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news.Scancell Holdings, a developer of therapeutic cancer vaccines, has signed a worldwide non-exclusive licensing agreement with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services, for use of the melanoma antigens TRP-2 and gp100.
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TRP-2 and gp100 are the key components of Scancell’s lead ImmunoBody vaccine for melanoma, SCIB1.
As per the agreement, Scancell has agreed to pay the US Public Health Service an undisclosed upfront fee in addition to certain milestone fees and a royalty on future sales of SCIB1.
Additionally, Scancell is expected to have the right to develop and commercialise its ImmunoBody vaccines for the treatment of melanoma in humans incorporating epitopes from these targets.
Scancell said that ImmunoBody vaccines generate the high-avidity T-cells that kill cancer cells, which may overcome the current limitations of most cancer vaccines. Scancell is expected to commence its Phase I clinical trials for SCIB1 in Q2 2010.
David Evans, chairman of Scancell, said: “This agreement strengthens Scancell’s IP position around SCIB1 and enables the company to move forward towards its proposed clinical trials of the melanoma vaccine.”