Last checked at 6 Mar 2023 07:00
6th March 2023
ImmuPharma PLC
("ImmuPharma" or the "Company")
Collaboration with Orano on ImmuPharma's peptide technology as a vector for cancer radiotherapy
ImmuPharma PLC (LSE:IMM), the specialist drug discovery and development company, is delighted to announce that it has signed an initial collaboration agreement on the Company's peptide technology, with Orano SA ("Orano"), a leading international corporation and a key player in the nuclear energy sector.
Key points:
· Orano has paid a small undisclosed amount to ImmuPharma for a 12-month collaboration to identify suitable radiotherapy candidates for the treatment of cancer.
· ImmuPharma has agreed to provide its peptide technology, to explore the potential to allow delivery of a potent radioactive isotope to the core of a cancer cell.
· Our team based in Bordeaux, (ImmuPharma Biotech), in conjunction with Orano and the Cancer Research Centre of Lyon (CRCL), will work together to identify molecules that can carry the radioactive entity.
· Any potential new cancer therapeutic using ImmuPharma's peptide technology, discovered as part of the collaboration will be subject to a full licensing agreement between ImmuPharma and Orano in preparation for further development by Orano.
· The therapeutic goal is to use ImmuPharma's peptide technology to deliver a radioactive bullet to the nucleus of cancer cells, killing the cell with minimal impact on surrounding tissue.
· The radiopharmaceuticals market is expected to achieve global sales *€8.5bn by 2031. The combination of ImmuPharma's peptide technology and a powerful radioactive bullet is an exciting new approach with significant commercial potential.
Further details of this development program will be communicated over the next 12 months.
*Source: Transparency Market Research, November 2022.
Commenting on the announcement, Tim McCarthy, CEO of ImmuPharma, said:
"We are delighted to have signed this agreement with Orano. It is the ideal program for our peptide asset given its ability to enter the nucleus of cancer cells. The combination of our peptide as a nuclear targeting vector, combined with the short-range destructive qualities of Orano's radioactive bullet makes this a logical collaboration for both companies. Furthermore, we potentially create a new product life cycle for our peptide. We look forward to working with Orano and the Cancer Research Centre of Lyon over the next 12 months."
Commenting on the announcement, Guillaume Dureau, Orano's Director of Research & Development and Innovation said:
"For Orano, it is a real opportunity to evaluate the potential of a highly promising compound, combining one of our new radioisotopes with a promising peptide previously developed by Immupharma. This will enable us to expand and strengthen our pipeline of innovative radiopharmaceuticals."
This announcement contains inside information as stipulated under the UK version of the Market Abuse Regulation no 596/2014 which is part of English law by virtue of the European (withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended. On publication of this announcement via a regulatory information service, this information is considered to be in the public domain.
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Notes to Editors
About ImmuPharma PLC
ImmuPharma PLC (LSE AIM: IMM) is a specialty biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops peptide-based therapeutics. The Company's portfolio includes novel peptide therapeutics for autoimmune diseases and anti-infectives. The lead program, P140 (Lupuzor™), is a first-in class autophagy immunomodulator for the treatment of Lupus and preclinical analysis suggest therapeutic activity for many other autoimmune diseases that share the same autophagy mechanism of action.
For additional information about ImmuPharma please visit www.immupharma.co.uk
About Orano
As a recognized international operator in the field of nuclear materials, Orano delivers solutions to address present and future global energy and health challenges. Its expertise and mastery of cutting-edge technologies enable Orano to offer its customers high value-added products and services throughout the entire fuel cycle. Every day, the Orano group's 17,000 employees draw on their skills, unwavering dedication to safety and constant quest for innovation, with the commitment to develop know-how in the transformation and control of nuclear materials, for the climate and for a healthy and resource-efficient world, now and tomorrow.
Orano, giving nuclear energy its full value. Orano looks continuously at opportunities to value material derived from its core nuclear energy activities in a sustainable approach. Nuclear medicine therapy is one of the currently explored strand realized with the production of lead-212 (a rare radioisotope used for targeted alpha therapy) and clinical studies underway. Orano aims to further strengthen its development in the medical field and complete its pipeline with new promising radioisotopes.
Further information can be found at: www.orano.group
About Cancer Research Center of Lyon
The Cancer Research Centre of Lyon (CRCL, UMR Inserm 1052 - CNRS 5286 - Centre Léon Bérard) is a research structure affiliated with the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, the national health and research bodies (Inserm and CNRS), the Léon Bérard Comprehensive Cancer Centre (CLB) and with the Lyon University Hospitals (HCL) as clinical partners. The CRCL was officially created in January 2011 and its contract was recently renewed for the 2020-2026 period. It comprises 24 teams, totalling about 600 members, including 150 researchers and lecturers. The CRCL aims at increasing its international visibility and the attractiveness of the Lyon cancer research cluster, at facilitating the transfer of knowledge from fundamental cancer research to clinical applications in oncology, and at developing teaching and training in oncology.
Further information can be found at: www.crcl.fr
ImmuPharma's LEI (Legal Entity Identifier) code : 213800VZKGHXC7VUS895.