Immatics Biotechnologies, a Germany-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have launched Immatics U.S., a new company focused on adoptive cellular therapies (ACT) for the treatment of a range of tumor types.

Immatics believes that ACT approaches can deliver significant, long-lasting clinical benefits. The new company will strive to develop three different ACT approaches for the treatment of tumors with high unmet medical needs, the first of which will enter the clinic in 2016.

Immatics U.S. will develop both autologous and allogenic ACT approaches by capitalizing on MD Anderson’s clinical oncology and cell therapy expertise and Immatics’ cancer target and T-cell receptor discovery capabilities.

Immatics U.S. will be based in Houston.