ImmunoPrecise subsidiary Talem enters into JV with biopharma company AgonOx

ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd (CVE:IPA) (OTCMKTS:IPATF) subsidiary Talem Therapeutics has entered into a joint venture with a clinical-stage biopharma company to develop therapies that use the body’s immune system to fight cancer, the company announced Tuesday.

Talem, which is developing antibody therapeutics to target T cell-mediated anti-tumor activity, is teaming with AgonOx, which specializes in identifying and developing immuno-oncology therapeutics.

AgonOx’s approach to target discovery begins with genomic and proteomic analyses of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes isolated from human tumor biopsies, and candidates are further validated in the laboratory by utilizing an array of in-vitro and in-vivo systems, according to a statement. 

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ImmunoPrecise, based in Victoria, British Columbia, said the partnership with Talem will address targets involved in T cell-mediated anti-cancer activity, with therapeutics that in preliminary in vivo-validated animal models of established tumors have demonstrated significant tumor reduction.

The partnership will advance two of AgonOx’s top 10 candidates to emerge from its translational science platform focused on modulation of the tumor microenvironment and, if commercialized, may result in about $720 million in licensing fees as well as development and commercial milestones in addition to royalties on worldwide sales, the company said. 

“Collaborating with Talem strengthens our efforts to develop immuno-oncology drug candidates by leveraging IPA’s ability to address challenging targets, with the deep mining of the immune repertoire in a species agnostic manner,” said Andrew Weinberg, president of AgonOx. “ImmunoPrecise has first-rate scientists that we hope to work with for years to come.” 

Talem will leverage the internal development capabilities of ImmunoPrecise, including high throughput, rapid identification of candidates through single-cell interrogation, as well as accessing synthetic and natural immune phage libraries, and its bispecific platform, AbthenaTM.

ImmunoPrecise said both companies will aid in the functional analyses of the candidates, while AgonOx will also pull from its experience in pre-clinical and clinical development built partly on its access to physicians and relevant samples through their alignment with the Earl A. Chiles Research Institute at the Providence Cancer Institute in Portland, Oregon. 

“We see significant advantages from Talem and AgonOx leadership sharing knowledge across antibody discovery, development, pre-clinical and clinical trials,” said ImmunoPrecise CEO Jennifer Bath. “This partnership will enhance the companies’ pipelines of novel, monoclonal antibodies that could transform the standard of care for patients with advanced cancers.” 

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