REG - Roquefort Theraptcs. - Grant of MK Cell Patent & Licencing Update

Roquefort TherapeuticsAnnouncement

02/09/2024 07:00

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RNS Number : 4162C  Roquefort Therapeutics PLC  02 September 2024

2 September 2024

Roquefort Therapeutics plc

("Roquefort Therapeutics" or the "Company")

Grant of MK Cell Patent & Licencing Update

 

Roquefort Therapeutics (LSE:ROQ), the Main Market listed biotech company
focused on developing first in class medicines in the high value and high
growth immunology and oncology markets, confirms that the European Patent
Office has granted the patent for its Mesodermal Killer ("MK") cell therapy,
across 39 counties including the UK and EU i .

 

Novel Cellular Immunology / Oncology Medicine

Mesodermal Killer cells are a novel therapeutic cell type developed from the
pioneering work of Roquefort Therapeutics' non-executive director, Nobel
Laureate, Professor Sir Martin Evans. MK cells display a novel
immunophenotype ii  and thus represent a new class of cell, which is confirmed
by the granting of this patent.

 

The Company's MK cells form an off-the-shelf (allogenic) cellular medicine,
which underpins a promising new form of immunotherapy. MK cells have been
shown to have both a direct effect and to recruit and activate Natural Killer
("NK") cells iii  immune response in immunology and oncology indications. Cell
based immunotherapy is an attractive new niche highlighted by the recent
successful US$167 million NASDAQ IPO of Artiva Biotherapeutics iv  and the
licensing deals of Dragonfly Therapeutics and Fate Therapeutics (NASDAQ:
FATE), with both immunology and oncology indications.

 

The granted European Patent Organization patent is valid in 39 countries
across Europe and provides protection for both the composition of matter of
the MK cell type and for a population of NK cells primed (activated) by the MK
cells. This affords Roquefort Therapeutics protection for a portfolio of
multiple novel medicines comprising of the MK cells alone, MK + NK cells or
primed NK cells.

 

Pre-Clinical Development

Since Roquefort Therapeutics acquired the MK cell programme as part of the
Oncogeni acquisition in 2021, the Company has tested the MK cells in
combination with NK cells.  MK cells were shown to activate Natural Killer
cells and this activation produced up to a two-fold increase in cytotoxicity
compared to treatment with NK cells alone. The data, whilst early stage,
indicates how the MK cell programme can be used to activate Natural Killer
cells in the high value difficult to treat immunology and oncology disease
areas.

 

The Company plans to complete in vivo studies to demonstrate MK activation of
NK cells in high value immunology and / or cancer indications in preparation
for a key value inflection point of initiating a clinical study.

 

Out-Licencing Update

As announced on 23 May 2024, Roquefort Therapeutics signed a term sheet for
the out-licensing of its Midkine antibody portfolio to PDC FZ-LLC ("PDC"), a
leading MEA pharmaceutical research and development organisation.  The
Company continues to work with PDC to progress this transaction to completion.

 

In addition, Roquefort Therapeutics is actively pursuing an out-licensing deal
with Big Pharma for its STAT-6 siRNA programme.  As part of this initiative
the Company is carrying out additional in vitro experiments in an immunology
setting - with the results expected shortly.  The Company believes that
positive immunology results will enhance the Company's existing positive
oncology results and therefore strengthen the programme's attractiveness to
potential licensees.  The Company will update the market as this process
progresses.

 

Roquefort Therapeutics CEO Ajan Reginald commented:

"The granting of this European patent for MK cell therapy highlights both the
security of our foundational IP in confirming the novelty of the MK cells and
the commercial potential of MK cells in immunology and oncology markets. These
markets are highly attractive to both Big Pharma and to sophisticated Biotech
investors, recently highlighted by Artiva's oversubscribed IPO in July 2024.

 

Roquefort Therapeutics has the potential to build a similar immunotherapy
franchise having already established the ability to manufacture the allogenic
(off-the-shelf) MK cells and to incorporate and prime NK cells in a scalable
manufacturing process. The MK cells generate a significant activation of NK
cells which may augment the efficacy of NK cells, which is the critical
attribute in immunology and oncology indications. The strategic implication of
the granting of the MK cell patent is that this creates a significant
franchise opportunity in immunology for the Company.

 

We have had a busy summer meeting with PDC to work on progressing our
licensing deal, as well as advancing the STAT-6 siRNA programme in immunology
for Big Pharma partners interested in a potential licence or sale.

 

With both the MK cell therapy and the STAT-6 siRNA being in the attractive
immunology market, and the out- licensing deals we are working on closing in
Q4, we believe the next few months have the potential to be transformational
for Roquefort Therapeutics."

 

ENDS

Enquiries:
 Roquefort Therapeutics plc                      +44 (0)20 3918 8633
 Stephen West (Chairman) / Ajan Reginald (CEO)
 SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP (Broker)         +44 (0) 20 3470 0470

 David Hignell / Vadim Alexandre / Devik Mehta
 Buchanan (Public Relations)                     +44 (0)20 7466 5000

 Ben Romney / Jamie Hooper / George Beale
 Peak IR (Investor Relations)                    +33 (0)7 44 44 15 42

 Seb Wykeham

 

LEI: ‎254900P4SISIWOR9RH34

 

About Roquefort Therapeutics

Roquefort Therapeutics (LSE:ROQ) is a Main Market listed biotech company
developing first in class drugs in the high value and high growth oncology
segment prior to partnering or selling to big pharma.

 

Roquefort Therapeutics' portfolio consists of five novel patent-protected
pre-clinical anti-cancer medicines.  The highly complementary profile of five
best-in-class medicines consists of:

·    Midkine antibodies with significant in vivo efficacy and toxicology
studies;

·    Midkine RNA therapeutics with novel anti-cancer gene editing action;

·    Midkine mRNA therapeutics with novel anti-cancer approach;

·    STAT-6 siRNA therapeutics targeting solid tumours with
significant in vivo efficacy; and

·    MK cell therapy with direct and NK cell-mediated anti-cancer action

 

For further information on Roquefort Therapeutics,
please visit www.roquefortplc.com (http://www.roquefortplc.com/)
 and @RoquefortTherap on X (formerly Twitter).

 

 i  The 39 contracting states of the European Patent Organization currently
are: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco,
Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Türkiye and the United Kingdom:
https://www.epo.org/en/about-us/foundation/member-states
(https://www.epo.org/en/about-us/foundation/member-states)

 ii  which is different from any other cell type including MSCs and includes
expression of CD16, CD96, CD112, CD137L, FasL, TRAIL and CD277 and some NK
cell

 iii  L. Chapman, J. Abdi, S. Galvez-Peisl, A. Keating, Immunophenotypic and
functional characterization of Mesodermal Killer (MK) cells: a novel cell type
and potential cellular therapy for cancer Cytotherapy, Volume 22, Issue 5,
Supplement, 2020, Page S121, ISSN 1465-3249,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcyt.2020.03.226.

 iv  Artiva has a Phase 1/1b trial for AlloNK currently underway in lupus
nephritis, with data expected in H1 2025
https://seekingalpha.com/news/4125936-artiva-biotherapeutics-stock-trading-debut

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