BriaCell and BriaPro Announce Closing of Asset Purchase Transaction for Exclusive Soluble CD80 License

The transaction gives BriaPro the worldwide rights to develop and commercialize the novel cancer treatment technology.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 10:13pm

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BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. and its majority-owned subsidiary BriaPro Therapeutics Corp. have announced the completion of an asset purchase transaction, under which BriaPro acquired BriaCell's exclusive license to develop and commercialize Soluble CD80 (sCD80) as a biologic agent for the treatment of cancer. BriaCell originally secured the exclusive license from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2022. The transaction includes a $3 million credit facility from BriaCell to fund BriaPro's research and development efforts, and BriaCell now owns approximately 78% of BriaPro post-transaction.

Why it matters

The sCD80 technology, originally developed by Dr. Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg at UMBC, has shown promising anti-tumor activity in animal studies and the potential to both awaken and boost the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. This transaction gives BriaPro the exclusive rights to further develop and commercialize this novel cancer treatment approach.

The details

Under the terms of the purchase agreement, BriaPro gained the worldwide rights to develop and commercialize sCD80 as a therapeutic agent for cancer treatment, while UMBC retains all rights, title and interest in the inventions and patents, except for certain rights retained by the U.S. government. BriaPro will pay 2% royalties to UMBC upon commercialization of the product, plus other development costs. As consideration, BriaPro issued 23,972,589 common shares to BriaCell, increasing BriaCell's ownership stake in BriaPro to approximately 78%.

  • BriaCell originally secured the exclusive license from UMBC on August 2, 2022.
  • The asset purchase transaction was completed on March 31, 2026.

The players

BriaCell Therapeutics Corp.

A clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops novel immunotherapies to transform cancer care.

BriaPro Therapeutics Corp.

BriaCell's majority-owned subsidiary, a pre-clinical stage immunotherapy company developing binding agents and proteins to boost the body's cancer-fighting cells.

University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

The institution that originally developed the Soluble CD80 (sCD80) technology and licensed the exclusive rights to BriaCell in 2022.

Suzanne Ostrand-Rosenberg, Ph.D.

Emeritus Faculty at UMBC and member of BriaCell's scientific advisory board, who originally developed the sCD80 technology.

Jamieson Bondarenko

Appointed as the new Chairman of the BriaPro board upon closing of the transaction. He has served as Chairman of BriaCell since 2019 and provides strategic capital markets and corporate development advice.

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What they’re saying

“Our mission has been to develop safe and effective treatments for cancer patients who do not respond to existing treatments, and a transformational anti-cancer agent such as sCD80 may provide us with such an additional opportunity.”

— Dr. Bill Williams, BriaCell and BriaPro's President and CEO

What’s next

Based on the promising data in animal studies, BriaCell and BriaPro plan to explore the potential use of sCD80 technology as a therapeutic agent, either in combination with their other immunotherapies or on its own. They will work to accelerate the development of this novel anti-cancer agent.

The takeaway

This transaction gives BriaPro the exclusive rights to further develop and commercialize the promising sCD80 technology, which has shown potential to both awaken and boost the immune system to fight cancer. If successful, this novel approach could provide a new treatment option for cancer patients who do not respond to existing therapies.