Champions Biotechnology has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Tel Aviv University (TAU) giving it the worldwide rights to develop and market TAR-1, a novel therapeutic treatment for cancer.

The TAR-1 single-chain antibody fragment promises an advantage in treating cancer patients due to its affinity to binding mutant p53 protein with a high degree of specificity, leading to in vivo inhibition of tumor growth. Given the frequency of mutant p53 in cancer, TAR-1 has the potential to target a wide range of human cancers.

The new drug was developed by TAU researcher Prof. Beka Solomon and licensed through Ramot, the university’s wholly-owned technology transfer company.

Champions Biotechnology is a US oncology drug development company with a predictive preclinical platform. It will utilize its Biomerk Tumorgraft(TM) platform technology to evaluate the activity of TAR-1 and determine the best path forward for the compound with regard to indication, patient population and potential drug combinations.

Ramot will receive an upfront payment and will be eligible to receive milestone payments and royalties if Champions chooses to continue the license terms, which will be determined based on results from testing TAR-1 in the predictive Tumorgraft platform.