OSLO, Norway, April 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nykode Therapeutics AS (Euronext Growth (Oslo): NYKD), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of vaccines and novel immunotherapies, announced today released preclinical data for its second-generation Vaccibody™ antigen-presenting cell (APC)-targeted vaccine technology, which incorporates immunostimulatory cytokines. The data will be presented in a poster session at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2022 Annual Meeting on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.

“Preclinical data reported to the AACR underscores that Nykode’s unique vaccines co-expressed with immunostimulatory proteins can increase anti-tumor immune cell response threefold compared to the first-generation platform. The research demonstrates the benefits of APC’s targeted delivery of Nykode’s tumor-specific antigens and its ability to successfully induce a potent immune response against tumor cells, overcoming a historic challenge in cancer vaccine development. We look forward to continued innovation in our platform as we advance our pipeline of candidate vaccines into the clinic,” said Mikkel Pedersen, Chief Scientific Officer of Nykode Therapeutics.

Preclinical results demonstrate that co-expression of the Vaccibody molecule and immunostimulatory cytokines enhances anti-tumor immune responses, leads to expansion of antigen-specific polyfunctional effector T cells and better tumor control. Additionally, the data demonstrates that the second-generation platform enhances APC infiltration, proliferation, and differentiation, as measured by live CD45+ infiltrated cells and the proportion of DC in live CD45+ cells, including cDC1.

The details of the poster presentation are as follows:

Abstract #: 2232
Title: A novel and versatile DNA vaccine platform featuring cytokines with superior immune activation potential
Authors: Beras, et al.
Session title: Vaccines: oncolytics and prophylactics
Session date and time: Tuesday, April 12, 2022 | 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET

The poster presentation is available in the 2022 AACR Annual Meeting Program and in the Scientific Papers and Presentations section of the society’s website.

Therapeutic Nykode
Nykode Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of vaccines and novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Nykode’s modular vaccine technology specifically targets antigens in antigen-presenting cells, which are essential for inducing rapid, strong and long-lasting antigen-specific immune responses and eliciting effective clinical responses.

Nykode’s lead product candidates are VB10.16, a therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of malignancies induced by human papillomavirus 16 which is in phase 2 for the treatment of cervical cancer; and VB10.NEO, a neo-antigen cancer vaccine, which is exclusively licensed from Genentech and is in phase 1b for the treatment of locally advanced and metastatic tumors and in phase 1/2a for the treatment of melanoma, lung, head and neck, kidney -, and bladder cancer. Additionally, Nykode has launched a Phase 1/2 trial in 2021 with its two next-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidates.

The Company has collaborations with Roche, Genentech and Nektar Therapeutics in the field of oncology, a multi-target collaboration with Regeneron in the field of oncology and infectious diseases and a collaboration with Adaptive Biotechnologies for the development of a COVID-19 T cell vaccine.

Shares of Nykode Therapeutics are traded on Euronext Growth (Oslo), a trading platform operated
by Euronext, the first pan-European market infrastructure. The ticker code is NYKD. Further information about Nykode Therapeutics can be found at http://www.nykode.com.

Contact for Nykode Therapeutics AS:

CEO Michael Engsig
Nykode Therapeutic AS
[email protected]

Nykode Therapeutic AS

Oslo Science Park
Gaustadalléen 21
N-0349 Oslo, Norway

Forward-Looking Statements for Nykode Therapeutics

This announcement and any materials distributed in connection with this announcement may contain certain forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they reflect the company’s current expectations and assumptions about future events and circumstances which may not prove to be accurate. A number of important factors could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.