Tempus AI has announced an expanded, multi-year collaboration to support the commercialization of individualized neoantigen therapy for melanoma being jointly developed by Moderna and Merck.
Intismeran autogene (V940/mRNA-4157) therapy, one of a class of therapeutics sometimes referred to as personalized cancer vaccines, is being evaluated in combination with Merck’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in patients with completely resected melanoma and other cancer types.
Under the agreement, announced Oct. 7, Tempus will manage the collection and transfer of the tumor tissue and blood samples for next-generation sequencing to identify neoantigens unique to the tumor. Subject to applicable regulatory approvals, Tempus will also provide NGS services to support the therapy’s design and manufacturing process.
Financial terms were not disclosed. The collaboration builds on joint efforts that began last year, according to Tempus.
“Bringing an individualized therapy like intismeran autogene from clinical development toward potential commercialization requires a seamless, highly reliable diagnostic network,” Said Francis, Moderna’s chief business officer and general manager of individualized neoantigen therapies, said in a statement. “Working with Tempus allows us to leverage their commercial footprint and advanced sequencing capabilities as we work to deliver individualized neoantigen therapies to patients at scale.”
