Elicera Therapeutics publishes scientific article in Nature Biomedical Engineering on the iTANK-platform and data indicating its universal compatibility with other CAR T-cell therapies

The iTANK-platform is intended to counteract two of the major challenges CAR T-cell therapies face in the treatment of solid tumors: antigen heterogeneity and a hostile tumor microenvironment.

"I am thrilled that scientific information and data about the iTANK-platform have been published in one of the highest ranked (impact factor 25,7) and most prestigious journals within the field of biomedical engineering. The publication is an important external validation of the iTANK technology platform and the science behind its ability to create a multi-targeted attack on solid tumors. A CAR T-cell therapy for treatment of solid tumors has yet to be approved, so this is an important step forward in realizing this opportunity,” said Jamal El-Mosleh, CEO of Elicera.  

iTANK (immunotherapies Activated with NAP for efficient Killing) is Elicera’s universal CAR T-cell enhancement technology platform whose mechanism-of-action generates a parallel immune response by a multitargeted attack on cancer cells through activation of endogenous killer T-cells:  

• The iTANK technology platform arms CAR T-cells with a transgene that codes for a Helicobacter Pylorineutrophil-activating protein (NAP). When the CAR(NAP) T-cell binds to tumor cells, NAP is released which will activate surrounding immune cells to further release cytokines and chemokines.
• This in turn creates a proinflammatory environment which directly combats the hostile tumor microenvironment in solid tumors and strengthens the function of the CAR T-cells.
• The proinflammatory microenvironment will also induce a so called “bystander” immune activation, meaning that antigen-presenting-cells will be recruited to the tumor site, where they will pick up the whole set of relevant tumor target antigens that have been released from dying tumor cells due to the CAR T-cell tumor attack. These target antigens will then be presented to CD8+ killer T-cells in the lymph nodes and the activated killer T-cells will subsequently seek out and destroy tumor cells that carry these target antigens.

Preclinical proof-of-concept data presented in the article, which were also presented at the European Society of Cell & Gene Therapy Congress in October 2021, show that iTANK-enhanced CAR(NAP) T-cells are more successful in reducing tumor growth and enhancing survival of mice than conventional CAR T-cells regardless of the choice of CAR-molecule, tumor type, or mouse model, indicating that the iTANK-platform is universally compatible with other CAR T-cell therapies.

The publication, titled “CAR T cells expressing a bacterial virulence factor trigger potent bystander antitumour responses in solid cancers” (DOI number: 10.1038/s41551-022-00875-5) can be found here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-022-00875-5.

This constitutes information that Elicera Therapeutics AB is required to publish under the EU’s Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication through the above contact person on April 4^th, 2022 17.00 CET.

For further information please contact:

Jamal El-Mosleh, CEO, Elicera Therapeutics AB

Phone: +46 (0) 703 31 90 51
jamal.elmosleh@elicera.com

About the iTANK platform

The iTANK- (immunoTherapies Activated with NAP for efficient Killing) platform is the company's own fully developed technology platform for arming and enhancing CAR T-cells to meet two of the major challenges CAR T-cell therapies face in the treatment of solid tumors: tumor antigen heterogeneity and a hostile tumor microenivornment. The technology is used to incorporate a transgene into CAR T-cells encoding a neutrophil activating protein (NAP) from the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Upon activation, NAP secreted from the CAR(NAP) T-cells has been shown to be able to enhance the function of the CAR T-cell in addition to activating a parallel immune response via CD8+ killer T-cells. This is expected to lead to a broad attack against most antigen targets on cancer cells. The iTANK-platform is used to enhance the company's own CAR T-cells but can also be universally applied to other CAR T-cell therapies under development. More information about iTANK-platform is available here: https://www.elicera.com/technology

About Elicera Therapeutics AB

Elicera Therapeutics AB is a clinical stage cell and gene therapy company that develops next generation immuno-oncology treatments based on enhanced oncolytic viruses and CAR T-cells. The work is based on high-profile long-standing research conducted by Professor Magnus Essand's research group at Uppsala University and has resulted in the development of four drug candidates, including two CAR T-cells and two oncolytic viruses. In addition, Elicera has developed a technology platform called iTANK that can be used to optimize all CAR T-cells in development and activate killer T-cells against cancer. The company’s share (ELIC) is traded on Nasdaq First North Growth Market. G&W Fondkommission has been appointed the Company's Certified Adviser. E-mail: ca@gwkapital.se, tel: +468-503 000 50.

For more information, please visit www.elicera.com