Download press release - Neon Therapeutics

Neon Therapeutics Enters License Agreement with the Broad Institute,
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital
Two Phase 1 Trials Evaluating Lead Vaccine Compound Currently Underway;
Company-Sponsored Trial to Commence in 2016
Cambridge, Mass. – December 9, 2015 – Neon Therapeutics, an immuno-oncology
company developing neoantigen-based therapeutic vaccines and T cell therapies to treat
cancer, today announced that the company has entered into a license agreement with the
Broad Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital for
technology to be utilized in Neon Therapeutics’ pipeline.
The work of Neon Therapeutics co-founders Catherine J. Wu, M.D., at the Broad
Institute and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Nir Hacohen, Ph.D., at the Broad Institute and
Massachusetts General Hospital, and Ed Fritsch, Ph.D., at the Broad Institute and DanaFarber Cancer Institute, led to the development of a personalized neoantigen vaccine,
which is the foundation for Neon Therapeutics’ proprietary lead compound, NEO-PV-01.
The project was originated and led by the Broad Institute and was philanthropically
funded in part by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is
currently enrolling two investigator-initiated trials with additional trials planned. Neon
Therapeutics will build upon this research and initiate a company-sponsored clinical trial
in 2016.
“Neon Therapeutics’ approach was borne out of years of research focused on developing
novel cancer immunotherapies based on unique mutations present in the tumor DNA of
each patient,” said Cary Pfeffer, M.D., interim chief executive officer of Neon
Therapeutics. “We are privileged to license technology from The Broad Institute, DanaFarber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital, each a world-leading cancer
research institution, to leverage this excellent science to develop innovative neoantigenbased therapies.”
About Neon Therapeutics
Neon Therapeutics is an immuno-oncology company focused on developing novel
therapeutics leveraging neoantigen biology to treat cancer. A neoantigen-based product
engine will allow Neon to develop further treatment modalities including next-generation
vaccines and T cell therapies targeting both personalized as well as shared neoantigens.
Neon Therapeutics’ lead program is a personalized neoantigen vaccine that builds upon
years of research and development at the Broad Institute and Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, and is already in multiple clinical trials. For more information, please visit
www.neontherapeutics.com.
About the Blavatnik Family Foundation
The Blavatnik Family Foundation is an active supporter of leading educational, scientific,
cultural, and charitable institutions in the United States, Europe, and throughout the
world. The Foundation is headed by Len Blavatnik, an American industrialist and
philanthropist. Mr. Blavatnik is the founder and Chairman of Access Industries, a
privately-held U.S. industrial group with global interests in natural resources and
chemicals, media and telecommunications, emerging technologies, life sciences and real
estate. For more information, please visit www.blavatnikawards.org.
About the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard was launched in 2004 to
empower this generation of creative scientists to transform medicine. The Broad Institute
seeks to describe all the molecular components of life and their connections; discover the
molecular basis of major human diseases; develop effective new approaches to
diagnostics and therapeutics; and disseminate discoveries, tools, methods and data openly
to the entire scientific community. Founded by MIT, Harvard and its affiliated hospitals,
and the visionary Los Angeles philanthropists Eli and Edythe L. Broad, the Broad
Institute includes faculty, professional staff and students from throughout the MIT and
Harvard biomedical research communities and beyond, with collaborations spanning over
a hundred private and public institutions in more than 40 countries worldwide. For more
information, please visit broadinstitute.org.
About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is
world-renowned for its leadership in adult and pediatric cancer treatment and research.
Designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), it is
one of the largest recipients among independent hospitals of NCI and National Institutes
of Health grant funding. For more information, please visit www.dana-farber.org.
About Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching
hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH conducts the largest hospital-based
research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of more than $800
million and major research centers in AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer,
computational and integrative biology, cutaneous biology, human genetics, medical
imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, regenerative medicine, reproductive biology,
systems biology, transplantation biology and photomedicine. In July 2015, MGH
returned into the number one spot on the 2015-16 U.S. News & World Report list of
"America's Best Hospitals." For more information, please visit www.massgeneral.org.
###
Media Contact:
Katie Engleman
Pure Communications, Inc.
910-509-3977
[email protected]