NEC acquires OncoImmunity AS to strengthen AI-driven immunotherapy pipeline

NEC Corporation, a Japanese information technology (IT) services and products provider, has acquired Norwegian bioinformatics company OncoImmunity AS, enhancing its resources and capabilities that support the development of its individualized immunotherapy pipelines.

OncoImmunity AS will now become a subsidiary of NEC and operate under the name of NEC OncoImmunity AS.

Commenting on the acquisition, Osamu Fujikawa – senior vice president of NEC Corporation said: “OncoImmunity AS is a recognized player in the neoantigen prediction field, and their compelling systems are expected to form valuable synergies with NEC.

“We are confident that this acceleration of development will provide promising new avenues that lead to better cancer treatments.”

In May 2019, NEC announced its business strategy surrounding its Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery business.

NEC strengthens its AI-driven immunotherapy pipeline through OncoImmunity AS. Photo courtesy of KW at Japanese Wikipedia.

NEC and OncoImmunity AS aim at improving individualized cancer treatments through AI, which is expected to enable every patient to receive the most appropriate medication.

Dr. Richard Stratford – OncoImmunity AS CEO and co-founder said: “The OncoImmunity AS team are delighted to be joining the NEC Group and firmly believe that the union will realize great synergies, marrying the mutual strengths of OncoImmunity AS’s and NEC’s neoantigen prediction pipelines with NEC’s expertise in AI, data management and security.

“These synergies will help strengthen NEC’s individualized immunotherapy programs, whilst simultaneously positioning NEC OncoImmunity AS as the leading neoantigen prediction service provider in the field.”

NEC said it will maintain its focus on drug discovery, while NEC OncoImmunity AS continues its neoantigen prediction services.

Founded in 2014, OncoImmunity AS is a developer of proprietary machine-learning software solutions that facilitate the selection of patients for cancer immunotherapy, and identify optimal neoantigen targets for truly personalized cancer vaccines and cell therapies in a clinically actionable time frame.