Reach: 16 December 2022

NetScientific plc

("NetScientific" or the "Company")

PDS Biotech Completes First Stage of Enrolment in Checkpoint Inhibitor Refractory Arm of Phase 2 Clinical Trial in Advanced HPV16 Positive Head and Neck Cancer

VERSATILE-002 Phase 2 study investigates PDS0101 in combination with Merck's KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) in both checkpoint inhibitor refractory and checkpoint inhibitor naïve patients

NetScientific Plc (AIM: NSCI), investment and commercialisation group with an international portfolio of innovative life science, sustainability and technology companies, reports that its portfolio company, PDS Biotechnology Corporation (Nasdaq: PDSB), has announced the completion of enrolment in the first stage of the checkpoint inhibitor refractory group of its VERSATILE-002 Phase 2 study for the potential treatment of recurrent and/or metastatic human papillomavirus (HPV16)-positive head and neck cancer. 90% of HPV-associated head and neck cancers in the US are reported to be caused by HPV16, as reported in a study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.

VERSATILE-002 is a Phase 2, open-label, multicenter study of the efficacy and safety of PDS0101 administered in combination with pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA^®) in adults with HPV16 and PD-L1 positive recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). VERSATILE-002 is investigating two patient populations of HPV16-positive head and neck cancer patients whose cancer has returned or spread. The first group has not been previously treated with a checkpoint inhibitor (CPI naïve). The second group of patients has failed treatments including checkpoint inhibitor therapy (CPI refractory).  

Dr Ilian Iliev, CEO of NetScientific, commented:

"We are delighted with PDS Biotech's continued progress in its clinical trials, including the Phase 2 trial for combined therapy with Merck's Keytruda® drug as detailed in their announcement. Congratulations to Frank and his team with their company's continued advancements."

Dr Lauren V. Wood, Chief Medical Officer of PDS Biotech, said:

"We are very pleased to have completed enrolment among checkpoint inhibitor refractory patients in this first stage for this group in our VERSATILE-002 Phase 2 study.  This important milestone follows continued positive progress with the Phase 2 study, including data presented at ASCO 2022 and updated at our recent Head and Neck Cancer KOL Roundtable demonstrating the potential of PDS0101 in combination with pembrolizumab as a treatment for recurrent or metastatic HPV16-positive head and neck cancer.

"Currently, there are no approved therapies for CPI refractory head and neck cancer, with patients typically surviving less than a year. Our intent with VERSATILE-002 is to investigate the potential contribution that PDS0101 may have in improving the lives of patients with advanced head and neck cancer."  

A full version of PDS Biotech's announcement can be accessed here.

-Ends- 

For more information, please contact:

NetScientific

Ilian Iliev, CEO                                                                                     Via Belvedere Communications

WH Ireland (NOMAD, Financial Adviser and Broker)

Chris Fielding / Darshan Patel / Enzo Aliaj                                   +44 (0)20 7220 1666

Belvedere Communications

John West / Llew Angus                                                                   +44 (0) 203 008 6867

Email: nsci@belvederepr.com

About NetScientific

NetScientific plc (AIM: NSCI) is an investment and commercialisation group with an international portfolio of innovative life science, sustainability and technology companies.

NetScientific identifies, invests in, and builds high growth companies in the UK and internationally. The company adds value through the proactive management of its portfolio, progressing to key value inflection points, and delivering investment returns through partial or full liquidity events.

NetScientific differentiates itself by employing a capital-light investment approach, making judicial use of its balance sheet and syndicating investments through its wholly owned VC subsidiary, EMV Capital. The group secures a mixture of direct equity stakes and carried interest stakes in its portfolio of companies, creating a lean structure that can support a large portfolio.

NetScientific is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, and is admitted to trading on AIM, a market operated by the London Stock Exchange.

www.netscientific.net

About PDS Biotech

About PDS Biotechnology 

PDS Biotech is a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing a growing pipeline of targeted cancer and infectious disease immunotherapies based on our proprietary Versamune^® and Infectimune™ T cell-activating technology platforms. We believe our targeted Versamune® based candidates have the potential to overcome the limitations of current immunotherapy by inducing large quantities of high-quality, potent polyfunctional tumor specific CD4+ helper and CD8+ killer T cells. To date, our lead Versamune^® clinical candidate, PDS0101, has demonstrated the potential to reduce tumors and stabilize disease in combination with approved and investigational therapeutics in patients with a broad range of HPV-positive cancers in multiple Phase 2 clinical trials. Our Infectimune™ based vaccines have also demonstrated the potential to induce not only robust and durable neutralizing antibody responses, but also powerful T cell responses, including long-lasting memory T cell responses in pre-clinical studies to date. To learn more, please visit www.pdsbiotech.com or follow us on Twitter at @PDSBiotech.