Collaboration Agreement Signed with IDM
Oxford Biomedica PLC
20 January 2000
For further information, please contact
Oxford BioMedica plc
Professor Alan Kingsman, Chief Executive
Tel: +44 (0)1865 783 000
City / Financial Enquiries
David Simonson / Melanie Toyne Sewell
Merlin Financial Communications
Tel: +44 (0)171 606 1244
Scientific / Trade press Enquiries
Sue Charles / Sarah Pattinson, HCCuDe Facto
Tel: +44 (0)171 496 3300
IDM S.A.
Jean-Loup Romet-Lemonne, MD, President and CEO
Tel: +33 (0)1 40 09 04 11
OXFORD BIOMEDICA AND IDM ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC COLLABORATION
TO DEVELOP NEW CELL-BASED L-BASED THERAPIESTHERAPY
PROGRAMMES
Oxford, England, and Paris, France - 19 20 January 2000.
Oxford BioMedica plc (AIM-OXB) and Immuno-Designed
Molecules S.A. (IDM) today announced that they have
signed an agreement, whereby the two companies will co-
develop develop new cell-based therapy programmesies.
This collaboration underlines Oxford BioMedica's strategy
of applying its core gene therapy technology to other
fields including that of gene-based immunotherapy.
Cell-based therapy is a powerful approach to fighting
diseases including cancer that uses cells from a
patient's own immune system to fight diseases such as
cancer, arthritis and infectious disease. It works by
removing cells from a patient, manipulating them, usually
to increase their immune potentialeffect, and re-
introducing them to the patient.
Oxford BioMedica has developed novel methods for genetic
engineering of patients' immune cells for the treatment
of tumours. It is also developing therapeutic cancer
vaccines which use potent tumour antigens.
IDM has developed Cell DrugsT which are produced using
patient-dedicated Cell Processors. IDM's Cell Processor
technology allows the safe manipulation of patients'
immune cells to become a routine hospital process, so
speeding up the clinical development of cell-based
therapy. IDM has developed technologies for engineering
macrophages and dendritic cells using a proprietary
single-use, user-friendly cell processor which and then
reintroducing them into a patient. IDM's cell processor
allows the manipulation of patients' immune these cells
to become a routine hospital process, so speeding up the
clinical development of cell-based therapy . Oxford
BioMedica has developed novel methods for genetic
engineering of patients' immune cells for the treatment
of tumours. In addition BioMedica is using potent tumour
antigens to develop cancer vaccines. IDM's cell processor
is a single-use medical device which contains all the
necessary chemicals, devices, and quality control
reagents for the preparation of standardised cell therapy
products and vaccines. An additional key feature of the
IDM cell processor is the accompanying Lab Quality System
(LQS) software designed to guide the user at every stage
in the cell preparation process, providing built-in
safeguards to ensure the final product meets or exceeds
required quality specifications for autologous
immunotherapy. The MAKT cell processor is currently being
used in a phase III clinical trial by IDM.
The combination of these the two company's technologies
with those of IDM will ensure that ourcreate new product
programmes which should move rapidly into clinical
developmentcan be rapidly translated into products that
will be used in the clinic. . Early products from the
collaboration could be a series of novel vaccines against
cancer and other diseases.
Under the terms of the collaboration Oxford BioMedica and
IDM will combine their relevant technologies to jointly
develop novel therapeutics, and will share the revenues
from such products. This agreement should extend the
reach of each company's technologies into new therapeutic
markets.
Commenting on the collaboration, BioMedica's Chief
Executive, Professor Alan Kingsman, said:
'IDM haves developed a leading position in cell-based
therapy with their clinically approved cell processor.
Theyis will make cell-based therapy a reality and provide
us with a means of getting our technologies such as
MacroGenTM and LentiVectorsTM into cell-based products
much faster. This is an excellent deal and it fits well
with our increasing activity in immunotherapy via gene
delivery.'
Dr. Jean-Loup Romet-Lemonne, IDM's President & and CEO,
said:
'BioMedica has first class gene transfer technology and
some novel approaches to identifying new tumour antigens.
Together, we can develop new several exciting products
Cell DrugsT in the field of immunotherapy that would not
otherwise have been possible without this agreement.
There is a unique synergy here.'
Notes to Editors
1. Oxford BioMedica plc
Established in 1995, the Company specialises in the
development and application of gene-based
therapeutics using advance gene delivery
technologies for the treatment of disease in the
areas of Oncology, Viral Infection and Neurobiology.
Oxford BioMedica plc was floated on the UK
Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock
Exchange in December 1996. For more information
about the company visit its Web site at
http://www.oxfordbiomedica.co.uk
2. IDM
IDM is a privately owned biopharmaceutical company
developing new cell and gene therapy treatments to
fight cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
IDM applies its proprietary technologies to
selectively isolate, engineer, expand and activate
specific cell populations which are involved in
therapeutic vaccination. IDM's products are designed
to boost the immune system, destroy residual tumour
cells, and immunise immunise patients to prevent
tumour recurrence. For more information about the
company visit its web Web site at http://www.idm-
biotech.com.
3 IDM Cell Processors
IDM's cell processors are single-use medical devices
which contain all the necessary chemicals, devices,
and quality control reagents for the preparation of
standardised cell therapy products. An additional
key feature of IDM's cell processors is their
accompanying Lab Quality System software designed to
guide the user at every stage in the cell
preparation process, providing built-in safeguards
to ensure the final product meets or exceeds
required quality specifications for autologous
immunotherapy. IDM's MAKT Cell Processor has
received CE Marking and is currently being used to
prepare Cell DrugsT in several clinical trials.
4 Gene-based Immunotherapy
Gene-based immunotherapy seeks to treat disease by
modulating (either increasing or reducing) a
patient's immune responses using advanced gene
delivery techniques. Immune responses are an
important factor in the development of a wide range
of diseases including cancer, auto-immune diseases
such as arthritis and infectious disease.
5 Oxford BioMedica's LentiVectorT and MacroGenT
Technology
Through its proprietary LentiVectorT systems Oxford
BioMedica is able to efficiently deliver therapeutic
genes to a wide range of cell types, including cells
of the immune system.
The MacroGenT programme uses advanced gene delivery
techniques to introduce therapeutic genes to
macrophages, an important class of white blood
cells. Macrophages modified in this way have
properties which make them important candidates for
the treatment of diseases including cancer and auto-
immune diseases.
6 Worldwide web
This release is also available on the Worldwide Web
at http://www.oxfordbiomedica.co.uk
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