Scancell Holdings Regulatory News (SCLP)

23 June 2022

Scancell Holdings plc

("Scancell" or the "Company")

Scancell to produce and clinically validate T cell redirecting bispecific antibodies

Company to combine proprietary GlyMab® antibodies with in-licenced Fc silencing technology from mAbsolve

Scancell Holdings plc (AIM: SCLP), the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious disease, today announces it will develop GlyMab® antibodies into T cell redirecting bispecific (TCB) antibodies and take them into the clinic. This is a promising new therapeutic approach to treat cancer. TCB antibodies have dual-binding specificity which crosslinks tumour cells via their glycans with an activating receptor CD3 on T cells. This results in activation of killer T cells and tumour cell death. These antibodies are particularly potent in tumours which have lost the T cell recognition molecule major histocompatibility antigen (MHC) or where there is limited T cell infiltration as they by-pass normal T cell activation pathways and redirect the host immune system to the tumour. The Company is currently in the preclinical research phase and expects to take this novel product into a Phase 1 clinical study in due course. The Board believes this will provide a strong validation and demonstration of value for the whole GlyMab® antibody platform.

To create TCB antibodies, Scancell will combine its proprietary GlyMab® antibodies, which target sugar motifs rather than proteins and are designed to have superior affinity and selectivity profiles, with in-licenced Fc silencing technology from Oxford-based mAbsolve. The technology from mAbsolve reduces the likelihood of toxicity caused by cytokine storms, which can be associated with clinical antibodies engaging the immune system. Scancell will leverage its deep understanding of cancer immunotherapy and T cell immunology together with its strong development capabilities to bring the TCB antibodies to clinical validation, thereby adding value to the entire GlyMab® platform.

In parallel, the Company will utilise the GlyMab® platform to deliver cytotoxic drugs (ADC) or cell therapies (CAR). The Board of Scancell intends to realise the potential of these approaches for the GlyMab® antibodies through strategic partnerships with third parties.

Prof Lindy Durrant, Chief Executive Officer, Scancell, commented: "Over the past year we have been evaluating the optimal products for Scancell to develop through exploiting our Glymab® platform. We believe we can add considerable value to the antibody portfolio by taking TCB products into the clinic, as opposed to outlicensing them at the preclinical stage. At the same time, the Board continues to evaluate opportunities to enter into revenue generating deals for our antibodies with ADC or CAR companies."

Dr Geoff Hale, Chief Executive Officer, mAbsolve, commented: "We are delighted that Scancell has selected our technology for the development of their TCB products. We are convinced that our technology is the most effective approach to inhibit unwanted immune activation associated with antibodies redirecting T cells."

About GlyMab®

Scancell has been building a pipeline of differentiated anti-cancer monoclonal antibodies ('mAbs') that target sugar motifs rather than proteins. The Company currently has five novel mAbs in early-stage development and has the potential to use its unique methodology to identify many more mAbs against glycan targets in the future. All cells are covered by a dense layer of sugar structures, called glycans, which change when a normal cell turns into a cancer cell. These glycan motifs that are associated with tumour malignancies can be targeted by antibodies such as the Company's GlyMab® portfolio.

A robust portfolio of patents and applications, as well as know-how, surround the GlyMab® platform and generated drug candidates. The GlyMab® technology is part of Scancell's antibody portfolio, joining AvdiMab®, a technology that can be applied to all antibodies (regardless of the technology used to generate them), enhancing their potency and ability to directly kill tumour cells.

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (MAR).

About Scancell

Scancell is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that is leveraging its proprietary research, built up over many years of studying the human adaptive immune system, to generate novel medicines to treat significant unmet needs in cancer and infectious disease. The Company is building a pipeline of innovative products by utilising its four technology platforms: Moditope® and ImmunoBody® for vaccines and GlyMab® and AvidiMab® for antibodies.

Adaptive immune responses include antibodies and T cells (CD4 and CD8), both of which can recognise damaged or infected cells. In order to destroy such cancerous or infected cells, Scancell uses either vaccines to induce immune responses or monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to redirect immune cells or drugs. The Company's unique approach is that its innovative products target modifications of proteins and lipids. For the vaccines (Moditope® and ImmunoBody®) this includes citrullination and homocitrullination of proteins, whereas its mAb portfolio targets glycans or sugars that are added onto proteins and / or lipids (GlyMab®) or enhances the potency of antibodies and their ability to directly kill tumour cells (AvidiMab®).

For further information about Scancell, please visit: https://www.scancell.co.uk/  

About mAbsolve

mAbsolve was founded in the UK by pioneers of therapeutic antibody development and engineering from both Oxford and Cambridge. We have experienced the clinical challenges caused by incomplete silencing of antibodies using LALA, aglycosylated or IgG4 variants. To address this, we have developed a best-in-class solution for silencing of antibody effector function. Our STR technology is the only truly silent Fc.

For further information about mAbsolve, please visit: https://mabsolve.com/