Advertise With UsAdvertise on our extensive network of industry websites and newsletters.
Get the PBR newsletterSign up to our free email to get all the latest PBR
news.AstraZeneca's biologics research and development arm MedImmune has entered into collaboration with US-based biopharmaceutical firm Juno Therapeutics to conduct combination clinical trials in immuno-oncology.
Subscribe to our email newsletter
The trials will be carried out with one of Juno’s investigational CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell candidates and MedImmune’s investigational programed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) immune checkpoint inhibitor, MEDI4736.
As part of the initial development plan, the two firms will explore the safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy of the combination therapy as a potential treatment for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
MedImmune senior vice-president and head of the Oncology Innovative Medicines unit Dr Ed Bradley said: "The combination of Juno’s CAR T cell candidate with MEDI4736 adds to our broad program of immuno-oncology combination trials, addressing multiple immune pathways and working with industry-leading partners to explore the significant potential of immunotherapies in transforming treatments for cancer."
The deal will see both the firms jointly co-fund the initial Phase Ib trial, which is expected to begin later in 2015.
The trial is designed to explore the combination of MEDI4736 with a next-generation, Juno-developed fully human CD19-directed CAR T cell candidate.
Juno Therapeutics executive vice-president Research & Development Mark Frohlich said: "We believe combination strategies such as this will help us better understand the full potential of our engineered T cell platform in both hematological and solid tumor settings."