Another technological achievement for genOway's humanized ICP (immune checkpoint) models, used successfully by Curadev Pharma in the preclinical trials of its drug candidate CRD3874 for the treatment of advanced/metastatic solid cancers

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Lyon (France) - August 31, 2023 - 6:00 pm - genOway (Euronext GrowthTM - ALGEN - ISIN: FR0004053510), a French biotech company specializing in the design of preclinical predictive solutions (mimicking human disease) to enable its customers to select their most effective and safest drug candidate, is proud to have contributed to the success of the preclinical trials of its customer Curadev Pharma, an Indian biotechnology company specializing in immuno-oncology for the development of its agonist molecule STING CRD3874 to treat advanced/metastatic solid cancers.

Successful elimination of cancerous tumors by the immune system requires the action of human interferons (IFN). When activated in cells of the tumor microenvironment and lymph nodes, immune protein STING coordinates pro-inflammatory immune responses by generating IFNs. Systemic activation of this STING immune protein by intravenous infusion of the CRD3874 in cancer patients is an attempt to reactivate dormant or disrupted immune mechanisms.

In December 2022, Curadev Pharma obtained regulatory approval from the US Food & Drug Administration to initiate a Phase 1 trial of its lead STING agonist CRD3874 in advanced/metastatic solid cancers. The preclinical stages, carried out using the humanized model developed by genOway, have fully demonstrated the efficacy of this new molecule.

This result once again echoes genOway's objective to enable its pharmaceutical and biotech customers to rapidly select the most effective and safest drug candidate for their studies. This strategy brings numerous benefits to its customers by enabling them to:

• Accelerate their drug candidates' transition to clinical phases—just two years for Curadev Pharma's molecule STING CRD3874
• Sort out drug candidates more efficiently:
• By more rapidly eliminating molecules that have no therapeutic effect or are toxic in humans, and thereby avoid taking them unnecessarily into the clinical phase: false positives
• By bringing into the clinical phase molecules with a functional therapeutic interest in humans, whereas no effect would have been detected in a non-humanized murine model: false negatives

Alexandre Fraichard, Chief Executive Officer of genOway, says: "The fruitful collaboration initiated at the end of 2020 with Curadev Pharma through multiple studies on our different humanized ICP models on the STING target has enabled our customer to more rapidly enter a clinical trial for its drug candidate. This result once again illustrates genOway's ambition to position itself as a benchmark player in the preclinical market. On the strength of the technological and commercial successes achieved in recent months, we continue to enrich our catalog with increasingly complex and predictive models to create a unique offering for our customers and maximize their molecule's chances of success in the clinical stages."

Arjun Surya, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Scientific Officer at Curadev Pharma, adds: "Curadev enjoys an excellent and very productive working relationship with genOway. The objectives of this relationship have evolved over the years, from the design and delivery of genetically modified animal models to genuine scientific collaborations that have led to the joint submission of author manuscripts. Pre-clinical studies using the humanized STING ICP catalog model supplied by genOway were part of the IND (Investigational New Drug) Applications package for its systemic STING agonist CRD3874, which received the “study may proceed” letter from the FDA to initiate Phase 1 of its clinical trial. We have no hesitation to recommend genOway as a leader in the design and delivery of genetically modified models to advance research.”

About genOway
genOway is a biotechnology company with over 20 years of expertise in the development of physiologically relevant preclinical models. The company has developed a catalog of humanized, “off-the-shelf” immuno-oncology mouse and cell models to accelerate research into cancer pathophysiology and enable the evaluation of new therapeutic agents. Founded in 1999, genOway currently operates in more than 28 countries with 380 academic institutions and 170 life science companies, including 17 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies.

_{The information contained in this communication may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual achievements may differ materially from those anticipated in this information due to risk factors relating to the Company. www.genoway.com.}