Back to Pressroom

Baltimore, MD | Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Champions Biotechnology, Inc. Signs Exclusive Licensing Agreement with Ramot for TAR-1, a Novel Therapeutic for the Treatment of Cancer

Oct 24 2011 11:00 AM

Champions Biotechnology Building Tumorgraft-Driven Oncology Drug Pipeline

Champions Biotechnology, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: CSBR), an oncology drug development company with a predictive preclinical platform aimed at accelerating the development and enhancing the value of oncology drugs, has established an exclusive licensing agreement with Ramot at Tel Aviv University Ltd., Tel Aviv University’s wholly owned technology transfer company. The licensing agreement encompasses the development and commercialization of TAR-1, a single-chain antibody fragment in preclinical development that may have an advantage in treating cancer patients because of its high specificity and affinity to binding mutant p53 protein.

Under the terms of the agreement, Champions has obtained the worldwide rights to TAR-1 and is responsible for the further development of the compound. Champions will utilize its Biomerk Tumorgraft™ platform technology to evaluate the activity of TAR-1 and determine the best path forward for the compound in regards to indication, patient population and potential drug combinations. Ramot will receive an upfront payment and will be eligible to receive milestone payments and royalties if Champions chooses to continue the license terms, which will be determined based on results from testing TAR-1 in the predictive Tumorgraft platform.

Prof. Beka Solomon from Tel Aviv University identified that TAR-1 binds to and restores the wild-type active conformation of mutant p53 protein with a high degree of specificity, leading to in vivo inhibition of tumor growth. Given the frequency of mutant p53 in cancer, TAR-1 has the potential to target a wide range of human cancers.

“Licensing TAR-1 demonstrates the progression of our strategy to build our own Tumorgraft-driven pipeline of oncology drugs, which we expect to yield improved clinical development success rates,” said Guy Malchi, Champions Biotechnology’s Head of Corporate Development and International Operations. “We were impressed by the potential of TAR-1 and we are planning to continue to in-license oncology drug candidates with compelling science and to develop only those with positive Tumorgraft results.” TAR-1 will undergo Tumorgraft testing as Champions completes Tumorgraft testing of its other oncology drug, SG410, a tubulin inhibitor.

“We are excited to work with Champions Biotechnology. Their predictive platform and experienced scientific and clinical team make them an ideal candidate to move TAR-1 forward into the clinic and on the path to commercialization,” said Dr. Ze'ev Weinfeld, CEO, Ramot at Tel Aviv University Ltd.

About Champions Oncology, Inc.

Champions Oncology, Inc. (formerly Champions Biotechnology, Inc) is engaged in the development of advanced technology solutions and services to personalize the development and use of oncology drugs. The Company’s Tumorgraft™ Technology Platform is a novel approach to personalizing cancer care based upon the implantation of primary human tumors in immune deficient mice followed by propagation of the resulting engraftments, or Tumorgrafts™, in a manner that preserves the biological characteristics of the original human tumor. The Company uses this technology in conjunction with related services to offer solutions for two customer groups: Personalized Oncology Solutions (“POS”) in which physicians and patients looking for information help guide the development of personalized treatment plans, and Translational Oncology Solutions (“TOS”) in which pharmaceutical and biotech companies seeking personalized approaches to drug development can lower the cost and increase the speed of developing new drugs and increasing the adoption of existing drugs. The Company’s Tumorgraft™ Technology Platform consists of processes, physical tumors and information that we use to personalize the development and use of oncology drugs. The Company is building its Tumorgraft™ Technology Platform through the procurement, development and characterization of numerous Tumorgrafts™ within each of several cancer types. Tumorgrafts™ are procured through agreements with a number of institutions in the U.S. and overseas as well as through its POS business. The Tumorgrafts™ are developed and tested through agreement with a United States-based preclinical facility.

The Company provides POS to oncologists by establishing and administering expert tumor panels for their patients to analyze medical records and test results, to assist in understanding conventional and experimental options and to identify and arrange for testing, analysis and study of the patients’ cancer tissues, as appropriate. Additionally, the Company offers Personalized Tumorgraft™ development, drug studies and genome sequencing as part of its POS whereby physicians can evaluate the effects of cancer drugs on their patients’ tumorgrafts and understand the genetic make-up of their patient’s tumor enabling them to better select treatment regimens that may be efficacious to the patient

This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995) that inherently involve risk and uncertainties. Champions Oncology 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 Oncology’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2011 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 Oncology’s future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements 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 Oncology’s expectations, except as required by law.

References:

  1. Hidalgo M et al. Activity of gemcitabine in direct patient derived xenografts predicts clinical outcome: validation of an in vivo model for drug development. J Clin Oncol 27:15s, 2009 (suppl; abstr 4528)
  2. Hidalgo M et al. A Pilot Study of Treatment Guided by Personalized Tumorgrafts in Patients with Advanced Cancer. Mol Cancer Ther August 2011 10:1311-1316
  3. Rubio-Viqueira B, Jimeno A, Cusatis G, et al. An in vivo platform for translational drug development in pancreatic cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2006;12:4652-4661.
  4. Champions data on file.