Affini-T Therapeutics, Inc.

Advisors will support the company’s ongoing expansion of its technology for cell and gene therapy applications SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Xcell Biosciences Inc. (Xcellbio), an instrumentation company focused on cell and gene therapy applications, today announced the formation of a new scientific and business advisory board composed of some of the leading minds in the industry. The board will provide valuable expertise to help the company achieve its goals in the therapeutics market. “Xcellbio has assembled a team of respected industry and academic giants who bring unique expertise and valuable perspectives on the cell and gene therapy market that will be instrumental for helping to grow our business,” said Brian Feth, co-founder and CEO at Xcellbio. “We look forward to working closely with the advisory board to advance the development of our next-generation manufacturing platform for cell and gene therapies based on our successful AVATAR technology, which employs a metabolic conditioning approach to improve the potency and persistence of cell therapies.” The new advisors include: Jak Knowles, MD President and CEO, Affini-T Jak has more than two decades of venture capital, R&D, management, and entrepreneurial experience in the life science industry. Jak co-founded and currently serves as CEO of Affini-T Therapeutics, a leading precision immunotherapy company targeting oncogene driver mutations such as KRAS with TCR-T cell and bispecific T cell engager therapies. Prior to Affini-T, Jak was head of health venture investments for Leaps by Bayer, a leading corporate venture fund. He previously co-founded Metagenomi, where he served as CBO, and Exonics Therapeutics, two next-gen gene editing companies. Jak also served as CEO of CytoSen Therapeutics, where he developed natural killer immune cell therapies for oncology indications. Eileen Higham, PhD CTO, venture-backed T cell therapy company Eileen has more than two decades of experience using strategic, scientific, and technical expertise to help organizations develop innovative ways to rapidly deliver novel cell, viral, and protein therapies to improve human health. She previously worked with top cell and gene therapy companies such as Sana Biotechnology, Juno Therapeutics, and Intergalactic Therapeutics. Michael Paglia, MSc CTO, ElevateBio, BaseCamp® Mike has spent two decades in biotechnology building and motivating process development and manufacturing teams, including having led the early process development and manufacturing of four approved autologous cell therapies. At ElevateBio, LLC, he established the BaseCamp process development and manufacturing capability for genomic medicines as COO and now leads the advancement of innovative process technologies for academic and industry partners as CTO. Tom Whitehead President and Co-founder, Emily Whitehead Foundation Tom is the father of Emily, the first pediatric patient in the world to receive CAR T cell therapy and who is almost 12 years cancer free. Tom and his wife Kari co-founded EWF to fund innovative childhood cancer treatments that are more targeted and less toxic. He is an author and frequent keynote speaker on the advantages of cell and gene-based therapies. Bill Colston, PhD Former CEO, Sestina Bio Bill is a biotech innovator and investor with over 30 years of experience in developing cutting-edge technologies. He is the scientific founder and CEO of QuantaLife, where he spearheaded the development of the droplet digital PCR system, acquired by Bio-Rad in 2012. A serial entrepreneur, Bill has since founded and led companies in therapeutics (Rubryk), diagnostics (HealthTell) and synthetic biology (Sestina). He has served on several private and public boards and remains active as an advisor and Executive in Residence at the University of California, San Francisco. Peter Hirth, PhD Chairman, IO Biotech Peter was the founder of drug discovery company Plexxikon, Inc., and served as its chief executive officer for more than a decade. He was previously the founder and president at Sugen, Inc., and led Boehringer Mannheim’s research group in immuno-pharmacology. Under his leadership, new drugs were approved in each of these organizations. In addition to IO Biotech, he currently serves on the public company boards of Aligos Therapeutics and Vaxcyte, Inc., as well as on the boards of private companies Trex Bio and Entrenome. Charles J. Ryan, MD Former CEO, Prostate Cancer Foundation Charles (Chuck) is an internationally recognized genitourinary oncologist with expertise in the biology and treatment of advanced disease as well as supportive care of men with prostate cancer. Prior to joining the foundation, he was director of the Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation Division at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. In his previous role as professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, Chuck was one of Xcellbio’s earliest collaborators and played a major role in the company’s success. About Xcell Biosciences Xcellbio is driven by its mission to enhance the performance and safety of cell and gene-based therapies through the design and development of revolutionary technology platforms. The company’s commercial instruments and AI-driven software allow researchers to discover novel insights into immune and tumor biology and enable the translation of these insights at patient scale through the development of its pioneering cGMP cell therapy manufacturing platform. Based in San Francisco, Xcellbio can also be found online at . View source version on businesswire.com: Contacts For Xcellbio Suzanne Howard suzanne@bioscribe.com Source: Xcell Biosciences Inc. View this news release online at:

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Affini-T Therapeutics, Inc., a precision immunotherapy company unlocking the power of T cells against oncogenic driver mutations, today announced that preclinical data from its oncogenic driver programs targeting HLA-A*11:01 KRAS G12D and HLA-A*02:01 p53 R175H will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024 held in San Diego, CA. In addition, two trial-in-progress posters for Affini-T's Phase 1 clinical-stage programs targeting KRAS G12V, the company-sponsored AFNT-211 study and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center investigator-initiated AFNT-111 study, will be presented at the same conference. Poster presentation details are as follows: Title: Non-viral engineered T cell therapy specific for the hotspot mutation p53 R175H that integrates signal 1 (TCR), signal 2 (co-stimulation) and signal 3 (cytokine) and co-opts FasL-dependent apoptosis to achieve a coordinated antitumor CD4/8 T cell response Session: Adoptive Cell Therapies 1: Tumor Antigen-Specific T-cells and TCR-T Abstract Number: 7242 Presenting Author: Gary Shapiro, Ph.D., VP Biology Discovery, Affini-T Therapeutics Date/Time: Sunday, April 7, 2024, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM Title: AFNT-212: A TRAC-knocked-in KRAS G12D-specific TCR-T cell product enhanced with CD8αβ and a chimeric cytokine receptor for treatment of solid cancers Session: Adoptive Cell Therapies 1: Tumor Antigen-Specific T-cells and TCR-T Abstract Number: 5973 Presenting Author: Loïc Vincent, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Affini-T Therapeutics Date/Time: Sunday, April 7, 2024, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM Title: Identifying novel patient-derived T cell receptors targeting TP53 public neoantigens Session: Adoptive Cell Therapies 1: Tumor Antigen-Specific T-cells and TCR-T Abstract Number: 441 Presenting Author: Michael V. Gormally, M.D., Ph.D., Fellow, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Date/Time: Sunday, April 7, 2024, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM Title: AFNT-211: A phase 1 study of autologous CD4+ and CD8+ T cells engineered to express a high avidity HLA-A*11:01-restricted, KRAS G12V-specific, transgenic TCR; CD8α/β coreceptor; and a FAS41BB switch receptor in patients with advanced/metastatic solid tumors Session: Phase I Clinical Trials in Progress 1 Abstract Number: CT076 Presenting Author: Dirk Nagorsen, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Affini-T Therapeutics Date/Time: Monday, April 8, 2024, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM Title: Phase I study of autologous CD8+ and CD4+ transgenic T cells expressing high-affinity KRAS G12V mutation-specific T cell receptors (FH-A11KRASG12V-TCR) in patients with metastatic pancreatic, colorectal, and non-small cell lung cancers with KRAS G12V mutations Session: Phase I Clinical Trials in Progress 1 Abstract Number: CT082 Presenting Author: Aude G. Chapuis, M.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Date/Time: Monday, April 8, 2024, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM About Affini-T Therapeutics Affini-T is a leading precision immunotherapy company targeting core oncogenic driver mutations to develop potentially curative therapies for patients with solid tumors. Our differentiated cell therapy platforms harness state-of-the-art engineering, synthetic biology, and gene editing capabilities to target even the most devastating cancer-driving mutations, beginning with KRAS. We leverage these tools to optimize T cell functions and rewrite the rules of the solid tumor microenvironment, enabling the potential for sustained clinical outcomes in patients. Building on the world-class innovation inherent in our leadership team, founders and technologies, we are powered to develop transformational medicines that last. For more information, visit affinittx.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X, formerly known as Twitter.

