BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in targeted immunotherapy for advanced breast cancer is pleased to announce a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the National Cancer Institute (NCI, Center for Cancer Research), part of the National Institutes of Health, to develop novel off-the-shelf personalized therapeutics for cancer.  

Specifically, BriaCell and the National Cancer Institute will work together to conduct pre-clinical studies to develop and test Bria-OTS™, BriaCell’s off-the-shelf personalized immunotherapy, as a treatment for cancer to improve upon and broaden the applicability of this therapeutic approach. BriaCell and NCI will use their combined expertise in tumor immunology, molecular biology, and the development of cellular therapies to design preclinical studies that are intended to trigger the immunologic pathways necessary to create potent immune responses against cancer in mouse models. The goal of the collaboration is to develop novel therapeutics for future clinical collaborations, allowing cancer patients to potentially benefit from potent and personalized cancer immunotherapy in the future.

The NCI research will be led by Jay A. Berzofsky, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research. As Chief, Dr. Berzofsky oversees the NCI Vaccine Branch’s basic, translational, and clinical research in cancer and retroviral vaccines and immunotherapy.

Bria-OTS™ involves a simple saliva test to determine the HLA-type of individual patients with breast cancer who are being evaluated for possible treatment with this novel therapy. BriaCell foresees engineering only 15 unique HLA-types (molecules), collectively referred to as Bria-OTS™, to allow sufficient HLA coverage to be able to treat >99% of the population. BriaCell then anticipates treating each patient with the appropriate pre-manufactured Bria-OTS™ formulation based on the particular patient’s HLA-type, depending on the outcome of the proposed preclinical studies.

About BriaCell

BriaCell is an immuno-oncology focused biotechnology company developing targeted and effective approaches for the management of cancer.

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