17 April 2023

Avacta Group plc

("Avacta" or the "Company" and, together with its subsidiary undertakings, the "Group")

Avacta Presents AVA3996 Pre-clinical Data at the American Association for Cancer Research Meeting

Poster and explanatory video now available on the Company's website

Avacta Group plc (AIM: AVCT), a life sciences company developing innovative, targeted oncology drugs and powerful diagnostics, announces that it has presented pre-clinical data describing the novel pre|CISION^TM proteasome inhibitor, AVA3996, at the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Florida, USA, one of the largest international cancer research meetings.

Proteasome inhibitors are effective anti-cancer drugs that we believe could benefit from application of our preICISION^TM technology to markedly expand their use. While the global proteasome inhibitors market is expected to reach nearly $2.3 billion by 2026[1], these drugs are primarily indicated for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Severe, dose limiting toxicities have prevented application to a broader range of cancers, in particular to solid tumours.

AVA3996 is the second of Avacta's pre|CISION^TM chemotherapies. AVA3996 combines a proprietary proteasome inhibitor (called AVA2727D) with Avacta's pre|CISION^TM tumour targeting chemistry, creating the potential to reduce the systemic toxicities and thereby make it possible to treat solid tumours with a proteasome inhibitor for the first time. AVA3996 is in pre-clinical development with the aim of submitting an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to allow clinical development to begin during 2024.

Pre-clinical data generated to date and presented at AACR show that:

·      The release of the active proteasome inhibitor (AVA2727D) from AVA3996 is specific to the enzyme FAP, which is upregulated in most solid tumours. This underpins the potential to target the proteasome inhibitor to tumour tissue.

·      In a head to head study, AVA2727D kills cancers cells (ex-vivo) as effectively as bortezomib (Takeda's Velcade) which is one of the approved proteasome inhibitors on the market.

·      In three different in-vivo (mouse) cancer models (melanoma, sarcoma and colorectal cancer), AVA3996 was as effective as bortezomib in restricting tumour growth, and in the case of the melanoma model, as effective as trametinib, the standard of care for unresectable melanoma.

·      The significant toxicities associated with bortezomib observed in these in-vivo models were not observed in the case of AVA3996, suggesting that the systemic exposure to the drug had been reduced due to the tumour targeting of the pre|CISION^TM chemistry in AVA3996.

The AVA3996 poster presentation, along with an explanatory video reviewing the pre-clinical data are available on the Company's web site via the links below. The video also reviews the published AVA6000 phase 1a clinical data to date. AVA6000 is the Company's lead pre|CISION^TM programme that is currently in the later stages of a phase 1a dose escalation safety study.

AVA3996 pre-clinical data poster: https://avacta.com/about/resources/

Video: https://avacta.com/investors/documents-presentations/

Dr Alastair Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Avacta Group plc, commented:

"We are delighted with the progress being made in the pre-clinical development of AVA3996, the second drug candidate based on our preICISION^TM platform.  The potential to apply a proteasome inhibitor to the treatment of solid tumours is very exciting and, as can be seen from our poster presented at the prestigious AACR meeting, the pre-clinical data we are generating is very encouraging in that regard.

We are focused on accelerating AVA3996 through to IND filing as soon as possible so that it can follow AVA6000 into the clinic next year."

-Ends-

For further information from Avacta Group plc, please contact:

About Avacta Group plc - www.avacta.com

Avacta Group plc is a life sciences company working to improve people's health and well-being through innovative oncology drugs and powerful diagnostics. Operating through two divisions, Diagnostics and Therapeutics, the Group's mission is to provide professionals and consumers with solutions that improve healthcare, fitness and well-being.

Avacta's Therapeutics Division, a clinical stage oncology drug innovator, is building a wholly owned pipeline of novel Affimer^® immunotherapies and pre|CISION™ tumour targeted chemotherapies. This approach is designed to address the lack of a durable response to current cancer immunotherapies experienced by most patients and reduce the severe systemic toxicities caused by chemotherapies. There are five programmes in the pipeline as well as several global research collaborations and licensing partnerships. Avacta's lead programme, AVA6000, is a pre|CISION™ tumour-targeted form of the established chemotherapy doxorubicin. AVA6000 is in Phase I clinical trials in patients with locally advanced or metastatic selected solid tumours.

The Affimer^® platform is an alternative to antibodies that has been designed to address many of the drawbacks of antibodies which, despite their shortcomings, currently dominate the immuno-diagnostics and immuno-therapeutics markets.

The pre|CISION™ tumour targeting platform can be used to modify a chemotherapy in order to selectively release the active drug in tumour tissue thereby reducing the systemic exposure that causes damage to healthy tissues. pre|CISION™ modified chemotherapies are designed to reduce the side effects and improve the overall safety and therapeutic potential of these powerful anti-cancer treatments.

Avacta's Diagnostics Division develops and supplies a broad range of in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) solutions. The Division is growing rapidly through an M&A strategy to deliver a global scale IVD business providing market leading solutions for healthcare professionals and consumers to inform treatment and monitor health and well-being. In October 2022, Avacta acquired Launch Diagnostics which serves the hospital pathology laboratory market in the UK and Europe. Avacta Diagnostic's research and development centre in Wetherby, UK uses its proprietary Affimer^® platform to differentiate immunodiagnostic products to provide marketing leading performance.

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