Arovella Therapeutics (ASX: ALA) has entered into a Sponsored Research Agreement (SRA) with the University of North Carolina’s (UNC) Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center to advance its IL-12-TM and solid tumour programs. The agreement strengthens Arovella’s collaboration with Professor Gianpietro Dotti’s research group and expands its access to UNC’s scientific resources.
The agreement follows Arovella’s January 2024 exclusive licensing of IL-12-TM technology developed at UNC. Instead of an upfront payment for the license, the company committed to funding research through the SRA, which will run for one year at a cost of approximately US$280,000. Intellectual property arising from the collaboration will be jointly owned by Arovella and UNC.
Professor Dotti’s team has previously demonstrated in Nature Cancer that CAR-iNKT cells outperform CAR-T cells in targeting solid tumours. The SRA will allow Arovella to build on these findings by embedding a post-doctoral scientist, Dr Clinton Heinze, within Dotti’s research group.
Arovella’s CEO, Dr Michael Baker, said the partnership is a key step in progressing the company’s CAR-iNKT cell therapy pipeline. “We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Professor Dotti and his team. Dr Heinze has a magnificent background, and we are delighted to have him on the project. This is a great step forward enabling us to further develop our CAR-iNKT cell programs targeting solid tumours.”
Arovella is developing iNKT cell therapies for cancer, with its lead product, ALA-101, targeting CD19-positive blood cancers. The company is also working on solid tumour treatments using CLDN18.2-targeting technology licensed from Sparx Group and plans to incorporate IL-12-TM technology into these programs.
