CureVac and MD Anderson Enter Strategic Collaboration to Develop Novel Cancer Vaccines

• Agreement creates strong synergies between CureVac's unique end-to-end mRNA capabilities and MD Anderson's translational and clinical research expertise
• Collaboration aims to develop novel, off-the-shelf, mRNA-based cancer vaccines in selected hematological and solid cancers with high unmet medical need
• MD Anderson responsible for leading initial Phase 1/2 studies; CureVac retains worldwide exclusive rights to late-stage development, commercialization, or partnering of cancer vaccine candidates

TÜBINGEN, GERMANY and HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / April 16, 2024 / CureVac N.V. (Nasdaq:CVAC) ("CureVac"), a global biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid ("mRNA"), and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today announced a co-development and licensing agreement to develop novel mRNA-based cancer vaccines.

The collaboration creates strong synergies between CureVac's unique end-to-end capabilities for cancer antigen discovery, mRNA design, and manufacturing and MD Anderson's expertise in cancer antigen discovery and validation, translational drug development, and clinical research. The collaboration will focus on the development of differentiated cancer vaccine candidates in selected hematological and solid tumor indications with high unmet medical need.

"We look forward to collaborating with the team at MD Anderson to push the boundaries of mRNA technology and develop impactful therapeutic options for patients in need," said Dr. Alexander Zehnder, Chief Executive Officer of CureVac. "In combining our respective expertise, we believe we can go further and faster to develop novel, off-the-shelf, mRNA-based cancer vaccines that have the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes."

Both parties will contribute to the identification of differentiated cancer antigens based on whole genome sequencing, combined with long- and short-read RNA sequencing and cutting-edge bioinformatics. Joint preclinical validation of the highest-quality cancer antigens will be supported by Sachet Shukla, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Hematopoietic Biology & Malignancy and director of the department's cancer vaccine program, and by MD Anderson's ECLIPSE (Evolution of Cancer, Leukemia, and Immunity Post Stem cEll transplant) platform, part of the institution's Therapeutics Discovery division.