4basebio Plc Regulatory News (4BB)

4basebio Plc - Strategic Research Collaboration

PR Newswire

London, January 17

18 January 2022

4basebio PLC

("4basebio", the "Company" or the “Group”)

Strategic Research Collaborationevaluating linear DNA for mRNA production

4basebio PLC (AIM: 4BB), the specialist life sciences group focused on exploiting intellectual property in the field of cell and gene therapies and DNA vaccines, is pleased to announce a strategic research collaboration between its wholly owned subsidiary 4basebio Discovery Limited and eTheRNA immunotherapies, a pioneering company driving mRNA technology and therapeutic product development for treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.

Under the Strategic Research Collaboration, the companies will be collaborating on the use of 4basebio’s synthetic osDNA™ technology as a template for eTheRNA‘s in vitro mRNA production. The successful outcome of this project will pave the way for the use of a novel, high-performance and cost-effective DNA template for IVT mRNA synthesis.

mRNA technology has come into focus as a drug class to treat a wide variety of diseases with high unmet medical needs, exemplified by the success of vaccines to treat COVID-19. Normally, linearised plasmid DNA is used as a starting template for in vitro transcription (IVT) into mRNA. This mRNA is then translated in a patient’s cells to produce proteins that could prevent or treat disease.

Dr Heikki Lanckriet, CEO and CSO for 4basebio said: “We are very excited to be working with eTheRNA, a leader in advanced mRNA technologies, in evaluating our proprietary linear DNA constructs as a template for mRNA production”.

Phil Challis, VP of Product Development for eTheRNA immunotherapies said: “We are delighted to be working with 4basebio and their exciting DNA synthesis technology. This collaboration will allow us to validate the use of their novel linear DNA constructs in our mRNA production”.

For further enquiries, please contact:

4basebio PLC +44 (0)12 2396 7943

Heikki Lanckriet

Nominated Adviser +44 (0)20 7213 0880

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP

Jo Tuner / Sandy Jamieson

Broker +44 (0)20 7220 0500

finnCap Ltd

Geoff Nash/Richard Chambers/Charlotte Sutcliffe

Notes to Editors

About 4basebio

4basebio (AIM: 4BB) is a specialist life sciences group focused on exploiting intellectual property in the field of cell and gene therapies and DNA vaccines. It is the intention of the Company to become a market leader in the manufacture and supply of high purity, synthetic DNA for research, therapeutic and pharmacological use and develop non-viral vectors for the efficient delivery of payloads. The immediate objectives of 4bb are to validate and scale its DNA synthesis and advance its collaborations to facilitate the functional validation of its DNA based products and cell and gene delivery solutions.

About eTheRNA immunotherapies

eTheRNA immunotherapies NV is developing immunotherapy and vaccine products for the treatment of cancer and infectious disease from its mRNA chemistry, antigen identification, lipid chemistry and delivery and process engineering platforms. The company is headquartered in Belgium and was established in 2013. Its founding shareholders include Progress Pharma and VUB. eTheRNA is supported by an international group of specialized investors; BNP Fortis Private Equity, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Funds, Everjoy Fortune PTE. LTD, Grand Decade Development Limited, Fund+, LSP, Novalis Lifesciences, Omega Funds, PMV and Ying Zhou Enterprise Management Company Limited who share the Company’s ambition to build a world-leading company in the RNA field. To date, the Company has raised €63 million of venture funding. Further details relating to eTheRNA’s R&D pipeline can be found at https://www.etherna.be/immunotherapies-rd-pipeline/.

Forward-looking statements

This announcement may contain certain statements about the future outlook for the 4basebio. Although the directors believe their expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, any statements about future outlook may be influenced by factors that could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially different.