Lindy Durrant appointed CEO of Scancell

RNS Number : 8098G

Scancell Holdings Plc

28 July 2021

 

28 July 2021

Scancell Holdings plc

("Scancell" or the "Company")

Professor Lindy Durrant appointed CEO of Scancell

Scancell Holdings plc (AIM: SCLP), the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious disease, is pleased to announce that Professor Lindy Durrant, founder, Board Director and Chief Scientific Officer of Scancell has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Scancell Holdings plc with immediate effect. Professor Durrant was previously co-CEO of the Company. Dr Cliff Holloway has decided to step down as a Board Director and CEO, also with immediate effect. The Board would like to thank Cliff for his commitment over the last three years during which time the Company has made substantial progress.

Professor Lindy Durrant, said: "I believe Scancell has an unrivalled pipeline of products and I, along with the rest of the team at Scancell, intend to continue to drive our pipeline through the clinic as we focus on accelerating the development of what we believe to be our most commercially promising assets."

Dr Cliff Holloway, said: "Since I joined Scancell in early 2018 we've built and financed the Company to the point where it has a strong and diverse pipeline and it can now embark on its next phase of growth. I'm proud to have led Scancell during this pivotal time. The Company is now stronger than ever and I look forward to following its continued progress."

Dr John Chiplin, Executive Chairman, Scancell Holdings plc, commented: "As a founder and CSO, Lindy is the driving force behind Scancell's internationally recognised science. The Board firmly believes her strategic insight and commitment to moving products into the clinic as well as her strong leadership skills will deliver significant value to the business and to shareholders."

"We are very grateful to Cliff for all his hard work over the last three years at Scancell. The Company is now on a sound financial footing with the infrastructure in place for the next stage of its growth. The Board and I wish Cliff all the best for the future."

For further information, please contact:
Scancell Holdings plc	[phone]
Dr John Chiplin, Executive Chairman
Professor Lindy Durrant, CEO
Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited (Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker)	[phone]
Freddy Crossley/Emma Earl (Corporate Finance)
Rupert Dearden (Corporate Broking)
Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (Joint Broker)	[phone]
Nicholas Moore/Ben Maddison (Healthcare Investment Banking)
Nick Adams (Corporate Broking)
FTI Consulting	[phone]
Simon Conway/Natalie Garland-Collins

About Scancell

Scancell is developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer based on its technology platforms, ImmunoBody^®, Moditope^® and AvidiMab^TM, with four products in multiple cancer indications and development of a vaccine for COVID-19.

ImmunoBody^® vaccines target dendritic cells and stimulate both CD4 and CD8 T cells with the ability to identify, target and eliminate cancer cells. These cancer vaccines have the potential to be used as monotherapy or in combination with checkpoint inhibitors and other agents. The Directors believe that this platform has the potential to enhance tumour destruction, prevent disease recurrence and extend survival.

· SCIB1, Scancell's lead product, is being developed for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. In a Phase 1/2 clinical trial, survival with SCIB1 treatment appears superior to historical survival rates, with 14 of 16 resected patients receiving 2-4 mg doses of SCIB1 surviving for more than five years.

· SCIB2 is being developed for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer and other solid tumours.

DNA vaccine against COVID-19: As research data emerges, it is becoming increasingly clear that the induction of potent and activated T cells play a critical role in the development of long-term immunity and clearance of virus-infected cells. Initial research is underway and Scancell anticipates initiating a Phase 1 clinical trial known as COVIDITY during 2021.

Moditope^® represents a completely new class of potent and selective immunotherapy agents based on stress-induced post-translational modifications (siPTM). Examples of such modifications are citrullination, an enzyme-based conversion of arginine to citrulline, and homocitrullination (or carbamylation), in which lysine residues are converted to homocitrulline. Expression of peptides containing these modifications have been demonstrated to induce potent CD4 cytotoxic t cells to eliminate cancer. Previous pre-clinical studies have demonstrated that conjugation of these Moditope^® peptides to Amplivant^® enhances anti-tumour immune responses 10-100 fold and resulted in highly efficient tumour eradication, including protection against tumour recurrence.

· Modi-1 consists of two citrullinated vimentin peptides and one citrullinated enolase peptide each conjugated to Amplivant®. Vimentin and enolase peptides are highly expressed in triple negative breast, ovarian, head and neck, and renal cancer, as well as many other cancers.

AvidiMab™ has broad potential to increase the avidity or potency of any therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) including those being developed for autoimmune diseases, as well as cancer. Scancell's development pipeline includes mAbs against specific tumour-associated glycans (TaGs) with superior affinity and selectivity profiles, that have now been further engineered using the Company's AvidiMab™ technology; this confers the Scancell anti-TaG mAbs with the ability to directly kill tumour cells. The Company has entered into three non-exclusive research agreements with leading antibody technology companies to evaluate the Company's anti-TaG mAbs including those enhanced with the AvidiMab™ technology.

 

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