ALKemist Bio announces Sponsored Research Agreement with Boston Children’s Hospital and secures Exclusive License for Groundbreaking Cancer Therapy
- Pietro Puglisi
- 2 lug 2024
- Tempo di lettura: 2 min
Turin, Italy, July 2nd , 2024 - ALKemist Bio, a biotechnology company established earlier this year with the support of Claris Ventures and other contributors, announced today that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Boston Children’s Hospital for the patent rights to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize ALK-specific T Cell Receptor (TCR) based therapies. Along with this license, the parties have additionally entered into a two-year sponsored research agreement partnership that could offer new hope for patients battling these aggressive malignancies.
ALKemist Bio emerges from the groundbreaking research conducted by Professor Roberto Chiarle, who is affiliated with both the Boston Children’s Hospital and the Molecular Biotechnology Center (MBC) of Turin and is the director of the Division of haemolymphopathology at the European Institute of Oncology (IEO) in Milan. Throughout his career, Professor Chiarle has been dedicated to unveiling the crucial mechanisms behind ALK-mediated transformation in tumors, striving to define and validate novel approaches for targeting ALK in such cancers with particular focus on immunological therapies.
The announcement of these exclusive license and accompanying sponsored research agreements comes on the heels of ALKemist Bio's successful launch and a €6.9 million investment round led by Claris Ventures, a venture capital firm committed to supporting biotech startups from the Italian scientific ecosystem. Other investors joining the round included the Turin-based venture firm LIFTT and private investors from Club Degli Investitori, Simon Fiduciaria, the trust hub of Ersel Group, and Italian Angels for Growth. Claris Ventures worked closely with the Technology Innovation and Development Office (TIDO) at Boston Children’s Hospital to put both of these agreements in place and Irene Abrams, Vice President for Technology Development & New Ventures, Boston Children’s Hospital, shared her thoughts on the development, stating “We are excited to see Professor Chiarle’s innovative discoveries being translated into novel medicines for patients facing the challenge of ALKmediated lung cancer. This collaboration brings much needed support for this important project.”
About ALKemist Bio
ALKemist Bio is a biotechnology company founded in Turin, Italy, in 2024. The company stems from the research of Professor Roberto Chiarle and is focused on developing TCR-based therapies targeting the ALK oncogene for ALK-positive cancer patients.
Contact: