Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. has announced a contract with NantWorks founder, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, to strategically collaborate in the development of innovative immunotherapies for treating both cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Both parties want to create a cooperative project, “The Immunotherapy Antibody JV“, that will function as an autonomous biotechnology company and will aim to accelerate the development of several immunotherapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), such as anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-CTLA4 mAbs, along with other immune checkpoint inhibitors, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific antibodies.
“We are extremely pleased to be working with Dr. Patrick-Soon Shiong and NantWorks. The investment into Sorrento and future formation of the JV with NantWorks further validate our G-MAB antibody technology and underscore Sorrento’s commitment to seeking strategic alliances in bringing its diverse portfolio of fully human monoclonal antibodies, ADCs, and bispecific antibodies into the clinic,” Dr. Henry Ji, President and CEO of Sorrento, said in a press release. “Our innovative collaboration will unite Sorrento’s capability to develop complex biologics with NantWorks proprietary genomic and personalized medicine technologies. We share NantWorks’ enthusiasm for the potential of our JV to produce a pipeline of immuno-oncology products to address unmet needs of cancer treatment,” he added.
Over the last couple of years, the field of immune-oncology has become an extremely promising and innovative area within the pharmaceutical industry.
Immunotherapeutic antibodies allow the patient’s own immune system to become activated in such a way that it can target and kill cancer cells.
This type of approach has already showed promising results in different types of cancers, including metastatic melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
“Combining NantWorks’ cutting edge expertise in genomic and molecular profiling of cancer patients and Sorrento’s industry-leading G-MAB antibody technology, we believe will enable us to develop multiple novel therapies for malignant disorders where there is currently a significant unmet need. Through this partnership, it is our goal to provide relief for millions of people who today have limited treatment options. This will be a model relationship aligned to accelerate development and production of novel cancer immunotherapies. We look forward to working closely with Sorrento’s team,” Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, CEO and Founder of NantWorks, added in the press release.
