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TO HEALTH, MEDICAL, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
MD Anderson, MedImmune Join Forces To Advance Cancer Immunotherapy
HOUSTON, March 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of
Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and MedImmune, the global biologics
research and development arm of AstraZeneca, will collaborate through
MD Anderson's Moon Shots Program to develop therapies that unleash
patients' immune systems to attack their cancers.
"Our collaboration with MedImmune, a leader in the field of
immunotherapy, will draw on the strengths of both institutions to push
ahead for more effective treatments for cancer patients," said Jim
Allison, Ph.D., executive director of the moon shots immunotherapy
platform and professor and chair of Immunology at MD Anderson.
MD Anderson's Moon Shots Program is an ambitious effort to
dramatically reduce cancer deaths through six moon shots that target
eight cancers. The moon shots are supported by several new research
platforms that provide infrastructure, expertise and technology.
The three-year agreement with MedImmune covers translational and
clinical research.
MedImmune is conducting clinical trials using a new therapeutic
paradigm that targets immune cells to improve their tumor-fighting
ability, rather than targeting the tumor cell itself. Through the
collaboration, MD Anderson will evaluate several of MedImmune's
immunotherapy molecules in a clinical setting in order to better
understand how these molecules elicit immune response in patients.
It is hoped that data collected from these studies will shed light on
treatment-related changes to tumors, with the ultimate aim of
identifying optimal combination therapies and developing biomarkers to
guide and assess the safety and efficacy of MedImmune's immunotherapy
molecules.
"We are excited to work with MD Anderson in the Moon Shots program,
pairing their unique immunotherapy platform with our innovative
portfolio of immune-mediated cancer therapies," said Ed Bradley, M.D.,
Senior Vice President and Head of MedImmune's Oncology Innovative
Medicines Unit. "Our partnership will provide MedImmune with an
invaluable opportunity to evaluate the biological impact of our
immune-mediated cancer agents, both as monotherapy and combination
therapy."
"Our partnership with MedImmune will provide us with exciting agents
to study in novel pre-surgical clinical trials aimed at identifying
early clinical signals and mechanistic insights, which will drive
future immunotherapy strategies for the benefit of patients," said
platform Scientific Director Padmanee Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., associate
professor of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at MD Anderson.
The agreement is the third of a limited number of immunotherapy
collaborations to be reached by MD Anderson with leading-edge industry
partners.
"MedImmune has deep expertise in cancer immunotherapy reflected in its
powerful drug pipeline," said Ferran Prat, Ph.D., J.D., MD Anderson
vice president of strategic industry ventures. "This agreement opens
up new possibilities for MD Anderson and MedImmune."
"We have a select group of immunotherapy partners and will soon stop
accepting new agreements in order to ensure that we can fully deliver
for our existing partners," Prat said.
Allison's basic science research on T cell biology led to an entirely
new method of treating cancer called immune checkpoint blockade, which
blocks receptors on the surface of T cells that tumors use to turn off
immune attack.
Allison created an antibody to the checkpoint CTLA-4 and worked in its
development as the drug ipilimumab (Yervoy(r)), the first drug of its
kind and also the first to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration for late-stage melanoma. More than 20 percent of
melanoma patients given the drug develop long-lasting remissions for
five years and longer.
Since immune checkpoint blockade treats the immune system, rather than
the tumor directly, it will have application to other cancer types as
well. "The era of immune system therapies for cancer is really just
beginning," Allison said.
In December, the journal Science designated cancer immunotherapy as
its 2013 Breakthrough of the Year, noting Allison's leadership in the
field, The Economist named Allison winner of its 2013 Innovations
Award for Biosciences and he received a $3 million 2013 Breakthrough
Prize for Biosciences from the foundation of the same name launched
last year by internet and social media entrepreneurs. He will also
receive the 2014 Szent-Gyorgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research
from the National Foundation for Cancer Research.
Enhanced capabilities in immunotherapy MD Anderson's immunotherapy
platform has enhanced and increased the institution's capabilities in
expertise, technology and techniques since Allison's arrival in
November of 2012.
Patrick Hwu, M.D., chair of Melanoma Medical Oncology is co-director
of the platform. MD Anderson has invested $40 million in the platform,
including philanthropic funds and a $10 million Established
Investigator grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute
of Texas to recruit Allison from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Center in New York. Allison also is deputy director of the David H
Koch Center for Applied Research of Genitourinary Cancers and holds
the Vivian L. Smith Distinguished Chair in Immunology at MD Anderson.
Additional immune checkpoints and drugs to target some of them have
been discovered and are in clinical trials. At MD Anderson, clinical
trials of ipilimumab and other agents target melanoma, lymphoma, lung,
breast, gastric, kidney and prostate cancers.
MD Anderson researchers also are working on a variety of ways to
enhance T cell attacks on cancer cells. For example, one method
involves harvesting a patient's own cancer-targeting T cells,
expanding their number in the lab, and then reinfusing them in the
patient.
Another involves customizing a patient's T cells via gene transfer to
more efficiently attack tumors and then giving them back to patients.
Both methods are in clinical trials. Therapeutic vaccine development
also is under way for melanoma, lymphoma and breast cancer.
About MD Anderson The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in
Houston ranks as one of the world's most respected centers focused on
cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. MD Anderson
is one of only 41 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the
National Cancer Institute (NCI). For ten of the past 12 years,
including 2013, MD Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in "Best
Hospitals," a survey published annually in U.S. News & World Report.
MD Anderson receives a cancer center support grant from the NCI of the
National Institutes of Health (P30 CA016672).
This news release was issued on behalf of NewswiseT. For more
information, visit http://www.newswise.com.
SOURCE The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
-0- 03/17/2014
/CONTACT: Scott Merville, 713-792-0661 or 713-516-4855, smerville@mdanderson.org
/Web Site: http://www.mdanderson.org
CO: The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
ST: Texas
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