NeoPhore signs research collaboration with The Institute of Cancer Research, London

LONDON, April 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NeoPhore Limited, a small molecule neoantigen immuno-oncology company, today announces that it has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Professor Chris Lord's lab at The Institute of Cancer Research, London. The collaboration will use NeoPhore's proprietary small molecule inhibitors of DNA mismatch repair ('MMR') to investigate single agent activity against tumours with defined genetic backgrounds.

Building on the seminal discoveries and ongoing research of its scientific founders and collaborators, NeoPhore is developing a pipeline targeting novel proteins in the DNA mismatch repair pathway to treat cancer. The Company's first-in-class MMR modulators induce neoantigen expression and increase immunogenicity in solid tumours that become exquisitely sensitive to immunotherapy.

Professor Chris Lord is Professor of Cancer Genomics and Deputy Head of the Division of Breast Cancer Research at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), as well as the Deputy Leader of the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre and the Cancer Research UK Gene Function Team at the ICR.

Professor Chris Lord, Lead Researcher on the project from the ICR, said: "We are excited about this new collaboration with NeoPhore. Identifying new ways of treating cancer is central to much of what we do here at the ICR and this project will focus on exactly that. Our hope is that by working with NeoPhore, we can find new vulnerabilities in cancer cells that can be targeted by drugs that NeoPhore has discovered."

Dr. Matthew Baker, Chief Executive Officer of NeoPhore, stated: "We are excited to collaborate with Prof. Chris Lord who is a prominent and respected researcher in the field.  Access to his team's scientific expertise will allow us to investigate new mechanisms of action of the MMR pathway in a variety of solid tumours. We believe that this impactful collaboration has the potential to broaden the use of MMR inhibitors beyond neoantigen generation. Ultimately the results of the collaboration have the potential to provide significant patient benefit in a variety of solid tumour indications."  

This is the 4^th collaboration agreement NeoPhore has signed since 2017, having entered collaborations with University of Turin, St George's University of London and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).

About NeoPhore Ltd

NeoPhore, based in London, UK is focused on the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapies to treat cancer through stimulation of the immune system. Generation of cancer neoantigens in tumours can be exploited by the patients' immune system to overcome natural defence mechanisms in cancer. The Company's approach targets the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) pathway, which has been proven to promote neoantigen creation and subsequent immunity against numerous cancers. Using these insights, NeoPhore aims to generate next-generation immuno-oncology therapeutics to improve clinical outcomes for cancer patients. NeoPhore was spun-out of the University of Turin and PhoreMost Ltd by the CRT Pioneer Fund.

For more information, please visit www.neophore.com

About The Institute of Cancer Research

The Institute of Cancer Research, London, is an independent research institute based across two London sites: one in Chelsea in the heart of the UK capital, and one in Sutton, 30 minutes from Gatwick international airport. A member institution of the University of London, we have an outstanding record of achievement dating back more than 100 years.

Around 800 scientists work at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) across the full spectrum of cancer research, from basic cancer biology to clinical trials. We ranked second in REF 2021, the UK government's most recent comprehensive assessment of research quality, for overall research quality and impact, and first in biological sciences.

The ICR is also one of the world's most successful academic institutions in industry. Researchers in our Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, now based in a state-of-the-art, £75m new building in Sutton, have discovered 21 drug candidates since 2005, of which 13 have progressed into clinical trials, in collaboration with industry partners. The blockbuster drug abiraterone (Zytiga) was discovered and initially developed at the ICR, and ICR science also underpinned the development of the leading PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) in BRCA-mutant cancers.

The ICR and its hospital partner The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust are together ranked in the top four centres for cancer research and treatment worldwide, and their joint Drug Development Unit is the leading oncology-focused phase I trial unit in the UK. The ICR is also a provider of higher education of international distinction through its postgraduate degree programmes.