As per the agreement, Elicera Therapeutics will make parts of its proprietary technology iTANK available to a medical oncologist and researcher at the US Cancer Center whose investigation focuses on the development of novel immunotherapies. Within the scope of the agreement, the iTANK-platform will be used to arm a novel CD4-directed T-cell receptor therapy (TCR-T), which will be evaluated in preclinical proof-of-concept studies targeting melanoma and lung cancer.

The studies, which will be funded and conducted by the US Cancer Center, will evaluate the therapy's effect on tumor growth and activation of other immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. The research findings will be published by responsible researcher, and Elicera Therapeutics has the right to utilize the data in its internal project development as well as commercialization activities, including licensing agreements.

"We are excited to enter this collaboration with this well-established US Cancer Center, to be named upon publication of the research results. A collaboration with an academic partner of such prominence not only provides an increased scientific understanding but also puts Elicera on the map in an ecosystem that includes thought leaders in clinical cell and gene therapy. Importantly, the collaboration will give us key insights into the potential of broader applicability of the iTANK-platform, as it will be investigated for arming a T-cell receptor therapy, an important complement to previous studies arming studies performed exclusively in CAR T-cells," says Jamal El-Mosleh, CEO of Elicera Therapeutics.