domains of the 4-1BB protein offer a well-characterized
pathway to costimulation and enhanced T cell responses.
Medigene’s PD1-41BB switch receptor turns the
tumor’s attempted self-defense mechanism against the tumor by
substituting the inhibitory signaling domain of PD-1 with the
activating signaling domain of 4-1BB. Therefore, instead of
inactivating T cells, the switch receptor delivers an activating
signal to TCR-T cells. PD1-41BB-modified TCR-T cells proliferate
strongly in the presence of PD-L1-positive tumor cells and kill
more tumor cells upon repeated exposure. Additionally, switch
receptor signals enable TCR-T cells to function better with low
levels of glucose or high levels of TGFß, two conditions
characteristic of strongly hostile tumor
microenvironments.
About PRAME
PRAME (PReferentially expressed Antigen in
MElanoma) is a tumor antigen of the cancer-testis-antigen family
which is over-expressed in various solid and blood cancers.
Expression in healthy tissue is limited to the testis, which itself
is an immuno-privileged tissue that usually cannot be attacked by
the body’s own immune cells. This renders PRAME very suitable as a
target antigen for TCR-T therapies.
This press release contains forward-looking
statements representing the opinion of Medigene as of the date of
this release. The actual results achieved by Medigene may differ
significantly from the forward-looking statements made herein.
Medigene is not bound to update any of these forward-looking
statements. Medigene® is a registered trademark of Medigene AG.
This trademark may be owned or licensed in select locations
only.
Medigene AGPamela KeckPhone: +49 89 2000
3333 01E-mail: investor@medigene.com
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