CCAB and Triumvira Immunologics Announce Triumvira's License Agreement with University of Toronto for the Discovery of Antibody Drug Development Candidates

AUSTIN, Texas and HAMILTON, Ontario and TORONTO, Sept. 10, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Centre for the Commercialization of Antibodies and Biologics (CCAB) and Triumvira Immunologics, Inc. (Triumvira), announced today a new licensing agreement between the University of Toronto (U of T) and Triumvira. The agreement provides Triumvira with an exclusive license for antibodies discovered at the U of T on specified therapeutic targets. Triumvira is a privately held biopharmaceutical company with R&D facilities in Hamilton, ON, that is developing a novel platform for engineering T cells to attack multiple cancer types.

CCAB is the assigned agent for the U of T for the commercialization of a large portfolio of human antibodies. Under the terms of the agreement, U of T will receive up-front fees, milestone payments and royalty payments on net sales of products on three therapeutic targets: BCMA, ROR1 and one undisclosed target.

 "We are very pleased to be working with The Centre for the Commercialization of Antibodies and Biologics and the University of Toronto under this new licencing agreement," said Paul Lammers, MD, MSc, President and Chief Executive Officer of Triumvira. "This partnership is critical as we work to bring new treatments to patients in need through our proprietary T Cell-Antigen Coupler (TAC) technology." 

Triumvira's lead therapeutic candidate, CD19-TAC01, is a CD19-directed T cell product for the treatment of B cell malignancies and is anticipated to enter Phase I clinical trials in H1 2019 in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The company is also developing a series of products for solid tumors.

"Collaboration is a vital part in the development of new therapeutics. These types of agreements continue to strengthen the connection between academia and industry and help to translate the wealth of scientific knowledge from the laboratories at our world-class universities to the clinic," CCAB Chief Executive Officer Robert Verhagen said.

About CCAB
The Centre for the Commercialization of Antibodies and Biologics (CCAB) is a national Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research located in Toronto, Canada. CCAB supports innovators and emerging life sciences companies through its expertise in product and business development to advance therapeutic candidates and technologies that will form the basis for company growth and sustainability. Visit CCAB's website to learn more: ccabcanada.com.

About Triumvira Immunologics
Triumvira Immunologics, Inc. is an immunotherapy company co-founded in 2015 by Dr. Jonathan Bramson at McMaster University and Bloom Burton & Co., a niche life-sciences investment bank, with the vision of developing novel T cell therapies that are safer and more efficacious than current cell therapy cancer treatments, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and engineered T cell receptor (TCR) therapies. Our proprietary T cell Antigen Coupler (TAC) technology recruits the entire natural T cell receptor and is independent of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), allowing for the development of better therapies for a broader range of patients with either solid or liquid malignancies and with diseases other than cancer. With operations spanning North America, our corporate offices are located in Austin, Texas, and our research facilities are in Hamilton, Ontario. For more information, visit www.triumvira.com or send email inquiries to [email protected].

CCAB Contact:
Karen Ramlall
Communications Manager
+1 (416) 951 4663
[email protected]

Triumvira Contact:
LaVoieHealthScience
Katie Gallagher
Phone: +1 (617) 374 8800 Ext. 109
[email protected]