Defence Therapeutics Inc

Vancouver, British Columbia--(News - March 26, 2024) - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: DTC) (OTCQB: DTCFF) (FSE: DTC) ("Defence" or the "Company"), a Canadian biotechnology company developing novel immune-oncology therapeutics and drug delivery technologies, is pleased to announce the successful testing of a second-generation anti-cancer vaccine, called ARM-002TM, using its lead anti-cancer molecule AccuTOX®. When tested as a therapeutic vaccine in a melanoma cancer model, ARM-002TM leads to an 80% complete response when combined with the anti-PD-1 immune-checkpoint inhibitor. Compared to current anti-cancer strategies, vaccination can stimulate specific immune responses capable of potentially curing established tumors. In addition, developed immune cells can lead to a long-lasting memory response capable of further protecting the patient from subsequent cancer relapses. Using mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) as a vaccination platform; Defence has previously shown that it is possible to pharmacologically reprogram these immune-suppressive cells into potent antigen presenting cells using its Accum® derivative called A1 (ARMTM vaccine). Although the ARMTM vaccine can effectively present antigens to responding T cells, the large amount of antigen preparation required to generate the cellular vaccine might represent challenges in the clinic. Defence elected to test its lead AccuTOX® molecule to engineer a second-generation anti-cancer vaccine as the latter was shown to directly enhance antigen presentation in cancer cells if delivered intratumorally at lower doses. "AccuTOX® is an amazing molecule! AccuTOX® has the capacity to trigger cancer cell death when used as a direct cancer injectable, and AccuTOX®, the same molecule, converts MSCs into potent antigen presenting cells capable of priming potent anti-tumoral responses using a 10-fold lower antigen preparation," says Mr. Plouffe, Chief Executive Officer of Defence Therapeutics. The ARM-002TM vaccine was tested in vivo in the context of melanoma. The vaccine elicited an impressive anti-tumoral response, which prompt the team to widen its scope of application by further testing it on "hard to treat" ovarian and pancreatic cancers. The Defence team are conducting additional studies in parallel to decipher the exact mode of action of AccuTOX® in reprograming MSCs while studying the mechanistic behind the ARM-002TM potency using different in vivo studies. Once these studies finalized and the "Dry Run" manufacturing of the ARM-002TM vaccine completed, a request to obtain clearance for a Phase I trial targeting a basket of solid tumors will be initiated. Data Bridge Market Research analyses that the solid tumours market was valued at $209.61-billion (U.S.) in 2021 and is expected to reach $901.27-billion (U.S.) by 2029, registering a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 20 per cent during the forecast period of 2022 to 2029. . About Defence: Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded biotechnology company working on engineering the next generation vaccines and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUM® technology, which enables precision delivery of vaccine antigens or ADCs in their intact form to target cells. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases. For further information: Sebastien Plouffe, President, CEO and Director P: (514) 947-2272 Splouffe@defencetherapeutics.com Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements." All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Neither the CSE nor its market regulator, as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit

Vancouver, British Columbia--(News - March 4, 2024) - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: DTC) (OTCQB: DTCFF) (FSE: DTC) ("Defence" or the "Company"), a Canadian biopharmaceutical company developing novel immune-oncology therapeutics and drug delivery technologies, is pleased to announce the granting of US patent no. 11,890,350 ('350) by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), broadly covering its breakthrough AccuTOX® technology. The '350 patent, which includes valuable composition-of-matter claims covering a portfolio of therapeutically-active molecules making up the AccuTOX® platform, provides Defence with potential market exclusivity until late 2042. The AccuTOX® platform is based on the discovery that certain bile acid-peptide conjugates, in their free forms, induce cancer cell death by triggering heightened metabolic stress and the production of reactive oxygen species. The '350 patent demonstrates that the bile acid-peptide conjugates, when used past cytotoxic threshold concentrations, can potently induce cell death in multiple tumor cells in vitro, including lung, breast, colon, melanoma, and lymphoma cancer cells, and can dramatically reduce lymphoma tumor volumes and enhance survival in vivo in treated mice compared to controls. Defence's '350 patent was issued with broad claims encompassing a plurality of AccuTOX® molecules having cytotoxic or cytostatic activity, either as a monotherapy or in combination with other therapeutics. The granted claims also cover AccuTOX® molecules releasably conjugated to a variety of carrier molecules, such as cancer-specific antibodies, where AccuTOX® effectively plays the role of a cytotoxic drug, thereby pioneering a potentially new class of next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Stemming from the data published in the '350 patent, pre-clinical and GLP studies for AccuTOX®, either alone or in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-PD-1 and anti-LAG3, were undergone, and have shown that the compound is safe and well tolerated using both rodents and canine animal models, and have also demonstrated significant solid tumor growth reductions. Subsequently, Defence has now received FDA approval to commence its Phase I clinical trial to evaluate the effect of intratumoral administration of AccuTOX® as a monotherapy, as well as in