REG - Avacta Group PLC - Avacta Expands its Pipeline

AvactaAnnouncement

17/10/2024 07:00

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RNS Number : 5752I  Avacta Group PLC  17 October 2024

 

Avacta Group plc

 

("Avacta" or "the Group" or "the Company")

Avacta Expands its Pipeline with Two Novel Assets Developed Using its
pre|CISION(®) Platform

 

 

London, Oct. 17, 2024 - Avacta Group plc (AIM: AVCT), a life sciences company
developing innovative targeted oncology drugs, today announces the addition of
two novel preclinical oncology assets, AVA6103 and AVA7100, to its pipeline of
pre|CISION(®)-enabled drug conjugates.

 

Avacta is developing a portfolio of pre|CISION(®) product candidates that are
designed to be activated specifically in the tumor microenvironment, thereby
enabling improved antitumor activity while reducing systemic toxicities. The
Company has developed a pipeline of peptide drug conjugates, each of which is
comprised of an active antitumor drug (known as a payload) linked to the
pre|CISION(®) peptide, which is cleaved only within the tumor by the action
of Fibroblast Activation Protein, or FAP.

 

The first of the two new programs is AVA6103, a novel pre|CISION(®)-enabled
peptide drug conjugate comprised of the pre|CISION(®) peptide linked to
exatecan, the most potent topoisomerase I inhibitor in clinical development.
This PDC is designed to deliver the exatecan payload directly to tumors while
limiting the exposure of the released payload in normal tissues. Exatecan has
demonstrated clinical activity in breast, gastric, lung and pancreatic
cancers; however, it is associated with severe dose-limiting toxicities and a
short half-life in patients that led to discontinuation of its monotherapy
development. More recently, this payload has been adapted for use in antibody
drug conjugates and other approaches. AVA6103 is designed to enable patients
to obtain the therapeutic benefit associated with exatecan, while limiting the
systemic exposure associated with its poor tolerability.

 

The second program is AVA7100, a pre|CISION(®)-enabled Affimer(®) drug
conjugate, a new class of therapies being developed by Avacta with potential
applications in a variety of cancer types, including those with lower levels
of FAP in the tumor. Affimer(®) molecules are small proteins that are
engineered to bind to a target molecule in the same way that an antibody does,
but with several advantages, including smaller molecule size and greater
binding affinity. AVA7100 consists of a novel FAP-Affimer conjugated to a
pre|CISION-peptide linker with multiple options for the payload.

 

Christina Coughlin, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Avacta, commented:
"The expansion of our pipeline highlights the broad potential of our
proprietary pre|CISION(®) technology to deliver multiple potent oncology
therapeutics directly into difficult-to-treat tumors, while sparing healthy
tissues. These novel assets have been carefully selected to complement our
existing portfolio, by targeting cancers with high unmet need and having clear
development strategies. We look forward to sharing data across our programs in
the near future."

 

Further details of these programs will be released in conjunction with the
Company's two presentations at the EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular
Targets and Cancer Therapeutics being held in Barcelona from October 23-25,
2024. The platform and the pipeline will be presented at the investor and
analyst R&D Spotlight Event: Focus on pre|CISION(®), in London on October
30, 2024.

 

For further information from Avacta Group plc, please contact:

 

 Avacta Group plc                                      https://avacta.com (https://avacta.com)

 Michael Vinegrad, Group Communications Director

 Peel Hunt (Nomad and Broker)                          www.peelhunt.com (http://www.peelhunt.com)

 James Steel / Chris Golden / Patrick Birkholm

 ICR Consilium

 Mary-Jane Elliott / Jessica Hodgson / Sukaina Virji   avacta@consilium-comms.com (mailto:avacta@consilium-comms.com)

 

 

About the pre|CISION(®) Platform

The pre|CISION(®) platform comprises an anticancer payload conjugated to a
proprietary peptide that is a highly specific substrate for fibroblast
activation protein (FAP) which is upregulated in most solid tumors compared
with healthy tissues. The pre|CISION(®) platform harnesses this tumor
specific protease to cleave pre|CISION(®) peptide drug conjugates and
pre|CISION(®) antibody/Affimer(®) drug conjugates in the tumor
microenvironment, thus releasing active payload in the tumor and reducing
systemic exposure and toxicity, allowing dosing to be optimized to deliver the
best outcomes for patients.

About AVA6000

The lead pre|CISION(®) program AVA6000, a peptide drug conjugate form of
doxorubicin, is in Phase 1 studies. It has shown an improvement in safety and
tolerability in clinical trials to date compared with standard doxorubicin and
preliminary signs of clinical activity in multiple patients.To register for
news alerts by email go
to https://avacta.com/investors/investor-news-email-alerts/
(https://avacta.com/investors/investor-news-email-alerts/)

About Avacta Group plc: https://avacta.com/ (https://avacta.com/)

Avacta Group is a UK-based life sciences company focused on improving
healthcare outcomes through targeted cancer treatments and diagnostics. Its
clinical stage oncology biotech division Avacta Therapeutics is harnessing the
proprietary pre|CISION(®) platform technology to develop novel, highly
targeted cancer drugs. Avacta Diagnostics focuses on supporting healthcare
professionals and broadening access to diagnostics. To register for news
alerts by email go
to https://avacta.com/investors/investor-news-email-alerts/
(https://avacta.com/investors/investor-news-email-alerts/)

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