Oncternal Therapeutics Joins Karolinska Institutet’s NextGenNK Competence Center for the Development of Next Generation NK Cell-Based Cancer Immunotherapies

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 03, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oncternal Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ONCT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel oncology therapies, today announced it has joined Karolinska Institutet’s NextGenNK Competence Center for the Development of Next Generation NK Cell-Based Cancer Immunotherapies as a collaborative partner.

“We look forward to strengthening our partnership with the world-renowned Karolinska Institutet and joining other industry and academic partners in developing the next generation of cell therapies,” said James Breitmeyer, M.D., Ph.D., Oncternal’s President and CEO. “The combination of Karolinska Institutet’s cutting edge research in NK cell-based cancer therapies and Oncternal’s deep scientific and clinical expertise in anti-ROR1 immunotherapies, can accelerate the development of best-in-class ROR1-targeting allogeneic NK cell therapies.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Oncternal Therapeutics to NextGenNK,” said Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren, director of the Competence Center, “ROR1 is an exciting target that is highly expressed in a wide range of cancers, and we look forward to working with Oncternal in development of new and novel cellular medicines that can address unmet needs of cancer patients globally.”

About Oncternal Therapeutics

Oncternal Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel oncology therapies for the treatment of cancers with critical unmet medical need. Oncternal focuses drug development on promising yet untapped biological pathways implicated in cancer generation or progression. The clinical pipeline includes cirmtuzumab, an investigational monoclonal antibody designed to inhibit the ROR1 pathway, a type I tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor, that is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in combination with ibrutinib for the treatment of patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and in an investigator-sponsored, Phase 1b clinical trial in combination with paclitaxel for the treatment of women with HER2-negative metastatic or locally advanced, unresectable breast cancer, as well as a Phase 2 clinical trial of cirmtuzumab in combination with venetoclax, a Bcl-2 inhibitor, in patients with relapsed/refractory CLL. Oncternal is also developing a chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy that targets ROR1, which is currently in preclinical development as a potential treatment for hematologic cancers and solid tumors. The clinical pipeline also includes TK216, an investigational targeted small-molecule inhibitor of the ETS family of oncoproteins, that is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for patients with Ewing sarcoma alone and in combination with vincristine chemotherapy. More information is available at https://oncternal.com.

About Karolinska Institutet

Karolinska Institutet is one of the world’s leading medical universities. Its vision is to advance knowledge about life and strive towards better health for all. Karolinska Institutet accounts for the single largest share of all academic medical research conducted in Sweden and offers the country’s broadest range of education in medicine and health sciences. The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet selects the Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine.

About NextGenNK Consortium

NextGenNK is a Competence Center for the development of next generation NK cell-based cancer immunotherapies. The Center is coordinated by Karolinska Institutet and collaborates with the Karolinska University Hospital and prominent national and international industrial partners. The Center was launched in 2020, and is jointly funded by Karolinska Institutet, the Industrial partners, and Vinnova, Sweden’s innovation agency.

Forward-Looking Information

Oncternal cautions you that statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negatives of these terms or other similar expressions. These statements are based on Oncternal’s current beliefs and expectations. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the potential for ROR1-targeted therapies. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties inherent in Oncternal’s business, including risks associated with the clinical development and process for obtaining regulatory approval of Oncternal’s product candidates, such as potential delays in the commencement, enrollment and completion of clinical trials; the risk that results seen in a case study of one patient likely will not predict the results seen in other patients in the clinical trial; the risk that interim results of a clinical trial do not predict final results and that one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change as patient enrollment continues, following more comprehensive reviews of the data, as follow-up on the outcome of any particular patient continues, and as more patient data become available; and other risks described in Oncternal’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements in this press release are current only as of the date hereof and, except as required by applicable law, Oncternal undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This caution is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Contact Information:

Investors
Richard Vincent
Chief Financial Officer
858-434-1113
rvincent@oncternal.com

Media
Corey Davis
LifeSci Advisors
212-915-2577
cdavis@lifesciadvisors.com