Activity ramping up in the field of immuno-oncology
Immuno-oncology, which focuses on the treatment of cancer through aiding the body’s own immune system responses, is receiving its fair share of attention at the moment. Last week Bristol-Myers Squibb announced it will pay a record US$1.85 billion to buy small biotech start-up Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) to secure its experimental cancer drug.
On the ASX, small cap immuno-oncology plays including Imugene Limited (ASX:IMU) are developing a range of candidates, including HER-2+ gastric and breast cancer immunotherapies. The link between Viralytics and Imugene is notable with Paul Hopper the Chairman of Viralytics and the Executive Chairman of Imugene.
That said, IMU is still an early stage biotech company and success is not guaranteed. Before making an investment, seek professional financial advice.
Earlier this week, IMU announced that its clinical stage arginine modulator drug candidate had successfully demonstrated anti-tumour activity in 12 different cancer mouse models, and in particular showed significant effects in treating melanomas.
The drug candidate is designed to work through managing the level of arginine in the human body to boost the tumour-killing activity of the human body’s own naturally-occurring cells.
Based on recent newsflow, the $54 million-capped IMU’s share price has climbed 69 per cent in the last month alone.
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