29 March 2022

Avacta Group plc

("Avacta" or "the Group" or "the Company")

Avacta to present pre-clinical data on AVA6000 at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting

Avacta Group plc (AIM: AVCT), a clinical stage oncology company and developer of powerful diagnostics based on its innovative Affimer^® and pre|CISION™ platforms, announces it will present a poster entitled 'AVA6000, a novel precision medicine, targeted to the tumor microenvironment via Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP) mediated cleavage', at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2022 Annual Meeting, taking place at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, Louisana between 8-13 April.

The poster describes the pre-clinical rationale for the company's leading oncology candidate, AVA6000, a FAP (fibroblast activation protein α) activated doxorubicin therapeutic. AVA6000 utilises Avacta's pre|CISION™ platform to improve the safety and therapeutic index of doxorubicin. AVA6000 has been designed to limit cell penetration of the drug, and therefore its cell killing effect, until it is specifically activated FAP, which is in high concentration in many solid tumours compared with healthy tissues. The resulting reduced exposure of healthy tissues to active doxorubicin has the potential to significantly increase its therapeutic index by reducing the incidence of adverse effects, including cardiotoxicity and myelosuppression. A first-in-human Phase I clinical trial (ALS-6000-101) has been initiated in the UK in a broad spectrum of high FAP expressing tumours.

Poster presentation Title: AVA6000, a novel Precision medicine, targeted to the tumor microenvironment via Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP) mediated cleavage.

Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics

Session Title: Drug Targets

Session Date and Time: Monday Apr 11, 2022 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM CT

Location: New Orleans Convention Center, Exhibit Halls D-H

Abstract Number: #1815

Presenter: Fiona McLaughlin, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and Neil Bell, Chief Development Officer, Avacta Life Sciences Ltd.

The abstract is available via the AACR annual meeting website, here: https://www.aacr.org/meeting/aacr-annual-meeting-2022/abstracts/  

Copies of the poster will be available on Avacta's website following the conference at: https://avacta.com/investors/documents-presentations/

ENDS

For further information from Avacta Group plc, please contact:

About Avacta Group plc - www.avacta.com 

Avacta Group is developing novel cancer immunotherapies and powerful diagnostics based on its two proprietary platforms - Affimer^® biologics and pre|CISION™ tumour targeted chemotherapies.

The Affimer^® platform is an alternative to antibodies and is derived from a small human protein. Affimer technology has been designed to address many of the negative issues of antibodies, principally: the time taken to generate new antibodies, the reliance on an animal's immune response; poor specificity in many cases; in addition to, the complexity and high cost of manufacture. Despite these shortcomings, antibodies currently dominate markets, such as diagnostics and therapeutics, which are worth in excess of $100bn.

Avacta's pre|CISION™ targeted chemotherapy platform is designed to selectively release active chemotherapy in FAP rich tumour tissue to limit the systemic exposure that causes damage to healthy tissues, and thereby aims to improve the overall safety and therapeutic potential of these powerful anti-cancer treatments.

The Avacta Group comprises two divisions: The therapeutics development activities are based in London and Cambridge, UK and a separate diagnostics business unit is based in Wetherby, UK. The Group is generating near-term revenues from Affimer^® reagents for diagnostics, bioprocessing and research.

Avacta's Diagnostics Division is developing an in-house pipeline of Affimer-based diagnostic assays, including the AffiDX^® SARS-CoV-2 Lateral Flow Rapid Antigen Test, and works with partners world-wide to develop bespoke Affimer^® reagents for third party products.

Avacta's Therapeutics Division is working to generate more tolerable and durable treatments for oncology patients who do not respond to existing therapies. By combining its two proprietary platforms the Group is building a wholly owned pipeline of clinically differentiated cancer therapies. In 2021 Avacta transitioned to become a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, when it commenced a phase I trial in patients with locally advanced or metastatic selected solid tumours. The study was a first-in-human, open label, dose-escalation and expansion study of the Group's lead pre|CISION™ prodrug, AVA6000 (a pro-doxorubicin).

Avacta has established drug development partnerships with pharma and biotech, including a multi-target deal with LG Chem worth up to $400m, a joint venture in South Korea with Daewoong Pharmaceutical focused on cell and gene therapies incorporating Affimer immune-modulators and a recent license agreement with Point Biopharma for them to develop radiopharmaceuticals based on the pre|CISION™ platform.

To register for news alerts by email go to www.avacta.com/investor-news-email-alerts