Sareum Regulatory News (SAR)

SAREUM HOLDINGS PLC

("Sareum" or the "Company") 

Sareum andSRI International Demonstrate Preclinical Proof of Concept in Tyrosine Kinase 2 (TYK2) Programme - Data to be Presented at Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCiS) 2014 Meeting

Cambridge, UK-June 26, 2014 Sareum (AIM: SAR), the specialist cancer drug discovery business, is pleased to announce thatMelissa Works, Ph.D of SRI International will present the latest data from the Sareum/SRI collaboration that is developing TYK2 kinase inhibitors as treatments for inflammatory diseases at the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCiS) conference.

The oral presentation, "Inhibition of TYK2 and JAK1 Ameliorates Imiquimod-induced Psoriasis-like Dermatitis by Inhibiting IL-22 and IL-23" describes recent proof of concept studies undertaken by SRI scientists on Sareum's lead compound SAR-T29. In a mouse model of psoriasis, inhibition of TYK2 and JAK1 kinase by treatment with SAR-T29 significantly reduces inflammation and disease severity. The FOCiS conference, held this week in Chicago, attracts leading immunology and inflammatory disease researchers and clinicians from across the globe.

Sareum's CSO Dr John Reader commented: "We are pleased to see the new data and progress we are making in this joint development programme with SRI. This exciting conference offers us a great opportunity to present our autoimmune disease programme to representatives from international pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies." Annalisa D'Andrea, Ph.D., Senior Director of Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases in SRI's Biosciences Division, and leader of the SRI TYK2 programme team said, "It is exciting to see the success of the novel approach to developing selective inhibitors that combine TYK2 and JAK1 inhibition demonstrated in an in vivo model of inflammation."

Sareum and SRI International entered into a co-development agreement to develop TYK2 inhibitors for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in April 2013.

Notes for editors:

About Sareum Holdings plc

Sareum is a drug discovery and development company delivering targeted small molecule therapeutics, focusing on cancer and autoimmune disease, for licensing to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies at the pre-clinical or early clinical trials stage.

Sareum operates an outsourced research model, working with collaborators (SRI International, the CRT Pioneer Fund and Hebei Medical University Biomedical Engineering Center) and a world-wide network of research providers. Its research pipeline includes two programmes undergoing pre-clinical IND-enabling studies.

SKIL® (Sareum Kinase Inhibitor Library) is Sareum's drug discovery technology platform that has so far produced the Company's Aurora+FLT3, Aurora+ALK, VEGFR-3, FLT3 & TYK2 kinase cancer and auto-immune disease research programmes. SKIL® can also generate drug research programmes against other kinase targets.

Sareum Holdings plc is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol SAR. For further information, please visit www.sareum.co.uk

About SRI's Biosciences DivisionSRI's Biosciences division carries out basic research, drug discovery, and drug development, and provides contract (CRO) services. SRI has all of the resources necessary to take R&D from initial discoveries into human clinical trials. SRI's product pipeline has yielded marketed drugs, therapeutics currently in clinical trials, and additional programs in earlier stages. In its CRO business, SRI has helped government and commercial clients and partners advance many drugs into patient testing. SRI is also working to create the next generation of technologies in areas such as diagnostics, drug delivery, medical devices, and systems biology.

About SRI International

Innovations from SRI International (www.sri.com) have created new industries, billions of dollars of marketplace value, and lasting benefits to society-touching our lives every day. SRI, a nonprofit research and development institute based in Silicon Valley, brings its innovations to the marketplace through technology licensing, new products, and spin-off ventures. Government and business clients come to SRI for pioneering R&D and solutions in computing and communications, chemistry and materials, education, energy, health and pharmaceuticals, national defense, robotics, sensing, and more.

- Ends -