BriaCell Secures License for Promising Novel Anti-Cancer Agent


BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. recently announced it has secured an exclusive license from University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) to develop and commercialize Soluble CD80 (sCD80) as a biologic agent for the treatment of cancer.

The novel technology, originally developed by Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg, PhD, Emeritus Faculty at UMBC, and member of BriaCell’s scientific advisory board, is titled Soluble CD80 as a Therapeutic to Reverse Immune Suppression in Cancer Patients and covered under USPN 8,956,619 B2, USPN 9,650,429 B2, and USPN 10,377,810 B2. In animal models, sCD80 was well-tolerated and stopped tumor growth by potentially restoring natural anti-tumor immunity (see Lucas A Horn, et al. and Samuel T Haile et al. in collaboration with Dr. Ostrand-Rosenberg). Additionally, strong anti-tumor activity of sCD80 has been reported in multiple tumor types (see Lucas A Horn, et al.). Importantly, as demonstrated in the same studies, sCD80’s unique actions may involve both awakening and boosting the immune system to recognize and destroy tumor cells.

Under the terms of the agreement, BriaCell gains the worldwide rights to develop and commercialize sCD80, while UMBC maintains ownership of the patents. BriaCell will pay royalties to UMBC upon the commercialization of the product plus patent management costs. The licensing agreement was coordinated by UMBC’s Office of Technology Development.

“Our mission has been to develop safe and effective treatments for cancer patients who do not respond to existing treatments, and a transformational anti-cancer agent such as sCD80 may provide us with such an additional opportunity,” said Dr. Bill Williams, BriaCell’s President and CEO. “Based on the promising data in animal studies, we plan to explore the potential use of sCD80 technology as a therapeutic agent in combination with our other immunotherapies or on its own. We look forward to accelerating the development of this novel anti-cancer agent to bring hope to patients who need it the most.”

BriaCell is an immuno-oncology-focused biotechnology company developing targeted and effective approaches for the management of cancer. For more information, visit https://briacell.com/.