Oncimmune Holdings PLC (AIM: ONC) said it has signed a master service agreement with California-based Augmenta Bioworks to profile patient plasma samples and assess treatment candidates discovered using the latter’s SingleCyte and DeepGrid platforms.
The first project will deploy SeroTag, Oncimmune's oncology technology, which will be used to identify potential therapeutic antibodies that bind to human antigens found in cancer patients.
The analysis will also provide insight into clinical efficacy as well as “off-target and non-specific binding” as an indicator, for example, for adverse events, Oncimmune said.
Under the deal, there is the option to substantially increase the number of samples analysed and to run these samples over the UK company’s infectious disease panel. Last month Oncimmune said its NavigAID panel would be used in a major coronavirus (COVID-19) initiative to assess disease severity and therapeutic response.
Oncimmune's partner Augmenta, meanwhile, works with leading pharma and biotech companies as well as research institutions “to discover new therapies by identifying the human immune system's protective response to diseases”.
"We are delighted to be partnering with such a progressive and respected organisation as Augmenta on this important programme,” said chief executive Adam Hill in a statement.
“Oncimmune's proven SeroTag proprietary biomarker discovery engine is ideally suited to this project. We are also excited about the prospect of, once again, utilising our infectious diseases panel to help support the fight against COVID-19."