Biopharmaceutical company Nordic Nanovector ASA (Oslo:NANOV) said on Tuesday that it has entered into a research collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania to generate a CD37-targeting CAR-T cell approach as a potential treatment for patients with B-cell malignancies.

The collaboration aims to combine Nordic Nanovector's expertise around CD37, a protein present on the surface of B-cell tumour cells, with the US university's expertise in CAR-T cell therapies.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) will look to combine CD37-targeting molecules (antibodies and antibody fragments) and linkers provided by Nordic Nanovector, with the proprietary CAR-T technologies developed at Penn that can direct CAR-T cells against multiple tumour associated antigens.

Nordic Nanovector has obtained an option to license exclusive worldwide rights to any CD37-targeting CAR-T cells that result from this collaboration for further development.