Medigene AG: New safety data shows Medigene's inducible system produces correctly-paired T cell receptors only

Poster presentation at the ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress

Planegg/Martinsried (pta002/08.12.2021/08:30 UTC+1) Medigene AG (Medigene, FSE: MDG1, Prime Standard), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focusing on the development of T cell immunotherapies, will present new safety data showing that its inducible Medigene T cell receptor (iM-TCR) system produces only correctly-paired T cell receptors (TCRs). The data will be presented from today at the ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress, taking place both virtually and on-site in Geneva, Switzerland, from 8-11 December 2021.

Medigene's inducible TCR (iM-TCR) - A fine control system to switch TCR-T cells on and off

The iM-TCR system controls the level of expression of an introduced TCR on the surface of T cells, thereby governing the amount of functional activity of the TCR-T cells on the cell surface. In the presence of the appropriate drug the two chains of the TCR pair and the TCR is brought onto the T cell surface; without the drug, they disappear and new TCRs are only replaced upon new specific drug induction. The presence or absence of the drug therefore determines the level of activity of the TCR-T cells, potentially allowing clinicians to switch TCR-T activity on or off as required.

Prof. Dolores Schendel, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer at Medigene: "T cell receptors consist of two different chains, alpha and beta. It was possible that non-specific "forced" pairing - triggered by the administration of a certain drug - would produce unwanted alpha-alpha or beta-beta pairs in addition to the intended alpha-beta pairs. This would have posed a safety risk, since TCRs with new and unknown reactivities could thus arise. However, our experiments have ruled this out: in an [i]in vitro[/i] system we have shown that only the desired alpha-beta pairs are formed.

This is another important step in ensuring the safety and functionality of modified T cells for transfer into patients and to allow first clinical testing. Our iM-TCR system is designed to enable physicians to avoid unwanted side effects of TCR-T therapy and to regulate an ongoing immune response precisely."

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About Medigene

Medigene AG (FSE: MDG1, ISIN DE000A1X3W00, Prime Standard) is a publicly listed biotechnology company headquartered in Planegg/Martinsried near Munich, Germany. With its scientific expertise, Medigene is working on the development of innovative immunotherapies to enhance T cell activity against solid cancers in fields of high unmet medical need. Medigene's pipeline includes preclinical as well as clinical programs in development.

Medigene's strategy is to develop its own therapies towards clinical proof-of-concept. In addition, the Company offers selected partners the opportunity to discover and develop therapies on the basis of its proprietary technology platforms. In return for such partnerships, Medigene expects to receive upfront and milestone payments as well as research and development funding and royalties on future product sales.

For more information, please visit https://www.medigene.com

About Medigene's TCR-Ts

T cells are at the center of Medigene's therapeutic approaches. With the aid of Medigene's immunotherapies the patient's own defense mechanisms are activated, and T cells harnessed in the battle against cancer. Medigene's therapies arm the patient's own T cells with tumor-specific T cell receptors (TCRs). The resulting TCR-Ts should thereby be able to detect and efficiently kill cancer cells.

This approach to immunotherapy aims to overcome the patient's tolerance to cancer cells and tumor-induced immunosuppression by activating the patient's T cells outside the body, genetically modifying them with tumor-specific TCRs and finally multiplying them. In this way, large numbers of specific T cells are made available to patients to fight the cancer within a short period of time.

[i]This press release contains forward-looking statements representing the opinion of Medigene as of the date of this release. The actual results achieved by Medigene may differ significantly from the forward-looking statements made herein. Medigene is not bound to update any of these forward-looking statements. Medigene® is a registered trademark of Medigene AG. This trademark may be owned or licensed in select locations only.[/i]

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Emitter:	Medigene AG Lochhamer Straße 11 82152 Planegg/Martinsried Germany
Contact Person:	Medigene PR/IR
Phone:	+49 89 2000 3333 01
E-Mail:	investor@medigene.com
Website:	www.medigene.com
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