Date: 2012-11-05
Type of information: Grant
Company: Immunocore (UK)
Investors: Biomedical Catalyst Fund (UK)
Amount: £2.4 million (€ 3 million)
Funding type: grant
Planned used: The grant will be used to take forward the clinical development of a new targeted therapy for the treatment of prostate canceImmunocore has developed a new class of biologic drug which recognise changes within cells so can be used to treat diseases – such as prostate cancer – that are not currently amenable to targeted biological therapies. Immunocore’s project will develop a drug suitable for use in prostate cancer and will culminate in testing the safety and efficacy of this targeted therapy in patients with the disease. The company has developed a platform of bi-specific biologics that it calls ImmTACs (Immune mobilising mTCR against cancer). ImmTACs couple the unique ability of the T Cell Receptor (TCR) to target cells based on the expression of any disease specific protein targets, even those that are intracellular where other targeted therapies such as antibodies cannot reach. Once targeted to a cancer cell ImmTACs deploy the most potent anti-cancer function yet described – T cell direction – which brings the entire weight of the immune system to bear against the disease. This potency, coupled with the unique targeting capability afforded by the use of the TCR, allows ImmTACs to be used to treat a wide range of cancers including those that are not well served by current antibody-based therapeutics such as prostate cancer.
Others: Immunocore has been awarded a grant totalling £2.4 million from the government-backed Biomedical Catalyst fund.The award was announced by Technology Strategy Board and is one of 32 projects awarded funding totalling £39 million.These are the first substantial awards made from the £ 180 million Biomedical Catalyst programme managed by the Technology Strategy Board and the Medical Research Council.
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
