IP : Glythera Ltd - Launches UK government funded project to develop safer and more efficacious ADCs for the treatment of difficult-to-treat tumours

- Development of proprietary next generation ADC portfolio -

- Secures £1m in grant funding -

Glythera Limited ('Glythera'), the next generation antibody drug conjugate ('ADC') development company, today announces the launch of a £1 million Innovate UK grant-funded project to develop next-generation ADCs for difficult-to-treat tumours usingGlythera's proprietary non-maleimide conjugation platform, PermaLink®, in combination with its portfolio of novel toxins and antibodies.

ADCs are an emerging class of targeted therapeutics in the fight against cancer. By combining the targeting power of antibodies with the cell killing capability of highly potent toxins, ADCs have the potential to kill tumour cells whilst limiting damage to healthy tissues, and to improve patient outcomes over traditional chemotherapy. Glythera's PermaLink®-based ADCs have the potential to improve clinical utility through their significantly enhanced conjugation stability, which results in an improved therapeutic index and overall tumour response.

This project aims to develop a portfolio of PermaLink®-based ADCs by combining novel high-potency toxins with a series of ADC-viable, tumour-specific antibodies, selected according to pre-defined criteria and specifically focused towards antigens that are overexpressed in difficult-to-treat cancers. Data generated from in vitro and in vivo studies of these conjugates will be used to prioritise the most promising candidates for pre-clinical development programmes. Glythera intends to identify its first clinical candidate for 'first-in-man studies' in 2019.

Glythera has partnered with Covance, the world renowned global contract research division of LabCorp Inc., for the Innovate UK-funded project. Innovate UK, the UK's innovation agency, has invested £1,080,235 of Biomedical Catalyst funding in the project.

Dr Dave Simpson, CEO of Glythera, said: 'Glythera is poised to bring a new generation of oncology focused therapies to the clinic. The funding by Innovate UK will help us identify novel antibody-drug conjugates for the potential treatment of a variety of cancers that are associated with high relapse rates to current treatment. These will then be prioritised for pre-clinical development. With Innovate UK's support, we aim to build a portfolio of much-needed, safe treatments to improve the lives of patients living with these devastating cancers.'

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Notes to Editors

Glythera Limited

Glythera specialises in the development of next generation biotherapeutics, through the application of its advanced proprietary linker and stable glycan technologies: PermaLink® and PermaCarb®. Our conjugation chemistries platforms have the potential to enhance and strengthen pharmaceutical drug candidates.

Biotherapeutics are an integral part of modern medicine, particularly in the oncology space, due to their efficacious properties and ability to target specific molecules within the human body. The Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) field is a key area within the protein and antibody engineering industry. ADCs are complex molecules composed of an antibody linked to a biological active cytotoxic (anti-cancer) drug. A stable link between the antibody and cytotoxic agent is a crucial aspect of an ADC. Glythera's highly specific, stable linker technology addresses many of the instability issues faced by current conjugation methods. Our technology platforms enable efficient and cost effective development and manufacture of new efficacious biologics that improve half-life and optimize bio-availability and which are highly specific, stable, robust and safe.

Glythera's PermaLink® technology is a controlled, stable conjugation platform composed of a portfolio of linker designs. PermaLink™ can be employed for the selective and stable functionalization and conjugation of various cargos to proteins and peptides.

PermaCarb® is a highly stable sialic acid derivative which can be conjugated to a glycan of choice via an enzyme mediated reaction during downstream processing in a scalable and compliant fashion. Our stable glycan technology PermaCarb® is designed to facilitate the creation of biotherapeutics which can be administered at lower doses and/or reduced frequency.

For further information visit: www.glythera.com

About Innovate UK

Innovate UK is the UK's innovation agency. It works with people, companies and partner organisations to find and drive the science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy. For further information visit: www.innovateuk.gov.uk