MedImmune signs licensing deal with Burnham to develop cancer therapies

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, Dec. 8 - MedImmune, Inc. announced Thursday that it has entered into a licensing agreement with the Burnham Institute for Medical Research to develop new cancer therapies with peptides targeting the EphA and EphB subfamilies of receptor tyrosine kinases.

This agreement further expands MedImmune's focus on Eph proteins as potential targets for new cancer treatments, officials said in a company news release.

Certain Eph proteins are believed to play an important role in uncontrolled tumor growth and metastasis in many types of human cancers.

Under the terms of the agreement, MedImmune will be responsible for the clinical development and commercialization of any resulting products. The Burnham Institute will receive an upfront fee, development and regulatory milestone payments, as well as royalties on any future marketed products, officials said.

"The addition of these peptides to our portfolio represents another step that MedImmune has taken to strategically enhance our oncology product pipeline," Peter A. Kiener, MedImmune's senior vice president of research, said in the release.

The Eph family of proteins is the largest subfamily of receptor tyrosine kinases, a class of cellular receptors that are implicated in cell proliferation and cell death (apoptosis). A growing body of evidence suggests that Eph proteins play a role in uncontrolled tumor growth and metastasis in many types of human cancers.

MedImmune said it is investigating the potential for EphA2 antibodies and vaccines to specifically treat or prevent certain cancers and plans to file an Investigational New Drug Application for its anti-EphA2 monoclonal antibody, MEDI-531, in 2006.

Earlier this year, the company said it expanded the scope of its Eph receptor tyrosine kinase research by entering a licensing and collaboration agreement with VasGene Therapeutics Inc. to develop cancer-focused monoclonal antibodies targeting EphB4 and its ligand, EphrinB2.

The company said it also is conducting preclinical research with other Eph proteins, including EphA4.

The Burnham Institute is an independent not-for-profit biomedical research institution in San Diego.

MedImmune is a Gaithersburg, Md., biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for infectious diseases, cancer and inflammatory diseases.

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