ImaginAb Announces Collaboration with Merck for CD8 T cell I/O Imaging Agent

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ImaginAb Inc., an emerging immuno-oncology imaging company, today announced that it has entered into a multi-year, non-exclusive licensing collaboration with Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada.  Under the terms of the agreement, Merck will purchase ImaginAb's novel minibody CD8 T Cell imaging agent for use in immuno-oncology clinical trials for multiple types of cancers.  In addition, Merck is making an equity investment in ImaginAb's Series B round of financing.

ImaginAb's CD8+ T Cell imaging agent is designed to be used with PET scan technology to non-invasively determine changes in CD8+ T cell tumor infiltrates induced by immunotherapy treatments.  This investigational approach has the potential to guide the development of immuno-modulatory agents and combinations by assessing whether a patient's immune system responds to such agents, thereby offering an early prediction of therapeutic response.

"We are thrilled to announce this collaboration with Merck, one of the foremost global leaders in immuno-oncology. We believe that our platform offers the potential to accelerate clinical development of next generation immunotherapeutics and combination therapies for patients suffering from different types of cancer," said Martyn Coombs, CEO of ImaginAb.  "Additionally, we are very pleased that Merck is making an equity investment in ImaginAb as we continue to scale our manufacturing and distribution capabilities."

About ImaginAb

ImaginAb Inc. is an immuno-oncology company focused on providing actionable insight into patient selection and treatment progress for cancer immunotherapy, enabling precision medicine. ImaginAb engineers antibody fragments called minibodies that maintain the exquisite specificity of full-length antibodies while remaining inert in the body. Used with widely available PET scan technology, these novel minibodies illuminate high-value molecular targets, providing physicians with a whole-body picture of immune activity. ImaginAb is also advancing a best-in-class imaging agent to improve prostate cancer management and patient outcomes, as well as developing a pipeline for other targets in oncology. ImaginAb's products have the potential to improve patient care and lower healthcare costs.

For more information about ImaginAb's pipeline and technology, visit www.imaginab.com.

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SOURCE ImaginAb, Inc.