Immune-Onc Therapeutics Announces Partnership With University of Texas To Develop Novel Cancer Immunotherapy

PALO ALTO, Calif. & HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Immune-Onc Therapeutics, Inc. (“Immune-Onc”), a newly established biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing promising immuno-oncology therapeutics, announced today it has entered into an exclusive license and collaboration agreement with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (“UTHealth”) and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (“UTSW”), two member institutions of The University of Texas System (“UT System”).

“This is an important step in translating our therapeutic antibody from discovery to development”

Under the terms of the license agreement, Immune-Onc will acquire the exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize novel biotherapeutics with applications in cancer immunotherapy and other diseases. In addition, Immune-Onc has entered into a multi-year research collaboration with UTHealth and UTSW to discover and develop a new generation of biotherapeutics that modulate the immune system.

This collaboration will leverage the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (“CPRIT”) Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibody Lead Optimization and Development Core Facility at UTHealth to advance lead antibodies from academic laboratories, and will utilize the preclinical and clinical drug development expertise of Immune-Onc to move them to clinical trials and eventually to eligible patients.

"UTHealth is a comprehensive academic health center and a valuable resource for health care education, biomedical research, and patient care. UTSW is a world renowned academic medical center with a distinguished record of breakthrough scientific discoveries,” commented Dr. Charlene Liao, Chief Executive Officer of Immune-Onc. “Immune-Onc is very pleased to license innovative biotherapeutic candidates from UTHealth and UTSW. We are honored to initiate this collaboration with members of the UT System that has the potential to provide new treatment options for cancer patients in the near future.”

“This is an important step in translating our therapeutic antibody from discovery to development,” said Dr. Zhiqiang An, Professor of Molecular Medicine, the Robert A. Welch Distinguished University Chair in Chemistry, and Director of the Texas Therapeutics Institute (TTI) at the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine at UTHealth.

“Immune-Onc has assembled a strong team of drug development experts from leading biopharmaceutical companies,” commented Dr. Bruce D. Butler, Vice President, Research and Technology at UTHealth. “We look forward to collaborating with Immune-Onc to bring benefits to patients.”

About UTHealth

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) was established in 1972 as Houston’s health university. The most comprehensive academic health center in The UT System and the U.S. Gulf Coast region, UTHealth is home to the John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Medical School and schools of biomedical informatics, graduate biomedical sciences, dentistry, nursing and public health. UTHealth educates more health care professionals than any health-related institution in the State of Texas and features one of the nation’s largest medical schools and the highest ranked nursing graduate school in Texas. It also includes a psychiatric hospital and a growing network of clinics throughout the region. The university’s primary teaching hospitals include Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital and Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital. www.uth.edu

About UT Southwestern

UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty includes many distinguished members, including six who have been awarded Nobel Prizes since 1985. The faculty of almost 2,800 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide medical care in about 80 specialties to more than 100,000 hospitalized patients and oversee approximately 2.2 million outpatient visits a year. www.utsouthwestern.edu

About Immune-Onc Therapeutics, Inc.

Immune-Onc Therapeutics, Inc. (“Immune-Onc”) is a newly established biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative therapeutic antibodies for cancer treatment. The Company is applying the latest scientific insights and expertise in drug development to advance novel immuno-oncology products and bring new treatment options to cancer patients. The company was founded in 2016 with headquarters in Palo Alto, California. www.immune-onc.com