NEC Becomes the First Japanese Company to Join the TESLA Consortium’s Fight Against Cancer

New Delhi, May 13, 2019: NEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) has become the first Japanese company to join the Tumor neoantigEn SeLection Alliance (TESLA) founded and managed by the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and the Cancer Research Institute (CRI). This global bioinformatics collaborative includes scientists from more than 35 of the leading neoantigen research groups in academia, nonprofit and industry. The goal is to find the best algorithms to predict which cancer neoantigens encoded in DNA and RNA can be recognized by and stimulate an immune response.

Individualized neoantigen vaccines, which are tailored to each patient’s tumor, are one of most advanced cancer treatments to show great promise for activating the immune system to fight cancer whilst reducing the chances of autoimmune responses.

NEC was accepted into the TESLA consortium given the uniqueness of the company’s Neoantigen Prediction System. The prediction system utilizes NEC’s cutting-edge AI technology, “NEC the WISE”(1), to identify and prioritize patient-specific neoantigens. NEC comprehensively evaluates candidate neoantigens with a primary focus placed on its in-house MHC-binding affinity prediction. These allow NEC to effectively prioritize the numerous candidate neoantigens identified in a single patient.

“By participating in this consortium, NEC will be able to collaborate with the world’s leading research organizations and potentially improve the chances of survival for cancer patients with this new treatment option,” said Osamu Fujikawa, Senior Vice President, NEC Corporation. “NEC focuses on the provision of social solutions and continues efforts to strengthen its next-generation healthtech businesses,” he added.

Corporate Comm India(CCI NewsWire)