Research Update - SDC-1802 anti-cancer poster

(AIM: SAR)30 October 2019

SAREUM HOLDINGS PLC

("Sareum" or the "Company")

Sareum presents data highlighting the anti-tumour activity of TYK2/JAK1 Inhibitor SDC-1802 in multiple cancer disease models via a novel immunotherapeutic mechanism of action

Poster presented at AACR-NCI-EORTC cancer conference

Sareum Holdings plc, the specialist small molecule drug development business, announces that its CEO, Dr Tim Mitchell, presented data yesterday demonstrating how SDC-1802 (formerly known as SAR-20351), a novel selective TYK2/JAK1 inhibitor discovered by Sareum, significantly reduces tumour growth in disease models of cancers of the pancreas, colon, skin and kidney, plus B-cell lymphoma. The studies showed that SDC-1802 induces this anti-cancer activity through a novel immunotherapeutic mechanism of action that stimulates the local immune system to attack cancer cells. 

These positive results were seen when SDC-1802/SAR-20351 was dosed orally, both as a monotherapy and in combination with standard-of-care therapies. These data provide support for TYK2/JAK1 inhibition as a potentially powerful new immunotherapy approach and for the further development of SDC-1802 as a novel cancer therapeutic.

The data were presented in a poster at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) National Cancer Institute (NCI) European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) International Conference (26-30 October 2019 in Boston, USA). The poster entitled "Immunotherapeutic effects of the TYK2 inhibitor SAR-20351 in syngeneic tumour models" (Abstract C086) has been published on the Company's website at http://www.sareum.com/news/patents-and-publications.

Sareum's CEO, Dr Tim Mitchell, commented: "We were pleased to present these data highlighting the anti-tumour effects of our oral TYK2/JAK1 inhibitor SDC-1802 and its immunotherapeutic mechanism yesterday at AACR-NCI-EORTC. The conference is an important international cancer congress showcasing innovative research from academic and pharmaceutical organisations from around the world. There was a good level of interest directed at novel immunotherapy mechanisms such as TYK2/JAK1 inhibition and we look forward to further discussions with interested parties."

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Notes for editors:

Sareum is a specialist drug development company delivering targeted small molecule therapeutics to improve the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease. The Company aims to generate value through licensing its candidates to international pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies at the preclinical or early clinical trials stage.

Sareum is advancing internal programmes focused on distinct dual tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) / Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) inhibitors through preclinical development as therapies for autoimmune diseases (SDC-1801) and cancers (SDC-1802). The Company is targeting first human clinical trials in each indication in 2020.

Sareum also has an economic interest in SRA737, a clinical-stage oral, selective Checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) inhibitor that targets cancer cell replication and DNA damage repair mechanisms. Preliminary data suggest SRA737 may have broad application in combination with other oncology and immune-oncology drugs in genetically defined patients. SRA737 was discovered and initially developed by scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research in collaboration with Sareum, and with funding from Cancer Research UK. SRA737 was licensed by CRT Pioneer Fund (CPF) to Sierra Oncology, in a $328.5m plus royalties licence deal, with Sareum eligible to receive 27.5% of all payments to CPF under the agreement.

Sareum Holdings plc is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, trading under the ticker SAR. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.sareum.co.uk.

Cancer Immunotherapy, also known as immuno-oncology, is a form of cancer treatment that uses the power of the body's own immune system to prevent, control, and eliminate cancer. Cancer Immunotherapy can:

• Educate the immune system to recognise and attack specific cancer cells;

• Boost immune cells to help them eliminate cancer; and

• Provide the body with additional components to enhance the immune response.

Unleashing the power of the immune system is considered to be a smart way to fight cancer because:

• The immune system is precise, so it is possible for it to target cancer cells exclusively while sparing healthy cells;

• The immune system can adapt continuously and dynamically, just like cancer does, so if a tumour manages to escape detection, the immune system can re-evaluate and launch a new attack; and

• The immune system's "memory" allows it to remember what cancer cells look like, so it can target and eliminate the cancer if it returns.

(Source: The Cancer Research Institute, www.cancerresearch.org)

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