CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rubius Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:RUBY), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that is genetically engineering red blood cells to create an entirely new class of cellular medicines, today announced that the company will present preclinical data from its oncology pipeline of Red Cell Therapeutics™ (RCTs) at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) 23rd Annual Meeting. The meeting is being held virtually from May 12 – 15, 2020.
“At Rubius Therapeutics, we are engineering Red Cell Therapeutics to replicate how the immune system naturally fights cancer. At the ASGCT Annual Meeting, we plan to present preclinical data from our lead artificial antigen-presenting cell (aAPC) program, RTX-321, for the treatment of HPV 16-positive tumors, demonstrating that we can activate and expand antigen-specific T cells for tumor-specific immunotherapy in vitro. Importantly, we will show that we can expand the different cell populations that are critical for delivering and maintaining long-term, anti-tumor responses. We plan to file an Investigational New Drug application for RTX-321 by the end of 2020,” said Laurence Turka, M.D., chief scientific officer of Rubius Therapeutics. “Additionally, we plan to present data showing that our aAPC platform can expand both naïve and exhausted CD4+ T cells in vitro. This finding is significant because both of these cell types may be present in patients with HPV 16-positive cancers, suggesting that we may be able to harness the full complement of tumor-specific CD4+ T cells to achieve durable responses in patients.”
The abstracts can be accessed via the ASGCT website meeting planner. All posters will be made available at the beginning of the virtual meeting on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, at 6:00 a.m. ET and during the poster presentation sessions:
Abstract Title: An Engineered Allogeneic Artificial Antigen Presenting Red Cell Therapeutic, RTX-321, for HPV16+ Associated Cancers Promotes Antigen-Specific T Cell Activation & Expansion
Session Date/Time: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM ET
Session Title: Cancer - Immunotherapy, Cancer Vaccines
Abstract Number: 321
Abstract Title: Engineered Red-Cell Therapeutics (RCT) as Artificial Antigen Presenting Cells Promote In Vitro Expansion of Both Naïve and Exhausted CD4+ T Cells
Session Date/Time: Thursday, May 14, 2020 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM ET
Session Title: Cancer - Immunotherapy, Cancer Vaccines
Abstract Number: 1149
About Rubius Therapeutics
Rubius Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of medicines called Red Cell Therapeutics™. The Company’s proprietary RED PLATFORM® was designed to genetically engineer and culture Red Cell Therapeutics™ that are selective, potent and off-the-shelf allogeneic cellular therapies for the potential treatment of several diseases across multiple therapeutic areas. Rubius’ initial focus is to advance RCT™ product candidates for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases by leveraging two distinct therapeutic modalities — potent cell-cell interaction and tolerance induction. For more information, visit www.rubiustx.com, follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn or like us on Facebook.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including, without limitation, statements regarding the, our expectations regarding the therapeutic potential of our Red Cell Therapeutics, including RTX-321 for the treatment of HPV 16-positive tumors, the timelines for us to file an IND for RTX-321, and our strategy, business plans and focus, including our plans to present preclinical data at the ASGCT 23rd Annual Meeting. The words “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “target” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and important factors that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, including, without limitation, those risks and uncertainties related to the development of our Red Cell Therapeutic product candidates and their therapeutic potential and other risks identified in our SEC filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, and subsequent filings with the SEC. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. We disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any such statements to reflect any change in expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent our views only as of the date hereof and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. We explicitly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Contact:
Lori Melançon, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations
+1 (617) 949-5296
lori.melancon@rubiustx.com
Media Contact:
Dan Budwick, 1AB
+1 (973) 271-6085
dan@1abmedia.com