Polaris Signs Collaboration Agreement with MD Anderson Cancer Center to Join its Immunotherapy Platform for Clinical Trials and Preclinical Research

SAN DIEGO, May 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Polaris Group announced that it has signed a multiyear strategic Collaboration Agreement with MD Anderson Cancer Center to utilize its Immunotherapy Platform, led by world-renowned immunotherapy pioneer Dr. James Allison, Dr. Padmanee Sharma, and Dr. Patrick Hwu, to design clinical studies and monitor biomarkers in immune functions associated with the therapies.

As one of the ten research platforms that support the Cancer Moon Shots Program^TM, MD Anderson's Immunotherapy Platform conducts preclinical research to assess feasibility and efficacy of new treatments; it also monitors immune function changes as a result of clinical therapies through cellular and molecular analysis of patient samples in hope of discovering biomarkers for personalized medicine.

"We are very excited to join MD Anderson's Immunotherapy Platform and be part of its cutting-edge pre-clinical and clinical research programs in the immunotherapy area," said Dr. Bor-Wen Wu, CEO of Polaris Group. "We believe the unique mechanism of action of ADI-PEG 20 may complement that of the existing immunotherapy drugs, hence potentially achieve higher overall efficacy as combination therapy.  We look forward to having a fruitful collaboration on our journey to develop more effective treatments, and the exploration of other immunotherapy targets."

About ADI-PEG 20

ADI-PEG 20 is a biologic being developed by Polaris Group to treat cancers carrying a major metabolic defect that renders them unable to internally synthesize arginine. Because arginine is essential for protein synthesis and survival of cells, these cancer cells become dependent upon the external supply of arginine to survive and grow. ADI-PEG 20 is designed to deplete the external supply of arginine, causing arginine-dependent cancer cells to die while leaving the patient's normal cells unharmed.  Multiple cancers have been reported to have a high degree of arginine-dependency and can potentially be treated with ADI-PEG 20.

About Polaris Group

Polaris Group specializes in the research and development of protein drugs to treat cancer and other debilitating diseases. In addition to the ADI-PEG 20 program, Polaris Group is developing other therapeutic agents including a small molecule drug program that utilizes a rational structure-based approach to design novel compounds that inhibit the biological function of cancer-related protein targets.

For additional information please visit www.polarispharma.com

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/polaris-signs-collaboration-agreement-with-md-anderson-cancer-center-to-join-its-immunotherapy-platform-for-clinical-trials-and-preclinical-research-300646014.html

SOURCE Polaris Group