Dive Brief:
- Eli Lilly and Immunocore have initiated a collaborative partnership to discover and develop T cell-based cancer therapies.
- The development team will be using Immunocore’s cancer immunotherapy technology, known as Immune Mobilizing Monoclonal T-cell Receptor Against Cancer (ImmTAC).
- Immunocore will receive $15 million up front for each candidate discovered, and another $10 million if Lilly accepts a preclinical candidate package.
Dive Insight:
Immunocore’s technology is designed to direct patients’ T-cells against targeted cancer cells, while avoiding healthy cells. This is yet another immunotherapy technology that has recently entered the oncology R&D arena and is rapidly gaining momentum. The leading ImmTAC candidate is IMCsp100, which is in clinical trials for treatment of melanoma.
In addition to Lilly, three other companies are also collaborating with Immunocore, including Genentech, GSK and AstraZeneca.