IRC, UMBI To Enter Research, Licensing Collaboration for Chemokine and HAF Technology

The Immune Response Corp. (IRC; Carlsbad, CA) and University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI; College Park, MD) have reached an agreement on key terms of a collaboration. Under the agreement, IRC will exclusively license rights from UMBI for chemokine and HAF (hCG associated factor) technology, discovered by Robert Gallo and his associates at the Institute of Human Virology (IHV; Baltimore).

Under the agreement, IRC will issue restricted stock to UMBI as an initial license fee and will sponsor a five-year renewable research program at IHV. In addition, IRC will initiate a research effort of its own at the UMBI facility.

HAF is a naturally occurring peptide discovered by Gallo and his associates. Gallo's group has generated data in vitro and in vivo that demonstrate HAF may have clinical applications in the direct treatment of cancer, as an adjunct to chemo and/or radiation therapy by promoting bone marrow cell growth and differentiation, and in HIV prevention and treatment.

Chemokines are biological regulators that are secreted by several types of cells within the body. They appear to have two key characteristics in that they slow or block HIV infection and attract cells to the site of infection or inflammation. In so doing, chemokines may have clinical application in the prevention and treatment of HIV infection and as adjuvants in that they may enhance the immune response to various vaccines.

IRC will have a right of first refusal to license all new technology related to HAF and chemokines that is subsequently developed by the IHV, following the appropriate UMBI policies. IRC has agreed to use all reasonable efforts to commercialize products for use in the field and will incur the associated cost of patenting the new technology.

The Institute of Human Virology is the first institute in the U.S. to integrate the fundamental disciplines of basic research, epidemiology, and clinical research toward discovery of diagnostics and therapeutics.

The Immune Response Corp. is a biopharmaceutical company that develops immune-based therapies to induce specific T-cell responses for the treatment of HIV, autoimmune diseases, and cancer.

For more information: Dennis J. Carlo, President and CEO, The Immune Response Corp., 5935 Darwin Ct., Carlsbad, CA 92008. Tel: 760-431-7080. Fax: 760-431-8636.