REG - Roquefort Theraptcs. - AGM Statement

Roquefort TherapeuticsAnnouncement

29/06/2023 07:00

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RNS Number : 2943E  Roquefort Therapeutics PLC  29 June 2023

29 June 2023

Roquefort Therapeutics plc

("Roquefort Therapeutics" or the "Company")

AGM Statement

Roquefort Therapeutics (LSE:ROQ, OTCQB:ROQAF), the Main Market listed biotech
company focused on developing first in class medicines in the high value and
high growth oncology market, announces that at the Company's Annual General
Meeting, to be held at 9.00am today, Chairman Stephen West will make the
following statement:

"As announced at the time of our year end results, 2022 saw Roquefort
Therapeutics make significant progress, notably with the successful fundraise
and completion of the acquisition of Oncogeni which pivoted the Company into a
material oncology group.  The acquisition significantly increased the
Company's pre-clinical portfolio, therefore providing multiple opportunities
for success.  With partnership agreements to develop the portfolio at leading
academic cancer research institutions signed, the foundations were laid for
the Company to create value through our strategy.

The excellent progress has continued into 2023 with the further advancement of
the in-house development of a platform of novel mRNA cancer medicines and the
signing of a strategic license agreement with Randox Laboratories to utilise
Midkine antibodies in medical diagnostics, which will create significant time
and cost advantages for clinical trials.

We have made positive strides across our preclinical portfolio in 2023 with
our Midkine antibody program targeting metastatic osteosarcoma producing
encouraging in vivo pre-clinical data, which falls under the orphan drug
category and carries significant commercial incentives. Our anti-cancer
Midkine RNA oligonucleotide program targeting Midkine expressing
cancers produced >90% in vitro efficacy in human liver and neuroblastoma
cancer cells and this program will now progress into in vivo studies which are
planned to complete before the end of this year.  Safety and efficacy has
already been demonstrated in in vivo studies for the MK cell therapy in
leukemia and lymphomas, and for the siRNA therapy in colon cancer. The MK cell
therapy is progressing well in development and the siRNA therapy is completing
experiments to finalise the mode of delivery.

Finally, we achieved positive in vitro results in our anti-cancer mRNA
therapeutic in breast and liver cancer, where the studies demonstrated a
statistically significant reduction in both cancer growth and migration.  We
have further consolidated our leadership position in the Midkine field by
updating our filed patents to protect the mRNA compositions and methods. Our
Midkine mRNA program is now progressing into in vivo studies at our laboratory
in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Company's strategy is to discover and develop first-in-class cancer
medicines within the highly attractive oncology market (forecast to surpass
US$ 353.5 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 8.4% in 2022-2030 1  (#_ftn1) ). Within
this field, Roquefort Therapeutics focuses on the cancers that are resistant
to current medicines including breast, colon and liver cancer, where patient
survival rates remain poor. The Company's programs focus on the novel cancer
targets Midkine and STAT-6 both of which are associated with this poor
survival(( 2  (#_ftn2) ))(, 3  (#_ftn3) ). By blocking Midkine and STAT-6, the
Company has shown in in vivo studies, that both the cancer growth rate and
metastasis are reduced, which are the characteristics of first-in-class cancer
medicines.

All of our programs have met key R&D milestones on time and within budget
and the progress made across all our programs is highly encouraging and
in-keeping with our strategy. We look forward to updating shareholders on our
pre-clinical and business development activities in due course."

 

For a further update on the Company's recent developments and anticipated key
milestones, Roquefort Therapeutics is giving a presentation via the Investor
Meet Company platform at 11am on Wednesday, 5 July 2023:
https://www.investormeetcompany.com/roquefort-therapeutics-plc/register-investor
(https://www.investormeetcompany.com/roquefort-therapeutics-plc/register-investor)

-ENDS-

Enquiries:
 Roquefort Therapeutics plc
 Stephen West (Chairman) / Ajan Reginald (CEO)  +44 (0)20 3918 8633

 Hybridan LLP (Joint Broker)

 Claire Louise Noyce                            +44 (0)20 3764 2341

 Optiva Securities Limited (Joint Broker)
 Christian Dennis                               +44 (0)20 3411 1881

 Buchanan (Public Relations)

 Ben Romney / Jamie Hooper / George Beale       +44 (0)20 7466 5000

 

LEI: ‎254900P4SISIWOR9RH34

 

About Roquefort Therapeutics

Roquefort Therapeutics (LSE:ROQ , OTCQB:ROQAF) is a Main Market listed biotech
company developing first in class drugs in the high value and high growth
oncology segment prior to partnering or selling to big pharma.

 

Since listing in March 2021, Roquefort Therapeutics has successfully acquired
Lyramid Pty Limited, a leader in the development of medicines for a new
therapeutic target, Midkine (a human growth factor associated with cancer
progression), and most recently acquired Oncogeni Ltd, founded by Nobel
Laureate Professor Sir Martin Evans, which has developed two families of
innovative cell and RNA oncology medicines.

 

Roquefort Therapeutics' portfolio consists of five fully funded, novel
patent-protected pre-clinical anti-cancer medicines.  The highly
complementary profile of five best-in-class medicines consists of:

·    Midkine antibodies with significant in vivo efficacy and toxicology
studies;

·    Midkine RNA therapeutics with novel anti-cancer gene editing action;

·    Midkine mRNA therapeutics with novel anti-cancer approach;

·    STAT-6 siRNA therapeutics targeting solid tumours with
significant in vivo efficacy; and

·    MK cell therapy with direct and NK-mediated anti-cancer action

 

For further information on Roquefort Therapeutics,
please visit www.roquefortplc.com (http://www.roquefortplc.com/)
 and @RoquefortTherap on Twitter.

 

 

 1  (#_ftnref1)
https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2023/01/24/2594388/0/en/Global-Cancer-Therapy-Market-to-Surpass-US-353-5-Billion-by-2030-Says-Coherent-Market-Insights-CMI.html

 2  (#_ftnref2) Zhang L, Song X, Shao Y, Wu C, Jiang J. Prognostic value of
Midkine expression in patients with solid tumors: a systematic review and
meta-analysis. Oncotarget. 2018 Jan 4;9(37):24821-24829. doi:
10.18632/oncotarget.23892. PMID: 29872508; PMCID: PMC5973861.

 3  (#_ftnref3) Wang CG, Ye YJ, Yuan J, Liu FF, Zhang H, Wang S. EZH2 and
STAT6 expression profiles are correlated with colorectal cancer stage and
prognosis. World J Gastroenterol 2010; 16(19): 2421-2427 [PMID: 20480530
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20480530)  DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i19.2421
(https://dx.doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v16.i19.2421) ]

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