Araris Biotech AG to Present at the 22nd Annual PepTalk: Protein Science and Production Week

ZURICH, Switzerland, Jan. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Araris Biotech AG, a company pioneering a proprietary antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)-linker technology, today announced that Bernd Schlereth, Ph.D., chief development officer, will deliver an oral presentation at the 22^nd annual PepTalk: Protein Science and Production Week being held January 16- 20, 2023 in San Diego. During the event’s “Bispecific Antibody Development” program, Dr. Schlereth will present positive data showing that Araris’ CD79b-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), ARC-02, has demonstrated improved efficacy and safety compared to the approved ADC polatuzumab-vedotin (Polivy®) in non-human primate and rodent models of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

“These data demonstrate the sophistication of our proprietary linker technology and its ability to precisely synthesize homogeneous, stable and effective ADC therapies in preclinical models,” said Philipp Spycher, Ph.D., chief executive officer and co-founder of Araris Biotech. “Our in vitro and in vivo data suggest that ARC-02, which uses the same antibody and payload as Polivy® but is assembled with Araris’ linker technology, confers an improved therapeutic index. We look forward to continuing to study the potential of this therapeutic to better help patients.”

Presentation details:
Program: Bispecific Antibody Development
Program category: Safety and Efficacy of Bispecific Antibodies, ADCs, and Combination Therapies
Session: Innovative ADCs: Mitigation of Toxicity to Improve Efficacy
Title: A CD79b Targeting ADC with Superior Anti-Tumor Activity and Tolerability
Speaker: Bernd Schlereth, Ph.D.
Date/Time: January 20, 2023, 9:35 a.m. PST

Data highlights include:

• ARC-02 demonstrated potent cytotoxicity in three different non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) cell lines, with similar potency to Polivy® despite ARC-02’s having a lower drug load.
• ARC-02 was more stable than Polivy® in mouse, monkey and human sera and demonstrated no payload deconjugation or linker cleavage under physiological conditions during an incubation of 2 weeks.
• Single dose treatment of ARC-02 induced effective and long-lasting tumor responses at 3-4x lower payload dose compared to Polivy® in NHL tumor models.
• In vivo pharmacokinetic studies in mice, rats and monkeys demonstrated an antibody-like exposure profile of the ADC with no premature toxin loss in circulation.
• In repeat-dose cynomolgus monkey toxicity studies, ARC-02 showed a highest non-severely toxic dose (HNSTD) of 24mg/kg which is 8x higher than Polivy®.

About Araris Biotech AG

Araris Biotech AG is pioneering the development of its novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)-linker technology to enable efficient and precise production of ADCs. Its linker platform enables the attachment of any drug payload to ‘off the shelf’ antibodies, without the need for prior antibody engineering. The resulting ADCs have shown very high activity at low doses and an improved therapeutic index compared to FDA-approved ADCs. Araris is a spin-off company from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and ETH Zurich.

For more information, please visit www.ararisbiotech.com or follow Araris on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Corporate Contact:
Philipp Spycher, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
info@ararisbiotech.com
www.ararisbiotech.com

Media Contact:
Veronica Eames
LifeSci Communications, LLC
veames@lifescicomms.com
646-970-4682