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TORONTO and HOUSTON, Nov. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medicenna Therapeutics Corp. (“Medicenna” or the “Company”) (TSX: MDNA, OTCQX: MDNAF), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company focused on the development of Superkines, announced today that it will present pre-clinical data on MDNA11 and IL-2 Superkines in glioblastoma models at the 29th Annual Meeting of the Society of Neuro-Oncology (SNO) taking place in Houston, Texas from November 21 – 24, 2024. The Company will also present pre-clinical data in aggressive metastatic models of breast cancer incorporating MDNA11 pre-treatment prior to surgery (“neoadjuvant”) at the 2024 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), the world’s largest breast cancer conference taking place in San Antonio, Texas from December 10 – 13, 2024.
Details for the poster presentations are as follows:
29th Annual SNO Meeting:
Title: Invigorating effector immune cells with highly selective IL-2R agonists and potential synergy with tumor targeting therapeutics for treatment of glioblastomas
Session Date: Friday, November 22, 2024
Session Time: 7:30 – 9:30 PM CT
Abstract Number: IMMU-62
2024 SABCS:
Title: Neo-adjuvant administration of MDNA11, a long-acting IL-2 Superkine, prevents metastasis, protects against tumor rechallenges and provides long-term survival in an orthotopic model of breast cancer
Session Date: Thursday, December 12, 2024
Session Time: 12:00 – 2:00 PM CT
Abstract: SESS-1335
Following the conclusion of the Annual SNO Meeting and the SABCS, copies of the posters will be available on the “Scientific Presentations” page of Medicenna’s website.
About MDNA11
MDNA11 is an intravenously administered, long-acting ‘beta-enhanced not-alpha’ IL-2 Superkine specifically engineered to overcome the shortcomings of aldesleukin and other next generation IL-2 variants by preferentially activating immune effector cells (CD8+ T and NK cells) responsible for killing cancer cells, with minimal or no stimulation of immunosuppressive Tregs. These unique proprietary features of the IL-2 Superkine have been achieved by incorporating seven specific mutations and genetically fusing it to a recombinant human albumin scaffold to improve the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile and pharmacological activity of MDNA11 due to albumin’s natural propensity to accumulate in highly vascularized sites, in particular tumor and tumor draining lymph nodes. MDNA11 is currently being evaluated in the Phase 1/2 ABILITY-1 study as both a monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA®).
About Medicenna Therapeutics
Medicenna is a clinical-stage immunotherapy company focused on developing novel, highly selective versions of IL-2, IL-4 and IL-13 Superkines and first-in-class Empowered Superkines. Medicenna’s long-acting IL-2 Superkine, MDNA11, is a next-generation IL-2 with superior affinity toward CD122 (IL-2 receptor beta) and no CD25 (IL-2 receptor alpha) binding, thereby preferentially stimulating cancer-killing effector T cells and NK cells. Medicenna’s IL-4 Empowered Superkine, bizaxofusp (formerly MDNA55), has been studied in 5 clinical trials enrolling over 130 patients, including a Phase 2b trial for recurrent GBM, the most common and uniformly fatal form of brain cancer. Bizaxofusp has obtained FastTrack and Orphan Drug status from the FDA and FDA/EMA, respectively. Medicenna’s early-stage high-affinity IL-2β biased IL-2/IL-15 Super-antagonists, from its MDNA209 platform, are being evaluated as potential therapies for autoimmune and graft-versus host diseases. Medicenna’s early-stage BiSKITs™ (Bifunctional SuperKine ImmunoTherapies) and the T-MASK™ (Targeted Metalloprotease Activated SuperKine) programs are designed to enhance the ability of Superkines to treat immunologically “cold” tumors.