BriaCell Therapeutics gets license for anti-cancer agent sCD80 from UMBC

BriaCell Therapeutics has signed an exclusive licensing deal with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) to develop and commercialize Soluble CD80 (sCD80) as a biologic agent for cancer treatment.

sCD80 was developed originally by Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg from the Emeritus Faculty at UMBC.

According to BriaCell Therapeutics, sCD80 was well-tolerated in animal models, and by potentially reinstating natural anti-tumor immunity had stopped the growth of tumor.

In addition to that, sCD80’s strong anti-tumor activity is said to have been observed in various types of tumor.

BriaCell Therapeutics said that the unique actions of sCD80 as shown in the same studies could involve awakening and improving the immune system to identify and kill tumor cells.

As per the terms of the deal, the immuno-oncology-focused biotech company gets the worldwide rights to develop and commercialize the anti-cancer agent, while UMBC will retain patent ownership.

BriaCell Therapeutics will pay UMBC royalties after the commercialization of the product along with costs for patent management.

Dr. Bill Williams — BriaCell Therapeutics President and CEO said: “Our mission has been to develop safe and effective treatments for cancer patients who do not respond to existing treatments, and a transformational anti-cancer agent such as sCD80 may provide us with such an additional opportunity.

“Based on the promising data in animal studies, we plan to explore the potential use of sCD80 technology as a therapeutic agent in combination with our other immunotherapies or on its own. We look forward to accelerating the development of this novel anti-cancer agent to bring hope to patients who need it the most.”