Celyad–Horizon Discovery: shRNA technology, 201810– license excl to develop allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies

	Period	2018-10-04
	Partner, 1st	Celyad S.A. (Euronext Brussels + Paris: CYAD, Nasdaq: CYAD)
	Group	Celyad (Group)
	Partner, 2nd	Horizon Discovery Group plc (LSE: HZD)
	Group	PerkinElmer (Group)
	Product	shRNA technology
	Product 2	CAR T-cell therapy product

Celyad S.A.. (10/4/18). "Press Release: Celyad Announces Exclusive Agreement for Horizon Discovery’s shRNA Platform to Develop NextGeneration Allogeneic CAR-T Therapies". Mont-Saint-Guibert.

In vivo study results to be presented at the 2018 SITC Annual Meeting

Celyad (Euronext Brussels and Paris, and NASDAQ: CYAD), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of specialized CAR-T cell-based therapies, today announced an exclusive agreement with Horizon Discovery Group plc (LSE: HZD), for the use of its shRNA technology to generate Celyad’s second non-gene-edited allogeneic platform.

Celyad recently announced its first-in-class non-gene edited allogeneic CAR-T candidate, CYAD-101 a non-gene-edited allogeneic NKG2D-based CAR using the TIM (TCR Inhibiting Molecule). As a result of the agreement with Horizon Discovery, Celyad now also has access to a novel shRNA-based platform.

Data from preclinical studies demonstrating the versatility of the shRNA platform in the allogeneic setting, will be presented at the upcoming 2018 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., November 7th – 11th. These promising preclinical data will pave the way for the next steps in the development of Celyad’s differentiated non-gene edited allogeneic approach to CAR-T cell therapy.

“ We are excited to have the opportunity to leverag e Horizon’s shRNA platform to further advance our pioneering appr oach to non - gene edited allogeneic CAR-T cells ”, said Dr. Christian Homsy, CEO of Celyad. “ Celyad is committed to rapidly advancing its allogeneic program based on highly promising preclinical data which will be presented at SITC. Th e s e data provide proof of concept for our shR N A based non-gene-edited allogeneic approach. In addition to very promising preclinical data, our allogeneic approach is also strengthened by Celyad’s strong patent estate in the U.S., which broadly covers the use of allogeneic CAR-T using cells that are TCR inhibited or suppressed by any means .”

Jon Moore, CSO of Horizon Discovery added: “ The high performance shRNA technology licensed by Celyad is the same as that deployed in our range of SMARTvector produc ts and is designed to deliver efficient target knock down with high specificity. Horizon’s collaboration w ith Celyad is designed to let Celyad find a highly effective solution for its needs . Horizon sees its shRNA technology as a serious rival to gene editing approaches for delivering enhanced performance to therapeutic cell products . We see enormous promise in cell therapies and are committed to develop and supply innovative technologies that allow our partners to bring transformative cell therapies to the clinic and fulfil unmet clinical needs .”

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About Celyad

Celyad is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of specialized CAR-T cell-based therapies. Celyad utilizes its expertise in cell engineering to target cancer. Celyad’s CAR-T cell platform has the potential to treat a broad range of solid and hematologic tumors. Its lead oncology candidate, CYAD-01 (CAR-T NKG2D), is currently evaluated in a Phase I dose escalation clinical trial to assess the safety and clinical activity of multiple administrations of autologous CYAD-01 cells in seven refractory cancers including five solid tumors (colorectal, ovarian, bladder, triple-negative breast and pancreatic cancers) and two hematological tumors (acute myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma). The safety and clinical activity of the CYAD-01 therapy concurrently administered with standard-of-care treatments or preconditioning chemotherapy is also assessed in a full clinical development program focused on acute myeloid leukemia and colorectal cancer. Celyad was founded in 2007 and is based in Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium, and New York, NY. Celyad’s ordinary shares are listed on the Euronext Brussels and Euronext Paris exchanges, and its American Depository Shares are listed on the NASDAQ Global Market, all under the ticker symbol CYAD.

For more information, please contact:

Celyad
investors@celyad.com
Filippo Petti, Chief Financial Officer
Communications@celyad.com
Carri Duncan, VP Corporate Development & Communications - T: +32(0) 10 39 41 87

For Belgium: Comfi
Sabine Leclercq - T.: +32 (0)2 290 90 91 – celyad@comfi.be

For France: NewCap
Pierre Laurent and Nicolas Mérigeau - T: + 33(0)1 44 71 94 94 - celyad@newcap.eu

For the U.S.: LifeSci Advisors
Daniel Ferry – T.: +1 (617) 535 7746 – daniel@lifesciadvisors.com Public Relations: Allison Blum – T:+1 (646) 627 8383 - allison@lifescipublicrelations.com

About Horizon Discovery Group plc www.horizondiscovery.com

Horizon Discovery Group plc (LSE: HZD) ("Horizon") is a world leader in gene editing and gene modulation technologies. Horizon designs and engineers cells using its translational genomics platform, a highly precise and flexible suite of DNA editing tools (rAAV, ZFN, CRISPR and Transposon) and, following the acquisition of Dharmacon, Inc., its functional genomics platform comprising gene knockdown (RNAi) and gene expression (cDNA, ORF) tools, for research and clinical applications that advance human health. Horizon’s platforms and capabilities enable researchers to alter almost any gene or modulate its function in human or mammalian cell lines.
Horizon offers an extensive range of catalogue products and related research services to support a greater understanding of the function of genes across all species and the genetic drivers of human disease and the development of personalized molecular, cell and gene therapies. These have been adopted by over 10,000 academic, drug discovery, drug manufacturing and clinical diagnostics customers around the globe, as well as in the Company’s own R&D pipeline.
Horizon is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, and is listed on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market under the ticker “HZD.”

For further information from Horizon Discovery Group plc, please contact:
Zyme Communications (Trade and Regional Media)
Katie Odgaard
Tel: +44 (0)7787 502 947
Email: katie.odgaard@zymecommunications.com

Horizon Discovery Group plc
Terry Pizzie, Chief Executive Officer
Richard Vellacott, Chief Financial Officer
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 655 580