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DELIVERY OF ENCAPSULATED ACCUTOX^TM-CHITOSAN NANOPARTICLES TRIGGERS COMPLETE TUMOR REGRESSION IN ANIMALS WITH PRE-ESTABSLIHED SOLID LYMPHOMA

Vancouver, BC, Canada, October 17^th, 2023 - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (“Defence” or the “Company”), a Canadian biopharmaceutical company specialized in the development of immune-oncology vaccines and drug delivery technologies, is pleased to announce that systemic administration of novel AccuTOX^TM-chitosan encapsulated formulation inhibits the growth of pre-established solid lymphoma resulting in their progressive shrinking overtime.  

The conducted study had two main objectives: i) to test whether AccuTOXTM can be delivered systemically if encapsulated in chitosan-based nanoparticles, and ii) to assess whether this modality can synergize with immune-checkpoint blockers commonly used in the oncology clinic. The formulation was delivered twice with a 2 weeks interval and treated animals were followed for up to 40 days. The tumors in animals treated with AccuTOXTM-Chitosan injections along with anti-PD-1 co-administration regressed and exhibited a prolonged survival rate.  

“The AccuTOX^TM molecule can be toxic if delivered unconjugated and/or systemically. The Defence team was able to bypass this limitation by encapsulating it into chitosan-based nanoparticles. This is a simpler and cheaper method compared to the use of antibodies, and may represent a key component of Defence’s future encapsulation strategies”, says Mr. Plouffe, CEO of Defence Therapeutics.

Chitosan is a linear  composed of randomly distributed β-(1→4)-linked  (deacetylated unit) and  (acetylated unit), and has a number of commercial and biomedical uses. In addition to its al and industrial applications, chitosan is often useful in  to reduce bleeding and as an antibacterial agent. It can also be used to help deliver drugs through the skin. Therefore, exploiting it as a delivery vehicle for unconjugated Accum® or its variants could revolutionize the future of molecular medicine by increasing the compounds specificity to tumor site while minimizing the needed dosage and thus, associated side effects.

About Defence:

Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded biotechnology company working on engineering the next generation vaccines and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUM® technology, which enables precision delivery of vaccine antigens or ADCs in their intact form to target cells. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases.

For further information:

Sebastien Plouffe, President, CEO and Director

P: (514) 947-2272

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This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

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