Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Belfer Center announces Immuno-Oncology research collaboration with Array BioPharma

BOSTON, Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute today announced an immuno-oncology collaboration with potential applicability in a wide range of oncology indications with Array BioPharma (NASDAQ: ARRY).

The research team at Dana-Farber's Robert and Renée Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science will work with Array scientists on novel immune-oncology targets with the goal of bringing innovative medicines to patients. The collaboration will leverage the Belfer Center's proprietary immuno-oncology platform. Combining Dana Farber's oncology expertise with the Array's proficiency in drug discovery provides a unique opportunity to accelerate drug discovery of effective medicines for patients with unmet medical need.

"We are very enthusiastic about working with Array to develop novel immune-oncology drugs because their team has a strong track record of drug discovery success yielding innovative cancer therapies. Together we have the potential to deliver novel molecules that target unique mechanisms to harness the immune system and result in durable efficacy," said Kwok-Kin Wong, MD, PhD, scientific co-director of the Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

"We are excited to partner with the Dana-Farber scientists at the Belfer Center. Their capabilities perfectly synergize with the capabilities and drug discovery track record of Array. Specifically, their expertise in target validation, pre-clinical models of immunotherapeutic activity and translational medicine will greatly enable Array's ability to deliver innovative therapeutics in this area," said Nick Saccomano, PhD, chief scientific officer, Array BioPharma.  

Financial terms of the agreement are not being disclosed.

About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 

From achieving the first remissions in childhood cancer with chemotherapy in 1948, to developing the very latest new therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world's leading centers of cancer research and treatment.  It is the only center ranked in the top 4 of U.S. News and World Report's Best Hospitals for both adult and pediatric cancer care.

Dana-Farber sits at the center of a wide range of collaborative efforts to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy.  Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center provides the latest in cancer care for adults; Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center for children. The Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center unites the cancer research efforts of five Harvard academic medical centers and two graduate schools, while Dana-Farber Community Cancer Care provides high quality cancer treatment in communities outside Boston's Longwood Medical Area.  

Dana-Farber is dedicated to a unique, 50/50 balance between cancer research and care, and much of the Institute's work is dedicated to translating the results of its discovery into new treatments for patients locally and around the world.  

About Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science

The Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science is an industry-inspired cancer research center integrated within the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute dedicated to translating today's most innovative oncology research into tomorrow's most promising cancer treatments. We are accelerating the development of new cancer treatment through work in the high-impact areas of immuno-oncology, drug resistance, novel target discovery and blood-based biomarkers. Partners of the Belfer Center gain access to a suite of revolutionary platforms and capabilities that impact the success and efficiency of preclinical and early clinical oncology therapeutic development — from target identification to delineation of clinical path for therapeutic agents. The Belfer Center's portfolio of unique technologies and resources exists to help academic and industry partners achieve success in developing and bringing to market novel therapeutics for cancer.

About Array BioPharma

Array BioPharma Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of targeted small molecule drugs to treat patients afflicted with cancer. Six registration studies are currently advancing related to three cancer drugs. These programs include binimetinib (MEK162), encorafenib (LGX818) and selumetinib (AstraZeneca). For more information on Array, please go to www.arraybiopharma.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about the timing of the announcement of the results of clinical trials for our proprietary and our partnered programs, the timing of the completion or initiation of further development of our wholly-owned and our partnered programs, including the timing of regulatory filings, expectations that events will occur that will result in greater value for Array, the potential for the results of ongoing preclinical and clinical trials to support regulatory approval or the marketing success of a drug candidate, our ability to partner our proprietary drug candidates for up-front fees, milestone and/or royalty payments, our future plans to progress and develop our proprietary programs and the plans of our collaborators to progress and develop programs we have licensed to them, and our plans to build a late-stage development company. These statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in our most recent annual report filed on Form 10-K, in our quarterly reports filed on Form 10-Q, and in other reports filed by Array with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Because these statements reflect our current expectations concerning future events, our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, our ability to continue to fund and successfully progress internal research and development efforts and to create effective, commercially-viable drugs; risks associated with our dependence on our collaborators for the clinical development and commercialization of our out-licensed drug candidates; the ability of our collaborators and of Array to meet objectives tied to milestones and royalties; our ability to effectively and timely conduct clinical trials in light of increasing costs and difficulties in locating appropriate trial sites and in enrolling patients who meet the criteria for certain clinical trials; risks associated with our dependence on third-party service providers to successfully conduct clinical trials within and outside the United States; our ability to achieve and maintain profitability and maintain sufficient cash resources; the extent to which the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are willing to in-license drug candidates for their product pipelines and to collaborate with and fund third parties on their drug discovery activities; our ability to out-license our proprietary candidates on favorable terms; and our ability to attract and retain experienced scientists and management. We are providing this information as of February 1, 2016. We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of events or circumstances after the date of such statements or of anticipated or unanticipated events that alter any assumptions underlying such statements.

Contact:
Ellen Berlin, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
617-632-4090, [email protected] 
Tricia Haugeto, Array BioPharma
303-386-1193, [email protected]

SOURCE Array BioPharma

Related Links

http://www.arraybiopharma.com