VICTORIA, Sept. 24, 2019 /CNW/ - IMMUNOPRECISE ANTIBODIES
LTD. (the "Company" or "IPA") (TSX VENTURE: IPA) (OTCQB: IPATF), an
industry leader in the discovery of novel, therapeutic antibodies,
announces that Talem Therapeutics, its wholly-owned subsidiary, has
entered into an LOI to form a Joint Venture as it partners in the
continued development of antibody therapeutics to target T cell
mediated anti-tumor activity, with AgonOx, a clinical-stage
biopharma company. AgonOx specializes in identifying and developing
immuno-oncology therapeutics.
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AgonOx's approach to target discovery begins with genomic and
proteomic analyses of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes isolated from
human tumor biopsies. Candidates are further validated in the
laboratory by utilizing an array of in vitro and in
vivo systems. The partnership with Talem is addressing targets
involved in T cell mediated anti-cancer activity, with therapeutics
that, in preliminary, in vivo-validated animal models of
established tumors, have demonstrated significant tumor
reduction.
This partnership will advance two of AgonOx's top 10 candidates
to emerge from its translational science platform focused on
modulation of the tumor microenvironment and, if
commercialized, may result in approximately $720 million USD comprised of licensing fees, as
well as development and commercial milestones in addition to
royalties on worldwide sales.
Andrew Weinberg, President and
CSO of AgonOx, stated "Collaborating with Talem strengthens our
efforts to develop immuno-oncology drug candidates by leveraging
IPA's ability to address challenging targets, with the deep mining
of the immune repertoire in a species agnostic manner. This LOI
supports AgonOx's mission of discovering and delivering science
that can change the standard of care for patients with cancer.
ImmunoPrecise has first-rate scientists that we hope to work with
for years to come."
Talem will leverage the internal development capabilities of
ImmunoPrecise, including high throughput, rapid identification of
candidates through single cell interrogation, as well as accessing
synthetic and natural immune phage libraries, and its bispecific
platform, AbthenaTM. All of these technologies integrate
seamlessly with IPA's integrated ArtemisTM Intelligence
Metadata (AIM)TM capabilities to enable rapid
turnaround on additional outputs in therapeutic
optimization, stability, affinity, and
manufacturability.
Both companies will aid in the functional analyses of the
candidates, while AgonOx also pulls from its experience in
pre-clinical and clinical development, built, in part, on access to
physicians and relevant samples through their alignment with the
Earl A. Chiles Research Institute at the Providence Cancer
Institute.
"We look forward to advancing the development of these
candidates toward an Investigational New Drug filing. AgonOx has
extensive expertise in validating the expression and function of
biologically relevant immuno-oncology targets" said Jennifer Bath, CEO of ImmunoPrecise. "We see
significant advantages from Talem and AgonOx leadership sharing
knowledge across antibody discovery, development, pre-clinical and
clinical trials. This partnership will enhance the companies'
pipelines of novel, monoclonal antibodies that could transform the
standard of care for patients with advanced cancers."
About AgonOx
AgonOx, Inc. is a spin-off company from the Providence Cancer
Institute located in Portland,
Oregon, developing immune system modulators for use in
cancer therapy. T-cell modulation has improved outcomes in several
indications and AgonOx works to expand this benefit with novel
agents and combination therapies. The founders of AgonOx were
the first to identify and develop anti-OX40 as a cancer therapy
and, along with the Providence Cancer Institute, brought the first
OX40 agent into clinical trials. Utilizing bioinformatics and in
vitro and in vivo assay systems, AgonOx has identified
novel immune-related pathways and develops new targets to generate
future therapies for cancer patients.
About ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd.
ImmunoPrecise is an international, full-service, therapeutic
antibody discovery company offering species agnostic advancements
such as the B cell Select progressive, single-cell interrogation
technology and the DeepDisplayTM custom phage libraries,
as well as the AbthenaTM bispecific program. IPA is
focused on the next generation of antibody discovery, to deliver
the most therapeutically relevant antibodies, in a shorter period
of time, with the highest probability of succeeding to clinical
trials.
ImmunoPrecise discovery and development are conducted in
Utrecht and Oss, the Netherlands (U-Protein Express and IPA
Europe, respectively), and in Victoria,
British Columbia (IPA Canada). The Company operates globally
to offer a continuum of superior antibody services, transforming
the face of therapeutic discovery, by decreasing turnaround time
and risk, and promoting clinical success.
Forward Looking Information
This news release contains statements that, to the extent
they are not recitations of historical fact, may constitute
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable
Canadian securities laws. The Company uses words such as "may",
"would", "could", "will", "likely", "expect", "believe", "intend"
and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Any
such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and
analyses made by ImmunoPrecise in light of its experience and its
perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected
future developments. However, whether actual results and
developments will conform to ImmunoPrecise's expectations and
predictions is subject to any number of risks, assumptions and
uncertainties. Many factors could cause ImmunoPrecise's actual
results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the
forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Such
factors include, among other things, actual revenues and earnings
for IPA being lower than anticipated, and those risks and
uncertainties described in ImmunoPrecise's annual management
discussion and analysis for the fiscal year ended April 30,
2018 which can be accessed at www.sedar.com. The
"forward-looking statements" contained herein speak only as of the
date of this press release and, unless required by applicable law,
ImmunoPrecise undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise
such information, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
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SOURCE ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd.