Immunocore has entered into a new partnership with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to expand an existing discovery collaboration.
Genentech and Immunocore will now co-develop Immunocore’s therapeutic candidate IMC-C103C, an ImmTAC molecule targeting tumors that express the protein MAGE-A4 (Melanoma-Associated Antigen A4).
Under the terms of the agreement, Immunocore will lead the first-in-human clinical trial to establish safety and preliminary efficacy of IMC-C103C as both monotherapy and in combination with atezolizumab (Tecentriq). The clinical trial, which is scheduled to commence in early 2019, will enroll patients across a number of solid tumor types. As part of the agreement, Genentech will pay Immunocore $100 million in upfront and near-term milestone payments. Upon establishing proof-of-concept data, Immunocore retains an option to continue to co-develop IMC-C103C through commercialization, or to fully license the candidate to Genentech in return for royalty and milestone payments.
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“MAGE-A4 is a known cancer-associated antigen expressed in a wide range of malignancies. Genentech is a leader in oncology with extensive immunology expertise, with whom we’ve had a good collaborative relationship for several years. We look forward to embarking upon this new partnership to investigate whether IMC-C103C could ultimately improve the lives of people with MAGE-A4 positive cancers,” Andrew Hotchkiss, CEO of Immunocore, said.
“We’ve had a very productive collaboration with Immunocore since we began our initial partnership in 2013,” James Sabry, M.D., Ph.D., Global Head of Pharma Partnering, Roche, said. “We’re excited to move this first molecule forward, both as a single agent and in combination with Tecentriq, and to further explore the role of T cell receptor-directed medicines in fighting cancer.”
Tecentriq is a registered trademark of Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.