Note from Chairman of BriaCell Therapeutics – October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
BERKELEY, Calif., and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 01, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. ("BriaCell" or the "Company") (TSX-V:BCT) (OTCQB:BCTXF) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in targeted immunotherapy for advanced breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease. Significant progress has been made in breast cancer support, prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment and care – yet the estimated 42,000 deaths per year in the U.S. still indicates a grave need for more effective breast cancer treatments.
Breast Cancer: Facts & Statistics (U.S.)
Per the American Cancer Society 2019 report:
- After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women, with 268,600 women and 2,670 men expected to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2019;
- The average risk of a woman developing breast cancer sometime in her life is about 12%. This means there is a 1 in 8 chance she will develop breast cancer;
- Approximately 20% of breast cancers occur in women younger than 50 and 43% occur in women older than 65;
- Breast cancer deaths in 2019 are estimated at 42,260 (41,760 women, 500 men), making breast cancer the 2nd leading cause of cancer death in women (after lung cancer).
Note from Chairman of the Board
October 1st kicks off Breast Cancer Awareness Month; yet sadly, for millions of Americans touched by the pain and death of breast cancer, their Awareness is eternal. BriaCell’s clinical aim to attack and destroy breast cancer tumors is also eternal, as we tirelessly advance our targeted immunotherapy clinical program, working with world-class cancer centers to recruit and treat patients:
- St. Joseph Heritage Healthcare in Santa Rosa, California
- University of Miami/Sylvester in Plantation, Florida
- Cancer Center of Kansas (CCK) in Wichita, Kansas
- Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington
Breast Cancer Awareness Month brings the awareness that BriaCell is not treating ‘subjects’ or ‘n=’. We are treating women – mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, friends. Breast cancer kills 115 women in the U.S. each day. BriaCell’s work has already demonstrated clinical benefit to some women (i.e. tumor shrinkage without serious side effects) who had failed multiple prior treatments.
BriaCell has truly emerged in 2019, with a flurry of major corporate and clinical developments, each one transformational on its own, including findings of synergistic anti-tumor activity in our of Bria-IMTTM with pembrolizumab [KEYTRUDA®; manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc.] and a signed with Incyte Corporation.
Most recently, on , BriaCell’s President & CEO Dr. Bill Williams presented clinical updates of our Phase I/IIa clinical trial of BriaCell’s Bria-IMT™ in a Combination Study with pembrolizumab [KEYTRUDA®] at the Next Gen Immuno-Oncology Congress in Philadelphia. Dr. Williams highlighted BriaCell’s top responder: an extraordinary woman who experienced a highly remarkable reduction in breast cancer tumors, including breast cancer metastases in her adrenal gland and the outer lining of her brain. She had failed 12 prior regimens with 16 agents (13 chemotherapy agents and 3 hormonal agents). She remains on our treatment regimen. The Combination Study is listed in ClinicalTrials.gov as .
Going forward, BriaCell intends to present more fulsome patient data sets at major cancer conferences, such as the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on December 10-14, 2019.
Finally, I encourage shareholders, prospective shareholders and other stakeholders to contact me directly if you wish to further understand the strategies we’ve deployed to achieve our primary goals: accelerate BriaCell’s remarkable clinical work while maximizing shareholder value.
Sincere Regards,
Jamieson Bondarenko
Director and Chairman of the Board
BriaCell Therapeutics Corp.
About BriaCell
BriaCell is an immuno-oncology focused biotechnology company developing targeted and safe approaches for the management of cancer.
BriaCell is currently conducting a Phase I/IIa clinical trial of Bria-IMT™, BriaCell’s lead candidate, in a Combination Study with immune checkpoint inhibitors such as pembrolizumab [KEYTRUDA®; manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK)]. The Combination Study is listed in ClinicalTrials.gov as .
BriaCell also has a non-exclusive clinical trial collaboration with Incyte Corporation to evaluate the effects of combinations of novel clinical candidates. Under the agreement, Incyte and BriaCell will be evaluating novel combinations of compounds from Incyte’s development portfolio with Bria-IMT™ in advanced breast cancer patients.
BriaCell is developing Bria-OTS™, an off-the-shelf personalized immunotherapy, for advanced breast cancer. Bria-OTS™ immunotherapy treatments are personalized to match the patient without the need for personalized manufacturing. Bria-OTS™, which is expected to cover over 99 percent of the patient population, is designed to produce a potent and selective immune response against the cancer of each patient while eliminating the time, expense and complex manufacturing logistics associated with other personalized immunotherapies.
For additional information on BriaCell, please visit: .
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Except for the statements of historical fact, this news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation which involves known and unknown risks relevant to the Company in particular and to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries in general, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. These risks are more fully described in the Company's public filings available at .
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contact Information
For further information, please contact:
BriaCell Therapeutics Corp.:
Farrah Dean
Manager, Corporate Development
Email:
Phone: 1-888-485-6340
