• ACE1702 demonstrates enhanced cytotoxicity against multiple HER2-expressing cell lines and activity under immunosuppressive conditions

• ACE1702 maintains activity following cryopreservation

• oNK cell expression profiling reveals high levels of activating receptors and low levels of inhibitory receptors

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. and TAIPEI, Taiwan, Nov. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acepodia, a biotechnology company developing novel off-the-shelf cell therapies against solid tumor and hematologic cancers, will present preclinical data supporting the potential of its lead candidate ACE1702, an off-the-shelf oNK cell therapy, at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 35th Anniversary Annual Meeting being held virtually from November 9-14, 2020. The company will also participate in live virtual Q&A sessions regarding its poster presentation.

Details are as follows:

Title: A potent and off-the-shelf oNK cell therapy product targets HER2+ cancer cells and resists suppressive tumor microenvironmentPresenter: Howard Li, Ph.D., Preclinical Research ScientistPoster/Abstract Number: 772Presentation highlights:

• ACE1702 displayed higher cytotoxicity against multiple HER2-expressing cancer cell lines compared to the leading anti-HER2 antibody, trastuzumab, and its derived antibody-drug conjugate, trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1).

• ACE1702 retained cytotoxic activity under hypoxic and metabolic conditions similar to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

• An in vivo mouse study found that ACE1702 retained anti-tumor activity following cryopreservation.

• Expression profiling of Acepodia’s proprietary off-the-shelf NK (oNK) cell line, used to develop ACE1702, reveals high levels of activating receptors and low levels of inhibitory receptors.

• Trastuzumab, the anti-HER2 antibody used to arm ACE1702, is conjugated primarily to activating NK cell receptors.

Cumulatively the data presented provide strong evidence of ACE1702’s clinical potential and supports the ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating ACE1702 for the treatment of HER2-expressing solid tumors. Additional information on the ACE1702 Phase 1 clinical trial is available at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04319757)

Q&A sessions:Session 1: Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 3:50 – 4:20 p.m. EST Session 2: Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 1:30 – 2:00 p.m. EST.

“The data presented in the study strongly support the clinical potential of ACE1702 to combat HER2-expressing solid tumors, an area with significant unmet need, and highlights the power of our platform,” said Sonny Hsiao, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Acepodia. “The combination of our flexible ACC platform and potent off-the-shelf cancer-killing cell lines has the potential to be the foundation for a new class of cell therapies that are effective at combating solid tumors and widely accessible to patients. We look forward to building on these results in our ongoing Phase 1 trial and hope to deliver ACE1702 as the first of a new generation of cell therapies to patients.”

The poster can be accessed on the SITC website.