Power of AI: NEC, Transgene partner on individualized cancer immunotherapy

NEC  Corporation and Transgene have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)  for a strategic collaboration aimed at the treatment of solid cancers.

The companies will cooperate in clinically assessing the predictive
capabilities of NEC's artificial intelligence (AI) and the
therapeutic potential of Transgene's myvac(TM) MVA-based viral vector platform in an individualized immunotherapy for the treatment of  solid cancers. The experimental products from this collaboration are  expected to enter clinical trials in 2019.

NEC and Transgene will co-invest in the first stage of development of
an individualized immunotherapy, which includes clinical trials
focusing on ovarian cancer and HPV-negative head and neck cancer.

Immunotherapy is rapidly becoming the treatment of choice to fight
cancer as it activates the patient's own immune system to attack
cancer cells.

NEC and Transgene have capitalized on the recent progress in AI and  advances in genome sequencing to create individualized immunotherapy, which is adapted to the unique characteristics of each patient's mutational landscape as well as their predicted immune responses. The product is based on a viral vector (MVA) developed by Transgene with a proven clinical safety track record and is known for its efficient immunogenicity and anti-tumor efficacy in patients.

The viral vector will be used to target neoantigens identified using
NEC's proprietary algorithm. NEC has been developing solutions in the  drug discovery field for close to two decades. NEC's neoantigen
prediction system was developed and validated based on publicly
available databases, as well as internal wet lab datasets, some of
which were already used to identify clinically relevant antigens in
other oncology indications.

These planned clinical trials leverage the world-leading expertise
and technologies of a network of companies and research centers,
including:
- NEC's cutting-edge AI technology, "NEC the WISE", for identifying
and prioritizing patient-specific neoantigens, and
- Transgene's unrivaled MVA-based, viral vector technology and the
myvac(TM) platform.

"The emerging personalized medicine field holds great potential for
the application of NEC's core technology, and we are pleased to be
working with Transgene with the goal of developing state-of-the-art
personalized immunotherapies," said Motoo Nishihara, Senior Vice
President, Head of NEC Laboratories.

"Engaging the body's own immune system in the fight against cancer
has shown great promise and sparked unprecedented interest among  oncology drug makers. This makes it imperative for NEC to become part  of the immunotherapy race as soon as possible," said Osamu Fujikawa, Senior Vice President, Business Innovation Unit, NEC Corporation.

"This collaboration brings together artificial intelligence and our
expertise in viral vector engineering to enable the development of a
truly innovative treatment based on the myvac(TM) platform. We
believe that our collaboration with NEC will allow us to provide an
efficacious and robust therapy for the many patients who have solid
tumors and could benefit from this cutting-edge individualized
approach, and to successfully advance the development of the myvac(TM) platform to the market" said Eric Quemeneur, Pharm.D., Ph.D.,  Executive VP, Chief Scientific Officer of Transgene.