combination with Opdualag (fixed IV doses), in patients with unresectable stage IIIB to IV melanoma refractory to or relapse from standard therapy. "The rapid granting of the broad '350 patent by the USPTO affirms the innovative and groundbreaking potential of AccuTOX® as a leading cancer therapeutic, and also importantly provides a long patent runway and period of market exclusivity for Defence to fully explore the commercial potential of the AccuTOX® platform and maximize the benefit to our partners and investors," says Mr. Plouffe, CEO and president of Defence. This patent marks the fourth granted US patent in Defence's ever-growing patent portfolio, which currently includes seven published patent families. About Defence: Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded biotechnology company working on engineering the next generation vaccines and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUM® technology, which enables precision delivery of vaccine antigens or ADCs in their intact form to target cells. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases. For further information: Sebastien Plouffe, President, CEO and Director P: (514) 947-2272 Splouffe@defencetherapeutics.com Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Neither the CSE nor its market regulator, as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Vancouver, British Columbia--(News - February 29, 2024) - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: DTC) (OTCQB: DTCFF) (FSE: DTC) ("Defence" or the "Company"), one of the leading Canadian biotechnology companies working in the field of immune-oncology, is pleased to announce the publication of a peer-reviewed study on the anticancer properties of its dual Accum®-E7 vaccine, one of Defence's experimental product designed to treat established cervical cancer. The study, which was published in the prestigious journal of Cancer Science, is entitled, "An engineered Accum®-E7 protein-based vaccine with dual anti-cervical cancer activity", and can be directly accessed at the following address . The human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause genital warts subsequently leading to cervical, anal, or head and neck cancers. Prophylactic HPV vaccines were therefore developed to prevent these infections and their associated complications. The most widely used of all four commercially available HPV vaccines is Gardasil-9®. However, this vaccine has challenges: it requires three doses and the vaccine manufacturing remains costly, which may be prohibitive to low-income countries. In addition, the vaccine cannot provide complete protection against all 14 high-risk HPV subtypes as it only targets 9 of them. Furthermore, the vaccine should be administered before HPV exposure implying that it cannot treat existing infections or established cervical cancer. The peer-reviewed study on Defence's Accum®-E7 anti-cancer vaccine presents an engineered Accum®-E7 protein-based vaccine capable of providing a durable memory response when used prophylactically. In addition, the selection of E7 as a target "non-self" antigen widened the vaccine scope of application as it can also control the growth of pre-established cervical tumors through the generation of potent cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). "Overall, this engineered Accum®-E7 vaccine is safe, simple to engineer and manufacture making it an elixir candidate capable of providing both prophylactic and therapeutic activity against cervical cancer," says Dr. Rafei, the Chief Scientific Officer of Defence Therapeutics. The key highlights of the Accum®-E7 study are: Prophylactic vaccination using the Accum®-E7 vaccine confers complete protection despite multiple challenges. Accum®-E7 elicits antibodies capable of interfering with cancer cell proliferation in vitro. Therapeutic vaccination using Accum®-E7 synergises with multiple immune-checkpoint inhibitors. The therapeutic effect of Accum®-E7 relies on cross-presenting dendritic cells (DCs) and CD8 T cells. Vaccination using Accum®-E7 is safe and immunogenic as shown in the conducted GLP study. "This prestigious peer-reviewed publication provides an additional example of how the Accum® technology can be exploited in the development of vaccines. It also opens up a new line of investigations where Defence's more potent Accum® variants could be tested as bioconjugates to protein antigens," said Mr. Plouffe, Chief Executive Officer of Defence Therapeutics. In summary, our study shows that Accum®-E7: i) provides potent protection (prophylactic vaccination) and durable memory responses, ii) triggers antibodies exhibiting a non-negligible role in fighting cervical tumors, iii), controls established tumors when delivered in combination with several immune-checkpoint inhibitors (therapeutic vaccination), and iv) is relatively safe, well tolerated and immunogenic by animals even when used at higher doses (GLP study). Financing Update The Company also provides an update to its previously announced non-brokered private placement of up to 1,500,000 units of the Company (each a "Unit") at a price of $1.50 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $2,250,000 (the "Offering"). Following the first tranche closing of 567,000 Units for aggregate proceeds of $850,500 on January 30th, 2024, the Company has received a 45-day extension from the Canadian Securities Exchange to complete the Offering. About Defence: Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded biotechnology company working on engineering the next generation vaccines and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUM® technology, which enables precision delivery of vaccine antigens or ADCs in their intact form to target cells. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases. For further information: Sebastien Plouffe, President, CEO and Director P: (514) 947-2272 Splouffe@defencetherapeutics.com Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Neither the CSE nor its market regulator, as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit