Nykode Therapeutics Announces Advances in the Inverse Vaccine Platform With the Potential to Treat Autoimmune Diseases

OSLO, Norway, March 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nykode Therapeutics ASA (OSE: NYKD), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel immunotherapies, today announced key updates of the inverse vaccine platform with the potential to treat autoimmune diseases at the 7th Antigen-Specific Immune Tolerance Drug Development Summit in Boston.

Nykode employs its unique technology platform to pioneer the field of inverse vaccines, with the potential to develop high-precision treatments for autoimmune diseases. At the conference, Nykode demonstrated for the first time a significant effect in a therapeutic setting in a preclinical model for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) with its inverse vaccine platform. The data also illustrate the strong contribution of the specific targeting unit and confirm that the disease protection is antigen-specific, underscoring the potential of Nykode’s technology in the field of autoimmune diseases.

"Demonstrating effect in a therapeutic setting has been the next important step for Nykode. In addition to stopping the disease development, the data show that the disease protection is antigen-specific. This supports our technology’s potential to offer future treatments that precisely target specific autoimmune disorders without negatively affecting a fully functional immune system, a common side effect associated with today’s available treatments. These results provide additional motivation for us to pursue a completely new approach to treating autoimmune diseases, which affect around every tenth person globally," said Agnete Fredriksen, Chief Business Officer and Co-founder of Nykode.

During its Capital Markets Day in New York in September last year, Nykode announced that its inverse vaccine platform had prevented serious disease in models of MS and type 1 diabetes in mice, showcasing the technology's broad disease-modifying potential in an antigen-specific manner. Notably, the efficacy was enhanced with the integration of Nykode's 4th Module technology, emphasizing its role in modulating the immune response to amplify therapeutic effects.

In addition to an oral presentation, Nykode presented a poster at the Summit to elaborate on these findings. Further details are available on the Nykode website at .

About Nykode Therapeutics

Nykode Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel immunotherapies with a focus on the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Nykode’s modular vaccine technology specifically targets antigens to antigen presenting cells (APC), employed with their cancer vaccines to induce a broad, strong, and long-lasting antigen specific immune response, which correlates with clinical responses in cancer patients.

Nykode’s lead product candidates are VB10.16, a therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of HPV16 induced malignancies, which demonstrated favorable safety and efficacy results from its Phase 2 trial for the treatment of cervical cancer. VB10.16 is being expanded into multiple trials for treatment of head and neck cancer and cervical cancer. VB10.NEO, an individualized cancer neoantigen vaccine, is exclusively out-licensed to Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.

The Company’s partnerships include Genentech within oncology, and a multi-target collaboration with Regeneron in oncology and infectious diseases.

Nykode is also utilizing its APC-targeted technology to create an inverse vaccine platform for the potential use in autoimmune disorders, organ transplant rejections, anti-drug antibody reactions and allergy.

Nykode Therapeutics’ shares are traded on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE: NYKD). Further information about Nykode Therapeutics can be found at .

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 risk and uncertainty because they reflect the company's current expectations and assumptions as to future events and circumstances that may not prove accurate. A number of material factors could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Contact for Nykode Therapeutics ASA:

Alexandra Deschner, Head of IR

Nykode Therapeutics ASA

Nykode Therapeutics ASA

Oslo Science Park

Gaustadalléen 21

N-0349 Oslo, Norway