Transgene, NEC and BostonGene extend collaboration for head and neck cancer vaccine

TG4050, a personalized immunotherapy designed to stimulate the immune system of patients to induce a neoantigen specific T-cell response that can recognize and destroy tumor cells, is based on Transgene’s myvac platform and powered by NEC’s AI-driven neoantigen prediction system.

“Our collaboration with BostonGene has provided in-depth information on patient phenotypes in the Phase I trial. It has allowed us to understand the baseline status of our patients and how the tumor micro-environment (TME) might evolve following treatment,” said Dr. Alessandro Riva, CEO and chairman of Transgene.

BostonGene is partnering with NEC and Transgene to continue performing tumor molecular profiling and microenvironment analysis and provide high-throughput sequencing services.

The partnership with BostonGene will enable fast turnaround of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data, and sophisticated analytics will enable comprehensive profiling of patient immune contexture.

“The combined expertise of Transgene, NEC and BostonGene will continue to provide a streamlined pipeline for the timely delivery of patient-tailored vaccines as well as data to guide the future development of new personalized treatment options, elevating the standard of care for head and neck cancer patients,” said Masamitsu Kitase, corporate SVP and head of the healthcare and life sciences division at NEC Corporation.

Nathan Fowler, chief medical officer at BostonGene, also said the company was committed to supporting Transgene and NEC as they advance these clinical trials.

“Our molecular and immune profiling techniques comprehensively analyze the tumor, microenvironment, and immune system to identify key predictors of response to TG4050, ultimately improving treatment outcomes,” he added.