REG - N4 Pharma PLC - Oncology work programme update

N4 PharmaAnnouncement

25/01/2022 07:00

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RNS Number : 4127Z  N4 Pharma PLC  25 January 2022

25 January 2022

N4 Pharma Plc

("N4 Pharma" or the "Company")

Oncology work programme update

N4 Pharma Plc (AIM: N4P), the specialist pharmaceutical company developing
Nuvec®, a novel delivery system for cancer treatments and vaccines, is
pleased to provide details of its work plan following the encouraging data
from its oncology research as announced on 13 December 2021.

The Board is delighted that the studies conducted with Nanomerics to evaluate
the potential of Nuvec® as a nano-carrier of a DNA plasmid expressing
TNFalpha ("TNF"), a cytokine with immune-modulating properties against
tumours, demonstrated a significant inhibition of tumour growth derived from a
human cell line.

As a result of these positive findings, the Company has commenced work with
Medicines Discovery Catapult* ("Catapult") to extend the observations to allow
it to identify suitable loads to add to Nuvec® to take to clinic. To date,
the Company has established that Nuvec® can deliver an appropriate biological
load and this new study will help determine the mechanism of action that
produced the tumor suppression. Amongst other things, it will seek to identify
whether the Nuvec® loaded with TNF alpha was directly taken up by the tumour
cells to produce the active TNF within the tumour or whether other organs such
as the liver took up the Nuvec® and produced the TNF and released it
systemically to suppress the tumour. If it can be demonstrated that Nuvec®
can selectively deliver the plasmid to the tumour this may indicate the
potential use of Nuvec® to deliver to tumours with a reduced systemic effect
and inform the scope of any clinical studies or collaboration discussions. In
addition, studies will use labelled Nuvec® particles to allow the organ and
tissue distribution of Nuvec® to be followed.

The Company is also in the process of identifying alternatives to TNF as
immunomodulators or gene therapy which may use Nuvec® as a delivery system.
The selection process is expected to conclude shortly and the Company intends
to conduct a study programme similar to the work being undertaken using TNF.

 

All current and planned work streams are to be funded from existing resources
and the Company remains well funded for 2022.

Nigel Theobald, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, commented: "We are
delighted that our successful work in formulating Nuvec® as a monodispersed
formulation that can be freeze dried and reconstituted has opened up the
opportunity for the Company to use Nuvec® via intravenous injection and to
develop products using Nuvec® as a nano-carrier of nucleotides including DNA,
RNA, SiRNA with specific clinical use in oncology, gene therapy and protein
replacement.

"The oncology, gene therapy and protein replacement markets are very large and
attracting significant and varied interest.  Based on our current data, these
markets provide the Company with the quickest route to bring products into
clinical trials, far quicker than using it for vaccines. With our vaccine work
now continuing through MTAs, our primary focus is on these studies with
Catapult and advancing our data set to a meaningful inflexion point in the
coming months and I look forward to providing updates to the market in due
course."

*The Medicines Discovery Catapult is a government funded, not-for-profit
organisation established by Innovate UK
(https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/innovate-uk)  to support UK
innovation. The Catapult Network brings together nine leading technology and
innovation centres spanning over 40 locations across the UK. Catapults are
physical centres with cutting-edge R&D infrastructures including hubs,
laboratories, testbeds, factories and offices, as well as technical experts
that prove and adopt breakthrough products, processes, services and
technologies.

Catapults work with thousands of innovative businesses across a wide range of
sectors, such as manufacturing, space, health, digital, energy, transport,
telecoms, the urban environment and many others to help industry get high
potential ideas to market - fuelling business growth, and increasing
productivity.

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to
constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations
(EU) No. 596/2014 which has been incorporated into UK law by the European
Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

Enquiries:

 N4 Pharma Plc                                       Via IFC Advisory

 Nigel Theobald, CEO

 Luke Cairns, Executive Director

 SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP                      Tel: +44 (0)20 3470 0470

 Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker

 Matthew Johnson/Caroline Rowe (Corporate Finance)

 Vadim Alexandre/Rob Rees (Corporate Broking)

 Turner Pope Investments (TPI) Limited               Tel: +44 (0)20 3657 0050

 Joint Broker

 Andy Thacker

 IFC Advisory Limited                                Tel: +44 (0)20 3934 6630

 Financial PR

 Graham Herring

 Zach Cohen

 

 

About N4 Pharma

N4 Pharma is a specialist pharmaceutical company developing a novel delivery
system for cancer and vaccine treatments using its unique silica nanoparticle
delivery system called Nuvec®.

N4 Pharma's business model is to partner with companies developing novel
antigens for cancer and vaccine treatments to use Nuvec® as the delivery
vehicle to get their antigen into cells to express the protein needed for the
required immunity. As these products progress through pre clinical and
clinical programs, N4 Pharma will seek to receive up front payments, milestone
payments and ultimately royalty payments once products reach the market.

 

 

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