Last checked at 
* MedImmune unit in drug development deal with UK biotech
* Immunocore gets $20 mln upfront per programme
* May get further $300 mln per programme, plus royalties
By Ben Hirschler
LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca has raised itsbet on new treatments that harness the body's immune system tofight cancer by striking a drug development deal with privateBritish biotech company Immunocore.
Bristol-Myers Squibb, Roche and Merck & Co lead the field with such immunotherapies, which analystsbelieve may extend patients' lives significantly and generatetens of billions of dollars in annual sales.
But AstraZeneca, which has a long history in cancermedicine, believes its broad portfolio of experimental drugs,ranging from traditional pills to injectable biotech products,puts it in a strong position to develop combination therapies.
Such drug "cocktails" are expected to be crucial asoncologists seek to block cancer on multiple fronts.
AstraZeneca Chief Executive Pascal Soriot is targettingoncology as he seeks to rebuild the group's depleted pipeline ofnew medicines.
Cancer is a hot area for research at many pharmaceuticalcompanies, thanks to recent advances in science, but someanalysts are starting to voice concerns about overcrowding.
The deal with Immunocore, announced by AstraZeneca'sMedImmune unit on Wednesday, adds a technology known as ImmuneMobilising Monoclonal T-Cell Receptor Against Cancer, or ImmTAC.
Bahija Jallal, head of MedImmune, said the potential ofImmTAC-based drugs to exploit the power of the body's immunesystem to find and kill diseased cells meant they had promise ina range of cancer types.
MedImmune will pay Immunocore $20 million upfront for eachprogramme it takes on and the biotech firm will then be eligiblefor up to $300 million in development and commercial milestonepayments for each target programme, plus royalties on anyeventual sales.
The deal is a further vindication of the technologydeveloped by Oxford-based Immunocore, which has already signedresearch and licencing agreements with Roche and GlaxoSmithKline.
For AstraZeneca, the new agreement is the latest in a stringof early-stage tie-ups with biotech companies in the cancerfield.
Already this month it has struck deals to take overProbiodrug of Germany's cyclin-dependent kinase 9 developmentprogramme and reached a new deal with Horizon Discovery to findnovel cancer drug targets.
