Champions Biotechnology anticipates that the collaboration will result in a new, near term option for the growing number of physicians that are taking advantage of the Company’s Personalized Oncology services and a significant opportunity for the Company in any future commercialization of the technology.
ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Champions Biotechnology, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: CSBR), a company engaged in the development of advanced preclinical platforms and tumor specific data to enhance the value of oncology drugs, has established a collaboration with Gradalis Inc. and Mary Crowley Cancer Research Center (MCCRC). The team will seek an Investigational New Drug (IND) permission from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to utilize Champions Biotechnology’s Biomerk Tumorgraft™ technology to develop personalized vaccines for cancer patients. Each vaccine is engineered to treat the patient’s specific cancer because it is developed from the patient’s own tumor.
“The close correlation between Biomerk Tumorgrafts™ and the human tumor they are derived from provide the basis for our predictive preclinical platform. This technology also enables us, in collaboration with Gradalis, to develop personalized vaccines for cancer patients,” said Doug Burkett, Ph.D., President of Champions Biotechnology, Inc. “Personalized vaccines offer a novel treatment option that is customized to each individual’s unique cancer but can rarely be produced due to insufficient cells from accessible tumor tissue. We are pleased to enter into this agreement with Gradalis and MCCRC that leverages the value of our unique platform.”
Under the terms of the agreement Gradalis Inc. will work toward the IND that is required to begin administering the individualized vaccine to patients at MCCRC in a Phase I clinical trial. Champions Biotechnology anticipates that the collaboration will result in a new, near term option for the growing number of physicians that are taking advantage of the Company’s Personalized Oncology services and a significant opportunity for the Company in any future commercialization of the technology.
For more information regarding Champions Biotechnology’s growing business and recent news, please visit www.championsbiotechnology.com.
About MCCRC
The Mary Crowley Cancer Research Center is a national leader in cancer research with a clearly defined program and commitment to excellence to dramatically alter strategies of cancer treatment. MCCRC’s mission is to pioneer personalized options for all cancer patients through gene-targeted therapies, cell based therapies, and vaccines.
Mary Crowley is dedicated to achieving a paradigm shift in cancer care, in which personalized molecular medicine will ultimately transform the way patients are treated. Mary Crowley, through research focus and a patient-centric care model, has implemented over 140 FDA approved clinical trials, with more than 300 investigational agents, resulting in hundreds of peer-reviewed publications. Thousands of patients have participated in investigational studies at Mary Crowley.
About Gradalis Inc.
Gradalis is a vertically integrated biotechnology company committed to developing core technologies and delivering therapeutics that offer safer and more effective treatments for cancer, muscular dystrophy and other critical illnesses. From the discovery and research phase to development and commercialization, Gradalis is accelerating a pipeline of breakthrough therapies that will transform the lives of the patients who need them.
About Champions Biotechnology, Inc.
Champions Biotechnology, Inc. is engaged in the development of advanced preclinical platforms and tumor specific data to enhance and accelerate the value of oncology drugs. The Company’s Preclinical Platform is a novel approach based upon the implantation of primary human tumors in immune deficient mice followed by propagation of the resulting engraftments (Biomerk Tumorgrafts™) in a manner that preserves the biological characteristics of the original human tumor. Early studies suggest that unlike traditional xenografts, these Tumorgrafts closely reflect human cancer biology and their response to drugs is predictive of clinical outcomes in cancer patients.
Champions Biotechnology leverages its preclinical platform to evaluate drug candidates and to develop a portfolio of novel therapeutic candidates through pre-clinical trials. As drugs progress through this early stage of development, the Company plans to sell, partner or license them to pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology companies, as appropriate. The Company also offers its predictive preclinical platform and tumor specific data to physicians for personalized patient care and to Companies for evaluation of oncology drugs in models that integrate prognostic testing with biomarker discovery.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995) that inherently involve risk and uncertainties. Champions Biotechnology generally uses words such as "believe,may,could,will," "intend,expect,anticipate,plan," and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. One should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements for many unforeseen factors. See Champions Biotechnology's Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2008 for a discussion of such risks, uncertainties and other factors. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, they relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made, and Champions Biotechnology's future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements, including but not limited to obtaining the IND referenced above or any resulting opportunities, may not meet these expectations. The Company does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in Champions Biotechnology's expectations, except as required by law.
CHAMPIONS BIOTECHNOLOGY, INC. WEB SITE: www.championsbiotechnology.com
