OSE Immunotherapeutics Receives €200,000 from Nantes Metropole to Develop CoVepiT, its COVID-19 Prophylactic Vaccine Program

NANTES, France, July 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OSE Immunotherapeutics (ISIN: FR0012127173; Mnémo: OSE) today announced it will receive a grant of up to €200,000 from Nantes Metropole, the metropolitan area of Nantes community, dedicated to the development of a prophylactic vaccine against the pandemic virus SARS-CoV-2. This funding was awarded as part of the Metropolitan Fund to Support Health Innovations Linked to the COVID-19 Health Crisis, a €1 million fund created by Nantes Metropole for health innovations to address the COVID-19 health crisis.

“We thank Nantes Metropole for supporting us with a grant that will allow us to accelerate the development of a vaccine candidate against COVID-19. Our teams are diligently working to finalize the preclinical phase of this program based on a T lymphocyte response that can last over time to eliminate infected cells and avoid developing serious forms. We expect the first preclinical results confirming vaccine protection during this summer. Based on these results, we could launch the clinical phase at the end of the year, provided we have the funding required for this clinical study,” commented Alexis Peyroles, Chief Executive Officer of OSE Immunotherapeutics.

OSE Immunotherapeutics is committed in its effort to fight COVID-19 and is actively working on the development of a prophylactic vaccine against the pandemic virus SARS-CoV-2. This research program aims to develop a prophylactic vaccine focused on memory T cells and based on a multiepitope- peptide approach (epitopes modified to induce strong and sustained CD8 immune responses).

To conduct this program, OSE Immunotherapeutics is leveraging its expertise in the selection and optimization of disease-relevant peptides and using its established Memopi^® neo-epitope optimization technology to increase the memory immune response of T lymphocytes against specific antigens.

Using a bioinformatics approach and algorithms for predicting immunogenicity in the virus genome, OSE Immunotherapeutics’ R&D team has screened a large number of peptides derived from different proteins of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV (the virus responsible for SARS disease) and MERS-CoV (coronavirus of the Middle East respiratory syndrome) and has selected the immuno-dominant epitopes from 8 major proteins of coronaviruses.

ABOUT THE METROPOLITAN FUND TO SUPPORT HEALTH INNOVATIONS LINKED TO THE COVID-19 HEALTH CRISIS WITH € 1M

This fund was created during the health crisis to support research and innovation projects including treatments, tests, protective equipment or any other health-related project as defined by the World Health Organization, namely "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being," which includes innovation in a number of sectors, including health & digital, health & food and health & materials. It is aimed at generating tools, services or means to limit the spread of the virus; to support the deconfinement of the population or acting in a preventive manner by aiming to limit the contamination risks (transport, food, etc.).

ABOUT OSE Immunotherapeutics

OSE Immunotherapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing and partnering therapies to control the immune system for immuno-oncology and autoimmune diseases. The company has several scientific and technological platforms including neoepitopes and agonist or antagonist monoclonal antibodies, all ideally positioned to fight cancer and autoimmune diseases. Its first-in-class clinical and preclinical portfolio has a diversified risk profile: 

• Tedopi^® (innovative combination of neoepitopes) : the company’s most advanced product; positive results for Step-1 of the Phase 3 trial (Atalante 1) in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer post checkpoint inhibitor failure; due to COVID-19, voluntary definitive stop of new patient accrual in the Step-2 initially planned in the trial.
  
  In Phase 2 in pancreatic cancer (TEDOPaM, sponsor GERCOR) in combination with checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo^®.
• BI 765063 (OSE-172, anti-SIRPα monoclonal antibody): developed in partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim; myeloid checkpoint inhibitor in Phase 1 in advanced solid tumors.
• FR104 (anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody): positive Phase 1 results; Phase 2-ready asset in autoimmune diseases or in transplantation.
• OSE-127 (humanized monoclonal antibody targeting IL-7 receptor): developed in partnership with Servier; positive Phase 1 results; two independent Phase 2 planned in ulcerative colitis (OSE sponsor) and in Sjögren’s syndrome (Servier sponsor) to start in 2020.
• BiCKI^®: bispecific fusion protein platform built on the key backbone component anti-PD-1 (OSE-279) combined with new immunotherapy targets; 2^nd generation of PD-(L)1 inhibitors to increase antitumor efficacity. Additional innovative research programs.
• CoVepiT: a prophylactic vaccine against COVID-19, developed using SARS-CoV-2 optimized neo-epitopes. First preclinical results expected Q3 2020, possible clinical trial start by year end.
  
  Due to the COVID-19 crisis, accrual of new patients in the clinical trial TEDOPaM is temporarily suspended and initiation timelines for both Phase 2 trials of OSE-127 could be impacted during the coming months.

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Forward-looking statements

This press release contains express or implied information and statements that might be deemed forward-looking information and statements in respect of OSE Immunotherapeutics. They do not constitute historical facts. These information and statements include financial projections that are based upon certain assumptions and assessments made by OSE Immunotherapeutics’ management in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate.

These forward-looking statements include statements typically using conditional and containing verbs such as “expect”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “target”, “plan”, or “estimate”, their declensions and conjugations and words of similar import. Although the OSE Immunotherapeutics management believes that the forward-looking statements and information are reasonable, the OSE Immunotherapeutics’ shareholders and other investors are cautioned that the completion of such expectations is by nature subject to various risks, known or not, and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of OSE Immunotherapeutics. These risks could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in or implied or projected by the forward-looking statements. These risks include those discussed or identified in the public filings made by OSE Immunotherapeutics with the AMF. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. This press release includes only summary information and should be read with the OSE Immunotherapeutics Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF on 15 April 2020, including the annual financial report for the fiscal year 2019, available on the OSE Immunotherapeutics’ website. Other than as required by applicable law, OSE Immunotherapeutics issues this press release at the date hereof and does not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information or statements.