Research Agreement with University of North Carolina
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA 3 March 2025: Arovella Therapeutics Ltd (ASX: ALA), a biotechnology company focused on developing its invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cell platform to treat cancer, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Sponsored Research Agreement (SRA) with Professor Gianpietro Dotti’s research group at the University of North Carolina (UNC), to expand its research capability for IL-12-TM and solid tumour programs.
In January 2024, Arovella announced an exclusive License for Professor Dotti’s IL-12-TM technology, developed at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Center. In lieu of an upfront fee for the license, Arovella committed to entering into an SRA with Professor Dotti’s group. The SRA will run for one year and contains standard termination provisions. IP that is developed with Arovella’s sponsorship or jointly invented by UNC and Arovella will be jointly owned and the cost of the SRA to Arovella is expected to be approximately US$280k per annum.
Recent work from the laboratory of Professor Dotti was published in the prestigious peer reviewed journal, Nature Cancer, comparing CAR-T and CAR-iNKT cells against a range of solid tumours. His team's work demonstrated that CAR-iNKT cells are superior to CAR-T cells at eliminating solid tumours. By entering into a SRA, Arovella strengthens its relationship with Professor Dotti and his team and expands its research capability, which will facilitate the development of its solid tumour programs. In addition to accessing resources and expertise in Professor Dotti’s laboratory, Arovella has also recruited a post-doctoral scientist, Dr Clinton Heinze, who will be embedded within Professor Dotti’s team to complement the research efforts.
Arovella’s CEO and Managing Director, Dr Michael Baker, commented: “We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Professor Dotti and his team at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. We are also excited to appoint a talented scientist, Dr Clinton Heinze, to work closely with Gianpietro Dotti’s 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.”
To learn more about the IL-12-TM technology and how it enhances the activity of CAR-iNKT cells, view our new explanatory video.