11 October 2018 - - Austrian immunomodulation therapies developer Themis Bioscience has entered into a license agreement with Max-Planck-Innovation GmbH, the technology transfer agency of the Max Planck Society in Germany, granting it exclusive worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialise therapies based on an oncolytic measles virus platform that was jointly developed by the Eberhard-Karls-University Tübingen and the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, the company said.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

This is a transformative step for the company and will broaden its immunomodulation platform into oncology.

The licensed technology is a modified measles virus based on the viral genome sequence of the established measles vaccine strain, which has been used to immunize billions of people worldwide.

The measles virus itself has innate anti-cancer properties, for example, mediating tumor cell lysis, T cell activation and specific tumor cell targeting.

Furthermore, it can also be engineered to include a tumor killing payload, making it a major building block for an effective oncolytic virus immunotherapy.

Themis established a cGMP manufacturing process for its measles vector technology and built a broad pipeline with both proprietary and partnered infectious disease vaccine candidates.

The lead programme in Chikungunya is anticipated to enter Phase 3 development in the near- to medium-term.

Themis believes that this licensing deal with Max-Planck-Innovation GmbH will further expand its innovative technology platform to include novel oncolytic virus-based immunotherapy applications.

Themis is developing immunomodulation therapies for infectious diseases and cancer.

As a technology transfer organisation of the Max Planck Society, Max Planck Innovation is the link between industry and basic research.

Its interdisciplinary team provides consulting and support for scientists in evaluating inventions, applying for patents, and founding companies. 134 spin-off companies have emerged from the Max Planck Society, of which the majority was accompanied by Max-Planck-Innovation.

Founded in 1805, the University Hospital Tuebingen is one of the leading centres of German university medicine.

As one of 33 University Hospitals in Germany, it contributes to a combination of medicine, research, and teaching.