Recently, NeoCura Bio-Medical Technology Co., Ltd. ("NeoCura"), a leading AI-empowered RNA drug development company in China, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ("DFCI"), a leading international cancer institute, have entered into a collaboration to jointly develop RADNIT, a wet and dry combined neoantigen identification technology, to advance tumor neoantigen vaccine research. This collaboration has been supported by a special fund.

During the process of developing tumor neoantigen vaccines, high-quality neoantigens appear only on the surface of tumor cells, and only 1% of mutations are presented on tumor cells to become neoantigens, so accurately identification of high-quality neoantigens that are authentically presented and immunogenic in patients is the key to developing effective neoantigen vaccines.

The current technical route of in vitro immunological assays to identify neoantigens usually leads to high false-positive and false-negative validation results, and the use of traditional mass spectrometry technique to identify neoantigens presented on cell surface is limited by the number of clinical tumor cells and the sensitivity of the technique. For this purpose, exploring more sensitive and accurate wet and dry combined neoantigen identification techniques is imperative to improve the clinical effectiveness of neoantigen therapy.

Based on DFCI's large number of clinical tumor samples, high-throughput & high-sensitivity mass spectrometry platform, and NeoCura's top AI Biotechnology, the collaboration between NeoCura and DFCI will identify neoantigens of broad-spectrum origin, including potential neoantigens arising from DNA and RNA abnormalities in coding and non-coding regions, and also break the existing technical bottlenecks, establish Bioinformatics pipeline for patient-specific tumor neoantigen analysis, optimize AI models for neoantigen identification and sequencing, and accelerate identification and prediction of potential neoantigens in tumor genomes.

NeoCura, a China based R&D biotech featuring AI-empowered RNA precision medicine. Founded in 2017, NeoCura is committed to building a global leading RNA innovative drug research and development enterprise. NeoCura brings together the world's top scientists, senior industry experts and first-class academic consultants in AI bioinformatics, tumor immunity, innovative vaccine research and development, drug delivery, nucleic acid carriers and other areas. The core R&D team includes dozens of doctoral/postdoctoral fellows from prestigious schools such as Harvard, Cambridge, Cornell, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Chinese Academy of Sciences. Currently pipelines under development cover tumor neoantigen vaccines, tumor microenvironment immunomodulator, virus prophylactic vaccine and other directions. NeoCura also built a leading RNA drug manufacturing center in China to fulfill R&D and clinical needs.

With its multiple leading technologies, outstanding innovation capability and robust oncology pipelines, NeoCura is recognized as one of the Most Promising Enterprise in China, Top 10 China AI/Algorithm Innovative Pharmaceutical Enterprise in 2021 and Most Valuable Investment Enterprise for Medical and Health Care in 2021.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a leading global center for cancer research and treatment. DFCI is committed to providing best treatment options for cancer patients, while promoting the long-term development of cancer treatment through basic clinical research.

The mission of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is to reduce burden on cancer through scientific discovery, clinical care, education, community involvement and initiative, etc., with focus on cancer patients and their families, providing interdisciplinary, humane, and multi-partnership cancer treatment services to patients. Dana-Farber is deeply involved in breast cancer, skin cancer, gynecologic oncology, lung cancer, stem cell transplantation and cancer clinical trials, seeking for a balance between cancer research and clinical care, and translating scientific findings into novel therapies that could benefit patients worldwide.