Cell Medica Collaborator, Baylor College of Medicine, Showcasing Promise of CAR-NKT Therapies at American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy 22nd Annual Meeting

HOUSTON & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cell Medica, a leader in next-generation cellular immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, announced today that its collaborators from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital will be presenting the latest progress related to its innovative CAR therapy utilizing natural killer T cells (CAR-NKT) at the upcoming 22^nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) April 29 – May 2 in Washington, D.C.

Chris Nowers, Cell Medica’s CEO, said: “Our next-generation CAR-NKT platform combines the unique natural antitumor properties of NKT cells with innovative CAR constructs, enabling the possibility of producing multiple highly tumor-specific therapeutic products. We believe this approach could open up the broad potential of NKT cells to serve as a basis for off-the-shelf cell therapies targeting both solid and hematological tumors. We look forward to the important new updates that our collaborators at Baylor and Texas Children’s Hospital will be sharing at ASGCT.”

Details of the three oral presentations:

Harnessing Natural and Engineered Properties of iNKT Cells for Adoptive Cancer Immunotherapy
Presenter: Dr. Leonid Metelitsa, Professor of Pediatrics, Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine
Session Title: NK cells Versus iNKT cells (Education Session)
Session Date/Time: Monday Apr 29, 2019 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Presentation Time: 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Room: Georgetown

NKT Cells Co-expressing a GD2-specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor and IL-15 Show Enhanced In Vivo Persistence and Antitumor Activity Against Neuroblastoma
Presenter: Dr. Andras Heczey, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine
Session Title: Oral Abstract Session V
Session Date/Time: Tuesday Apr 30, 2019 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Presentation Time: 8:15 AM – 8:30 AM
Final abstract number: 367
Room: Heights Courtyard 3

Development of an Allogeneic Universally Tolerated NKT Cell Platform for Off-the-Shelf Cancer Immunotherapy
Presenter: Dr. Leonid Metelitsa, Professor of Pediatrics, Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine
Session title: Cancer Gene Therapy
Session Date/Time: Wednesday May 1, 2019 3:45 PM - 5:30 PM
Presentation Time: 5:00 PM - 5:15 PM
Final abstract number: 682
Room: Monroe

The full abstracts can be accessed at: https://www.asgct.org/global/documents/asgct19_abstracts_-final

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Notes to Editors

About ASGCT

The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting provides an international forum where the latest gene and cell therapy developments are presented and critically discussed. As the leading American conference focusing solely on gene and cell therapy, ASGCT's annual meeting brings together more than 3,400 professionals including scientists, physicians, and patient advocates.

Find out more at: https://annualmeeting.asgct.org/am19

Media registration is open at: https://annualmeeting.asgct.org/forms/media_registration.php

About GINAKIT2

GINAKIT2 is a first-in-human, dose escalation evaluation of CMD-501 in children with relapsed or refractory (R/R) high risk neuroblastoma (NCT03294954). Neuroblastomas occur primarily in children and account for 7-10 percent of all pediatric cancers. Ninety percent of patients are younger than 5 years at diagnosis. R/R high risk neuroblastoma is one of the deadliest types of childhood cancer and the current median survival is around 1-3 years. Almost all neuroblastomas express GD2, which is targeted by CMD-501. This study is supported by a grant from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), awarded to Baylor College of Medicine investigators, Drs. Heczey and Metelitsa.

Find out more at: https://www.neuroblastomastudy.com/

About Cell Medica

Cell Medica is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on transforming the treatment of solid and hematological cancers by developing next generation chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer T cell (CAR-NKT) therapies. Developing a portfolio of primarily allogeneic therapies, the company’s revolutionary platform engineers CARs on invariant NKT cells (iNKTs), a subset of T lymphocytes. A robust pipeline spanning both hematological and solid tumors is being created in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital. Headquartered in London, UK, the company also has facilities in Houston, US and Zurich, Switzerland.

For further information, please visit www.cellmedica.com. Follow Cell Medica on Twitter and LinkedIn

About Baylor College of Medicine

Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) in Houston is recognized as a premier academic health sciences center and is known for excellence in education, research and patient care. It is the only private medical school in the greater southwest and is ranked 16th among medical schools for research and 5th for primary care by U.S. News & World Report. Baylor is listed 21st among all U.S. medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding and number one in Texas. Located in the Texas Medical Center, Baylor has affiliations with seven teaching hospitals and jointly owns and operates Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, part of CHI St. Luke’s Health. Currently, Baylor trains more than 3,000 medical, graduate, nurse anesthesia, physician assistant and orthotics students, as well as residents and post-doctoral fellows. Follow Baylor College of Medicine on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BaylorCollegeOfMedicine) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/BCMHouston).

About Texas Children’s Hospital

Texas Children’s Hospital, a not-for-profit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children’s hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation, Texas Children’s has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women’s health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Tower for pediatric research; Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, the first hospital devoted to children’s care for communities north of Houston. The organization also created Texas Children’s Health Plan, the nation’s first HMO for children; has the largest pediatric primary care network in the country, Texas Children’s Pediatrics; Texas Children’s Urgent Care clinics that specialize in after-hours care tailored specifically for children; and a global health program that’s channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children’s Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news by visiting the online newsroom and Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

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