Novartis forms Aduro Biotech alliance and launches immuno-oncology group

Novartis has strengthened its commitment to cancer immunotherapy research with the launch of an alliance with Aduro Biotech and the formation of a dedicated immuno-oncology research group.

The major multi-year alliance with Aduro Biotech will be focused on the discovery and development of next-generation cancer immunotherapies targeting the STING (stimulator of interferon genes) pathway.

Aduro's novel small molecule cyclic dinucleotide therapies have been proven to generate an immune response in preclinical models that specifically attacks tumour cells.

Meanwhile, the new immuno-oncology research group will be led by renowned cancer vaccine expert Dr Glenn Dranoff, who joins the company from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Mark Fishman, president of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, said: "Our new immuno-oncology research group will aggressively drive our current programmes to the clinic and explore new directions for both mono and combination therapies."

This comes after the company completed the acquisition of GlaxoSmithKline's oncology portfolio last month.