WATERTOWN, Mass. and GOSSELIES, Belgium, March 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iTeos Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITOS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery and development of a new generation of immuno-oncology therapeutics for patients, today announced the appointment of Jill DeSimone to its Board of Directors, effective March 7, 2024, where she will serve on the Company’s audit committee. “Expanding our board with industry leaders and oncology veterans with commercial, scientific, and corporate portfolio strategy experience is of the utmost importance for iTeos. After the recent appointment of Servier’s David Lee, we are thrilled to welcome Jill DeSimone to our Board of Directors during an important time in iTeos’ evolution. Jill and David’s unique insights will be of tremendous value to our organization as we continue on our path to becoming a late-stage biopharmaceutical company,” said Michel Detheux, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of iTeos. “By leveraging its comprehensive knowledge of tumor biology, iTeos has advanced a portfolio of promising therapeutic candidates addressing key immunological pathways involved in the development of cancer,” said Ms. DeSimone. “I look forward to working with the iTeos leadership team and offering my global business and commercial insights to help the company achieve its goal of bringing transformational therapies to patients living with cancer.” With over 40 years of global business expertise in life sciences, Ms. DeSimone is recognized for her role as President of U.S. Oncology at Merck & Co., Inc., where she established the company’s oncology division, growing it from less than $500 million in annual revenue to $9 billion in eight years. Additionally, she led three key product launches and more than 45 indication launches, including Keytruda®, the fastest growing product in the company’s history. Prior to joining Merck, Ms. DeSimone was Senior Vice President of Global Women’s Health at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd. She began her career at Bristol Myers Squibb and held roles of increasing responsibility culminating as the Senior Vice President of U.S. Oncology, a role in which she helped launch the first FDA-approved CTLA-4 immune checkpoint inhibitor, Yervoy®. Ms. DeSimone currently serves as a board member for Affini-T Therapeutics, Inc., Kinnate Biopharma Inc., Oncternal Therapeutics, Inc., Praxis Precision Medicine, Inc., as well as the Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation, a nonprofit organization that delivers non-medical aid for individuals undergoing treatment for cancer, and Swim Across America, a foundation that awards grants to cancer research and patient programs. She earned a B.S. in Pharmacy from Northeastern University and completed a fellowship with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. About iTeos Therapeutics, Inc.iTeos Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery and development of a new generation of immuno-oncology therapeutics for patients. iTeos Therapeutics leverages its deep understanding of tumor immunology and immunosuppressive pathways to design novel product candidates with the potential to restore the immune response against cancer. The Company’s innovative pipeline includes three clinical-stage programs targeting novel, validated immuno-oncology pathways designed with optimized pharmacologic properties for improved clinical outcomes, including the TIGIT/CD226 axis and the adenosine pathway. iTeos Therapeutics is headquartered in Watertown, MA with a research center in Gosselies, Belgium. Internet Posting of InformationiTeos routinely posts information that may be important to investors in the 'Investors' section of its website at www.iteostherapeutics.com. The Company encourages investors and potential investors to consult our website regularly for important information about iTeos. Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not solely statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “expect,” “will,” “may,” “intend,” “prepare,” “look,” “potential,” “possible” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include statements relating to the potential benefits of product candidates; the value our new board members bring to iTeos; and iTeos’ path to becoming a late-stage biopharmaceutical company. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond iTeos’ control. Actual results could materially differ from those stated or implied by these forward-looking statements as a result of such risks and uncertainties. Known risk factors include the following: market conditions; challenges and uncertainties inherent in product research and development and manufacturing limitations; the data for our product candidates may not be sufficient for obtaining regulatory approval to move into later stage trials or to commercialize products; iTeos may not be able to execute on its business plans, including meeting its expected or planned regulatory milestones and timelines, research and clinical development plans, and bringing its product candidates to market, for various reasons, some of which may be outside of iTeos’ control, including possible limitations of company financial and other resources, manufacturing limitations that may not be anticipated or resolved for in a timely manner, negative developments in the field of immuno-oncology, such as adverse events or disappointing results, including in connection with competitor therapies, and regulatory, court or agency decisions such as decisions by the United States Patent and Trademark Office with respect to patents that cover our product candidates; and those risks identified under the heading “Risk Factors” in iTeos’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as well as other SEC filings made by the Company which you are encouraged to review. Statements regarding the Company’s cash runway do not indicate when or if the Company may access the capital markets. Any of the foregoing risks could materially and adversely affect iTeos’ business, results of operations and the trading price of iTeos’ common stock. We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. iTeos does not undertake any obligation to publicly update its forward-looking statements other than as required by law. For further information, please contact: Investor Contact:Carl MauchiTeos Therapeutics, Inc.carl.mauch@iteostherapeutics.com Media Contact:media@iteostherapeutics.com