Neon Therapeutics Enters Collaborative Research Agreement With The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NCI)

Collaboration will Accelerate Neoantigen-based Personalized T Cell Therapy Program

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Neon Therapeutics, an immuno-oncology company developing neoantigen-based therapeutic vaccines and T cell therapies to treat cancer, today announced that the company has entered into a collaborative research agreement with the Netherlands Cancer Institute’s (NKI) Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital and the Amsterdam Biotherapeutics Unit. Under the terms of the agreement, Neon Therapeutics and NKI will combine complementary capabilities to develop personalized T cell therapeutics.

“Neon Therapeutics is proud to join forces with the Netherlands Cancer Institute, an internationally renowned research and clinical institution”

The work will leverage the research by John Haanen, M.D., Ph.D., professor and head of the Medical Oncology Division at NKI, and Neon co-founder Ton Schumacher, Ph.D., professor and senior member of the Department of Immunology and deputy director of NKI. Drs. Haanen and Schumacher have focused their research interests on the development and evaluation of adoptive T cell cancer therapies, and the role of neoantigens in the anti-tumor immune response. Building on this expertise, the project aims to generate neoantigen-specific T cells for the personalized treatment of cancer.

“We are excited to collaborate with Neon Therapeutics to develop personalized cell therapies for cancer patients,” said Dr. Haanen. “Together we look forward to developing a process that could potentially lead to manufacturing of these neoantigen T cell products in our GMP facilities, and leveraging our world-leading clinical resources for clinical development.”

“Neon Therapeutics is proud to join forces with the Netherlands Cancer Institute, an internationally renowned research and clinical institution,” said Cary Pfeffer, M.D., interim chief executive officer of Neon Therapeutics. “Collaborative research with this esteemed institute will enable accelerated development of our personalized T cell program, which we believe may become an important new class of cancer immunotherapies by leveraging neoantigens as optimal immune targets.”

About Neon Therapeutics

Neon Therapeutics is an immuno-oncology company focused on developing novel therapeutics leveraging neoantigen biology to treat cancer. A neoantigen-based product engine will allow Neon to develop further treatment modalities including next-generation vaccines and T cell therapies targeting both personalized as well as shared neoantigens. Neon Therapeutics’ lead program is a personalized neoantigen vaccine that builds upon years of research and development at the Broad Institute and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and is already in multiple clinical trials. For more information, please visit www.neontherapeutics.com.

About the Netherlands Cancer Institute

The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) was established on October 10, 1913. It has been at the international forefront of cancer care and research ever since. The unique combination of health care and scientific research within the same institute offers great benefit for cancer patients. Today, the Netherlands Cancer Institute accommodates approximately 650 scientists and scientific support personnel. The NKI’s cancer clinic, the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, has 185 medical specialists, 220 beds, an out-patient clinic that receives 27,000 patients each year, 12 operating theaters and 11 radiotherapy units. It is the only dedicated cancer center in The Netherlands and maintains an important role as a national and international center of scientific and clinical expertise, development and training. For more information, please visit www.nki.nl.