Immunocore Announces Start of Phase I ImmTAC Study in Patients with Solid Tumors  

Immunocore Limited recently announced it has dosed the first patient in a Phase I study, part of an ongoing collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The study, the first programme under Immunocore’s collaboration with GSK to proceed into clinical development, will assess the safety and tolerability of IMCnyeso, an ImmTAC molecule, in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), bladder cancer, melanoma and synovial sarcoma, positive for NY-ESO-1 and/or LAGE-1A. The start of the study has triggered an undisclosed milestone payment to Immunocore.

Under the terms of the collaboration entered into in 2013, Immunocore is responsible for all pre-clinical development and for the initial clinical trial in patients for each of the first two target programmes. Upon exercise of each programme option, GSK would be responsible for the remaining development and commercialisation activities for that target.

 “We are delighted that our world-leading science has delivered a second ImmTAC into the clinic. This is the first partnered programme to commence dosing in patients, representing a critical milestone in our collaboration. It puts this promising programme onto a clinical development path, which we hope will ultimately result in a new treatment option for patients with some of the most difficult-to-treat tumours,” said Joseph Dukes, Director and Head of Biology at Immunocore.

“At GSK, we are focussed on delivering transformational medicines for cancer patients and we are excited to investigate the scientific promise of ImmTAC technology. The start of this phase I study is another marker of success in our productive collaboration with Immunocore,” added James Smothers, Vice President and Head of Immuno-Oncology DPU at GSK.

 Immunocore, a leading T Cell Receptor (TCR) biotechnology company, is focused on delivering first-in-class biological therapies that have the potential to transform the lives of people with serious diseases. The Company’s primary therapeutic focus is oncology and it also has programs in infectious and autoimmune diseases. Immunocore has a pipeline of proprietary and partnered programs in development and the lead program, IMCgp100, has entered pivotal clinical studies as a treatment for patients with metastatic uveal melanoma. Collaboration partners include Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Lilly, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Immunocore is headquartered at Milton Park, Oxfordshire, UK, with an office outside Philadelphia, PA. The Company is privately held by a broad international investor base. For more information, visit www.immunocore.com.

Immunocore’s proprietary TCR (T Cell Receptor) technology generates a novel class of bi-specific biologics called ImmTAC (Immune mobilising monoclonal TCRs Against Cancer) molecules that enable the immune system to recognize and kill cancerous cells. ImmTAC molecules are based on synthetic, soluble TCRs engineered to recognize intracellular cancer antigens with ultra-high affinity and selectively kill cancer cells via an anti-CD3 immune-redirecting effector function. ImmTAC molecules can access up to nine-fold more target antigens than typical antibody-based approaches, including monoclonal antibodies. Based on the demonstrated mechanism of T cell infiltration into human tumours, the ImmTAC mechanism of action holds the potential to tackle solid “cold” low mutation rate tumours, the majority of tumours that do not adequately respond to currently available immunotherapies.