Rakovina Therapeutics Partners with St. Baldrick’s Foundation to Research and Develop New Treatments for Childhood Bone Cancer

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rakovina Therapeutics Inc. (TSXV: RKV) (“the Company”), a biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing new cancer therapies based on novel DNA-damage response technologies, today announced that the Company has been selected to join a three year US$975,000 (CDN1,297,000) research program funded by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation Martha’s BEST Grant for All, which is aimed at developing new treatments for Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive bone and soft tissue cancer in children and young adults.

Prof. Mads Daugaard, Rakovina Therapeutics president and chief scientific officer, is a principal researcher in the project along with Prof. Paul Sorensen at the University of British Columbia. Rakovina Therapeutics recently presented preclinical data at peer reviewed scientific meetings demonstrating the potential of Rakovina Therapeutics’ kt-3000 series drug candidates against treatment-resistant cancer cell lines, including Ewing sarcoma.

“Our data demonstrate that kt-3000 series compounds are equal or more effective against Ewing sarcoma cells in vitro in comparison to FDA approved PARP-inhibitors, which are used as benchmarks for activity, stated Prof. Daugaard. “Currently, there are no FDA-approved treatments for relapsed Ewing sarcoma, which is largely resistant to conventional therapies as well as immunotherapy; new treatment strategies are sorely needed.”

Rakovina Therapeutics will supply test compounds and support the project with technical personnel. Funding from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation will support pre-clinical IND-enabling research conducted at the University of British Columbia over the next 12 months.

Martha’s Better Ewing Sarcoma Treatment (BEST) Grant for All is a St. Baldrick’s grant named in honor of a 19-year-old girl who has fought the disease for over 6 years, after first being diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in 2015, at the age of 13. Martha was happy to have her name associated with the grant but insisted on the “for All” to recognize the many other children diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma every year. Having faced numerous relapses over the years, Martha is undeterred and continues her battle against Ewing Sarcoma. Continuing to put her faith behind the cancer research community, Martha plans to enroll in a clinical trial at Boston Children’s Hospital in December 2021.

“This incredibly generous major gift made it possible for us to partner with the University of British Columbia to seek out and fund new Ewing sarcoma research,” according to Kathleen Ruddy, chief executive officer of St. Baldrick’s Foundation. “Recently reported data from Rakovina Therapeutics demonstrate early promise as a potential treatment for Ewing sarcoma and we are pleased to welcome the company into this important project, which supports cutting-edge research in the hopes of finding new treatments for this deadly disease.”

“Thousands of donors and volunteers have made the St. Baldrick’s Foundation the largest non-government funder of childhood cancer research grants. Our volunteers and scientists work tirelessly to ensure that current and future children diagnosed with cancer will have access to the best treatments and that tomorrow’s cures will come with fewer long-term toxic effects,” said Ms. Ruddy.

“Rakovina Therapeutics is pleased to be an industry partner in the St. Baldrick’s Foundation mission to support the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives,” stated Jeffrey Bacha, Rakovina Therapeutics executive chairman. “We will seek to rapidly advance drug candidates into the clinical arena if pre-clinical IND-enabling work permits.”

About Rakovina Therapeutics Inc.

Rakovina Therapeutics Inc. is focused on the development of new cancer treatments based on novel DNA-damage response technologies. The Company has established a pipeline of DNA-damage response inhibitors with the goal of advancing one or more drug candidates into human clinical trials and obtaining marketing approval for new cancer therapeutics from Health Canada, the United States Food and Drug Administration and similar international regulatory agencies. Further information may be found at www.rakovinatherapeutics.com.

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