BRIEF—APAC Biotech and Diakonos collaborate on immunotherapy technology for India

India’s APAC Biotech and USA-based Diakonos Research have signed a first-of-its-kind technology transfer and licensing agreement to bring new immunotherapy technology to India as an advancement of immuno-oncology therapeutics for solid tumors.

This new path breaking technology effectively targets and activates the tumor antigen specific CTL-response and is differentiated from peer technologies in its ability to generate durable immunological memory.

On the basis of pre-clinical animal data shared by Dr William Decker and his research team at Baylor College of Medicine, APAC Biotech plans to launch Phase II clinical trials in India for advanced brain and pancreatic cancers that have limited treatment options.

"We are committed to accelerating the availability of novel immuno-oncology treatments to patients with high unmet medical needs in India and around the globe," said Arun Mehra, chief executive of APAC Biotech.

The new long-term memory potentiation technology is a highly promising, best-in-class cancer immunotherapy anticipated to improve outcomes even further, he noted, adding that APAC management is in talks with large investors for production scale-up of currently approved products and future clinical development trials.

Diakonos is a development-stage immuno-oncology partnership founded in 2015 to commercialize basic research discoveries made in the Texas Medical Center. The company holds multiple licensing agreements with Baylor College of Medicine and an extensive worldwide IP portfolio in the immuno-oncology space.

Diakonos is pursuing US-based clinical development strategies with novel innate signaling, CAR T-cell, and cell-based vaccine strategies while simultaneously capitalizing upon strategic partnerships in foreign marketplaces.