The structure of cancer research can be complex,even as the disease itself is.As a case in point,consider that MedImmune,the biotech division of British pharmaceutical titan AstraZeneca,has agreed to contribute three of its monoclonal antibodies to a research effort of the Cancer Vaccine Collaborative,or CVC.The CVC is in turn a project sponsored by a philanthropic organisation called the Cancer Research Institute and also by the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.The CVC is a network of clinical immunologists and oncologists with expertise in immunotherapy programs.
MedImmune's three antibodies will be incorporated into the CVC's portfolio of cutting edge clinical research and development,which utilises the expertise of its global network of clinicians and scientists to identify new immunotherapy combinations and launch clinical trials that help to bring the new treatments to cancer patients faster.
MedImmune's antibodies will be combined with other primary agents available to the CVC or accessed through additional partnerships to develop a more powerful generation of smarter immunotherapy drugs to better manage cancer patients' disease over the long term.Such combinations enable scientists to attack a particular cancer on multiple fronts,increasing the effectiveness of immune system response to cancer.
A monoclonal antibody is a protein produced from a single cell clone that can bind to substances such as tumor cells or other proteins,thus stimulating a person's immune system,modifying its regulatory checkpoints to make it more effective in responding to cancer.MedImmune intends to continue its research on these antibodies on an individual basis while the CVC combination studies proceed.
No financial terms of the joint effort with the CVC were revealed.
MedImmune employs about 3500 people worldwide.Its headquarters are in Gaithersburg,Maryland.
AstraZeneca(AZN)
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