Boehringer Ingelheim and Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI), the research arm of Sarah Cannon, the global cancer institute of HCA, announced a new strategic collaboration. This partnership brings together Boehringer Ingelheim’s extensive experience in cancer drug development and Sarah Cannon’s expertise and leadership in designing and optimizing clinical trials. The partnership will help bring innovative cancer treatments to patients with unmet medical needs.

The joint clinical development programme will study Boehringer Ingelheim’s BI 754091(anti- PD-1) and BI 754111 (anti-LAG 3) monoclonal antibodies for the combination treatment of multiple cancers with high unmet medical needs, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). BI 754091 and BI 754111 are immune checkpoint inhibitors designed to rally the patient’s own immune system – which is often suppressed by the tumor – to fight cancer. As both compounds interact with the immune system at different points, the combination treatment approach is expected to result in better anti-tumor response, potentially leading to improved outcomes for patients. Following preliminary findings, the collaboration could be expanded beyond the initial research focus.

“Clinical research is a critical component of finding more effective therapies for patients across different cancer types,” said Howard A. “Skip” Burris, MD, president, clinical operations and chief medical officer, Sarah Cannon. “We are committed to advancing treatment options through more targeted methods for patients fighting cancer. By collaborating with Boehringer Ingelheim’s oncology research teams, we can further our understanding of immunotherapies and bring these cutting-edge treatment options into the community more rapidly for patients.”

“We are excited to partner with the scientific experts at Sarah Cannon to boost the development of two immune-oncology candidates from Boehringer Ingelheim’s broad oncology pipeline,” said Dr. Jörg Barth, corporate senior vice president, therapy area head oncology, Boehringer Ingelheim. “This collaboration is an important part of our commitment to the area of immune oncology and complements our ongoing research efforts to develop therapeutic cancer vaccines or cancer-fighting viruses as well as in the development of novel targeted therapies.”

Through Sarah Cannon Development Innovations, a full-service, oncology-focused contract research organization (CRO), Sarah Cannon will provide comprehensive clinical development services and operational delivery of Boehringer Ingelheim’s early stage development programs. The collaboration will enable rapid patient enrollment to clinical trials through Sarah Cannon’s extensive network across the US and UK. Sarah Cannon is one of the world’s leading clinical research organizations, conducting more than 220 first-in-human studies to date and enrolling more than 2,000 patients each year on innovative clinical trials.