T-Cypher Bio Announces Formation of Scientific Advisory Board

PRESS RELEASE

T-Cypher Bio Announces Formation of Scientific Advisory Board

Oxford, UK, 29 July 2021 – T-Cypher Bio (‘T-Cypher’, or ‘the Company’), a rapidly emerging private biotech company pioneering a novel approach to TCR-based therapeutics, today announces the formation and members of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) comprising international leaders of T cell immunology.

The newly formed SAB will guide and support T-Cypher as it continues to grow and expand in its mission to develop next generation TCR-based therapeutics and identify key potential targets across multiple indications.

The SAB will be chaired by Professor Graham Ogg, the co-founder of T-Cypher Bio and world leader in T cell immunology. In addition to his role as Professor of Dermatology at the University of Oxford, he has been recognised as an NIHR Senior Investigator and a Fellow of Academy Medical Sciences.

Graham Ogg, Professor of Dermatology at the University of Oxford and Chair of T-Cypher’s SAB said: “I am delighted to be appointed Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board, bringing together a group of highly accomplished and experienced individuals. Collectively, the SAB brings enormous expertise that will help drive T-Cypher to success in the use of its high-throughput antigen and TCR discovery platform to the development of immune-based treatments for oncology and other major indications of medical need.”

Thomas Lars Andresen, PhD, CEO said: “I am delighted to welcome such a highly esteemed group of world leaders and experts in T cell immunology to the company’s Scientific Advisory Board. Each member will be invaluable to T-Cypher as we continue to make progress on identifying potential targets and developing the next-generation of TCR therapeutics.”

Uciane Scarlett, PhD, Interim Executive Chair & OSI Investment Principal, said: “The establishment of the Scientific Advisory Board marks a significant step for the T-Cypher team. Their knowledge and perspective will provide an assured guidance as T–Cypher advances its exciting, novel techniques and doubles-down on its mission.”

The members of the Scientific Advisory Board are as follows:

Graham Ogg FMedSci is Professor of Dermatology at the University of Oxford. He has longstanding expertise in TCR and antigen discovery, predominantly in the setting of malignant and inflammatory skin disease. He is the co-founder of T-Cypher Bio and brings expertise in the core technology, as well as human T cell immunology and clinical trials of immune modulation for translation to clinical benefit.

Professor Cassian Yee is Director of the Department of Solid Tumour Cell Therapy, and Professor in the Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. He has been at the forefront of international studies of cancer immunology for twenty years, with a continued sharp focus on bringing immune-based therapeutics to the clinic. His work includes the use of adoptive T cell-based treatments and has resulted in many international awards.

Professor Sir Andrew McMichael FMedSci FRS is Professor of Molecular Medicine at the University of Oxford. He was the first to show that viral fragments or peptides are presented by HLA molecules on the surface of infected cells, allowing recognition by T cells. He has since made many seminal discoveries in the T cell and NK cell immunology field, including discovery of viral antigens and the importance of viral escape from T cell recognition. He also discovered that CD94/NKG2 heterodimers are ligands for HLA-E molecules.

Professor Fiona Powrie FMedSci FRS is Director of the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology and Principal Investigator at the Translational Gastroenterology Unit, University of Oxford. She has made major contributions to our understanding of regulatory T cell function, particularly in the setting of inflammatory bowel disease and other forms of chronic intestinal inflammation. Fiona is leading work to define the engagement of intestinal microbiota with the immune system and how this might be controlled for patient benefit.

Associate Professor Nicola Ternette is Head of Antigen Discovery at the University of Oxford. She is at the forefront of defining T cell antigens presented by tumours and infected cells. She combines transcriptomics and de novo sequencing approaches to assist identification of canonical and non-canonical peptide species bound to HLA molecules using ultra-sensitive mass spectrometry. Her innovations generate new insights to disease and facilitate progression along the translational pathway to vaccines and immune-based therapies.

Professor Tao Dong is Professor of Immunology at the University of Oxford. She has longstanding expertise in viral and tumour T cell immunology and has developed novel approaches to identify and grow T cells of desired functional characteristics that are missed by existing methodologies. The defined antigen-specific T cells have high effector function and proliferative capacity and form a technological pipeline of potential TCR-based therapeutics for clinical progression.

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About T-Cypher Bio

T-Cypher Bio, a rapidly emerging biotechnology company headquartered in Oxford, UK, is pioneering a novel approach to develop next generation TCR therapeutics and utilise state of the art techniques to identify a broad-range of potential targets, for both solid tumours and other indications.

These techniques offer a vast library of candidate antigen peptides for recognition by T cells and the ability to test T cell functionality directly from patients without the need for T cell cloning, TCR generation or immortalised T cells.

Through harnessing the knowledge gained within Orbit Discovery, the Company is building a pipeline of game-changing treatments for patients, with the potential to save lives.

For more information please visit: https://tcypherbio.com/

About OSI

Oxford Sciences Innovation is a leading science and technology business. OSI ensures Oxford’s world-leading science moves out of the laboratory and onto the global stage. In partnership with the University of Oxford, OSI creates fundamental technology companies, built on science. We match scientists with experienced entrepreneurs and patient capital to turn idea to impact, discovery to company. OSI invests in Life Sciences, Deep Tech, Healthtech, AI and Software to create companies taking on challenges like diagnosis and treatment of disease and cancer, hyper resolution microscopy, renewable energy, drones, nuclear fusion and quantum computing. Founded in 2015, we’ve raised over $800M of evergreen capital, building on Oxford’s renowned research legacy, to create a leading science and technology ecosystem and home for entrepreneurs.

OSI backs companies from their inception and invest for the long-term, helping them to build their businesses by finding senior management talent, entrepreneurs, expert advisors and global investors to realise their vision. OSI reinvests any returns back into the Oxford ecosystem and the next generation of scientists and technologies to create even more companies capable of tackling more of the world’s most important problems.

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