Antisoma buys out Imperial Cancer stake in Cancer Therapeutics Ltd
This article was originally published in Clinica
Antisoma, the London-based biopharmaceuticals company which is developing an epithelially preferential contrast agent, has bought out its research partner's share in Cancer Therapeutics (CTL).
CTL was a 50/50 joint venture between Antisoma and Imperial Cancer Research Technology (ICRT), the technology development and licensing arm of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, a UK charity.
Antisoma gains 100% control of CTL and all its intellectual property rights. In return ICRT becomes a shareholder in Antisoma. Antisoma will issue 5.7 million shares and this will give ICRT a 13.6% stake in Antisoma. The deal also includes a royalty on any products the company will bring to market.
The company's lead imaging product is Pepscan, a radiolabelled peptide which images epithelial cancers, by preferentially binding to malignant epithelial cells. Around 90% of ovarian cancers are epithelial in origin.
Pepscan is based on Technetium-99m as the effector which will register on a gamma camera. Pepscan allows early and rapid identification of cancerous cells. Pepscan is licensed to Nihon Medi-Physics for development and marketing in Japan. Antisoma's strategy is to license in novel technology for preclinical development by its in-house specialists.