ImaginAb and ARTMS Announce Strategic Partnership for Innovative Manufacture of 89Zr CD8 ImmunoPET Agent

LOS ANGELES and VANCOUVER, Canada, April 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ImaginAb Inc., a leading clinical stage immuno-oncology imaging company, and ARTMS Products Inc., the global leader in the development of novel technologies which enable the production of the world's most-used diagnostic imaging isotopes, today announced they have entered a multi-year non-exclusive partnership to explore a novel radiochemistry manufacture of ImaginAb's lead asset ⁸⁹Zr CD8 ImmunoPET.

Under the terms of the agreement, ARTMS' high-power technology will be deployed to enhance the manufacture of ImaginAb's proprietary antibody ⁸⁹Zr-Df-IAB22M2C (⁸⁹Zr CD8 ImmunoPET).

The CD8 ImmunoPET minibody binds to the CD8 receptor on human T cells and is used for non-invasive PET (positron emission tomography) imaging of CD8 T cells in patients as a pharmacodynamic and predictive marker for immunotherapy. Due to the zirconium-89 (⁸⁹Zr) labeling of the minibody it can be visualized by PET imaging. ARTMS' flagship product, the QUANTM Irradiation System^TM (QIS^TM), provides for cost-effective, decentralized, and local production of important medical isotopes, including ⁸⁹Zr which is used for the labelling of ImaginAb's CD8 ImmunoPET agent.

This pioneering methodology of radiochemistry manufacture represents an innovative way to generate ⁸⁹Zr which will allow for the local manufacture of a significant commercial scale leading to an increase in ⁸⁹Zr supply as well as potentially expanding ImaginAb's supply sites. This new process of manufacturing ⁸⁹Zr has the potential to be applied in the development of other assets in ImaginAb's pipeline.

As part of the research collaboration, ARTMS will run pilot and optimization studies to assess radiolabelling of ImaginAb's CD8 ImmunoPET minibody using this new methodology.

Commenting on the news, Ian Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of ImaginAb, said: "We are very excited to expand our manufacturing capabilities with ARTMS. ImaginAb's CD8 ImmunoPET technology is the most advanced CD8 PET tracer under clinical development, and this new collaboration has the potential to increase access of our technology to patients and partners alike."

Charles S. Conroy, Chief Executive Officer of ARTMS, added: "We are very pleased to join ImaginAb in the search and establishment of a novel and more efficient manufacturing process. This collaboration fits ARTMS' vision of being a leading manufacturer of the world's most needed medical radioisotopes. Our state-of-the-art technology platform and robust global quality-supply network make us uniquely qualified to support ImaginAb. ARTMS and ImaginAb share the same patient-focused mindset and dedication to producing products of the highest quality for patients."

About ImaginAb

ImaginAb Inc. is an immuno-oncology imaging company focused on providing actionable insight into patient selection and treatment progress for cancer immunotherapy, enabling precision medicine. ImaginAb engineers antibody fragments called minibodies that maintain the exquisite specificity of full-length antibodies while remaining biologically inert in the body. Used with widely available PET scan technology, these novel minibodies illuminate high-value molecular targets, providing physicians with a whole-body picture of immune activity. ImaginAb is advancing a pipeline of minibodies against oncology and immunology targets including the CD8 ImmunoPET minibody targeting CD8 T cells. ImaginAb's products have the potential to improve patient care and lower healthcare costs. The Company is backed by top tier venture capital firms and strategic corporate firms including The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Nextech Invest, Adage Capital, The Cycad Group, Merck (MSD) Pharma, Novartis Bioventures and Jim Pallotta of the Raptor Group.

For more information about ImaginAb's pipeline and technology, visit www.imaginab.com.

About CD8 ImmunoPET

CD8 ImmunoPET minibody [89Zr-Df-IAB22M2C] binds to the CD8 receptor on human T cells and is used for non-invasive PET imaging of CD8 T cells in patients. These CD8 T cells are the main effector cells involved in the immune response against tumor cells. Due to the ⁸⁹Zr labeling of the minibody it can be visualized by PET imaging. The Phase I dose escalation study conducted with cancer patients receiving immunotherapy treatments has demonstrated safety, established the effective dose and the optimal PET imaging protocol as well as demonstrated proof of concept for using CD8 ImmunoPET as a clinical tool for the detection and imaging of CD8 T cells in patients. Additional studies including ImaginAb's Phase II study and studies sponsored by ImaginAb's corporate partners are further establishing the repeat dosing and the utility of CD8 ImmunoPET as a pharmacodynamic and predictive marker for immunotherapy.

ARTMS' flagship product, the QUANTM Irradiation System^TM (QIS^TM), provides for cost-effective, decentralized, and local production of important medical isotopes, including ⁸⁹Zr which is used for the labelling of ImaginAb's CD8 ImmunoPET minibody.

About ARTMS

Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, ARTMS Products Inc. is a global leader in the development of novel technologies and products which enable the high-quality and high-yield production of the world's most-used diagnostic imaging isotopes. ARTMS' flagship product, the QUANTM Irradiation System^TM (QIS^TM), enables decentralized, cost-effective, large-scale production of important medical isotopes such as of zirconium-89 (⁸⁹Zr), gallium-68 (⁶⁸Ga), technetium‐99m (^99mTc) and copper-64 (⁶⁴Cu) using local, hospital-based medical cyclotrons empowering the user to control their supply chain. ARTMS commercializes these award-winning and proprietary Canadian inventions on a global basis and has the prospect of revolutionizing the nuclear medicine industry.

For more information on the QUANTM Irradiation System™ and ARTMS Products, please follow us on Twitter @Quantm99 and LinkedIn and visit http://www.artms.ca/

SOURCE ImaginAb & ARTMS