CyGenics joins international cancer collaboration

Cell therapy company CyGenics (ASX:CYN) will be part of a new international collaborative effort to develop new treatments of cancer using the novel approach of developing and mobilising immune cells outside the human body.

Called PACRIMA, the project brings together organisations from four countries -- the Division Haemato-Oncology of University Hospital Maastricht (AZM) of the Netherlands, Maia-Scientific NV of Belgium, Pharmacell BV of the Netherlands, Cygenics and an undisclosed stem cell research institute in Japan.

The partners anticipate that the majority of the project will be funded by grants and have applied for funding from a number of sources including EUREKA, a pan-European initiative to foster European research and development.

The PACRIMA project seeks to stimulate the patient's own immune system to fight against cancer. PACRIMA will explore whether CyGenics' patented three-dimensional cell culture platform, the Cytomatrix, is a suitable platform for growing antigen specific T cells and natural killer cells, and whether these cells are suitable for therapeutic use. According to Cygenics, the project would be a significant improvement over the current T cell culture platform if it is successful.

"PACRIMA serves as a further validation of the efficacy of CyGenics' technology as a growth platform for various cell cultures," said Cygenics CEO Steven Fang in a statement. "This follows upon other collaboration such as with Johns Hopkins University, announced two months ago. These collaborations are fully in line with our corporate goal of realising the commercial potential of our technologies without the associated risks."