CRO

Cellectis and Accelera (Nerviano Medical Sciences Group) Sign an Agreement to Complete Preclinical Studies of Cellectis' Lead Product Candidate UCART19

Cellectis (Paris:ALCLS), a leader of allogeneic CAR T-cell therapies, and Accelera, the preclinical CRO (Contract Research Organisation) within the Nerviano Medical Sciences Group, recently signed an agreement to complete the preclinical studies of Cellectis' advanced product candidate, UCART19. Engineered allogeneic CD19 T-cells currently stand out as a real therapeutic innovation for treating B-cell leukemias and lymphomas.

Under the terms of this agreement, Accelera, a leading European CRO, will perform in vivo preclinical studies to finalize the IND (Investigational New Drug) / IMPD (Investigational Medicinal Product Dossier) package for UCART19. The Phase I human clinical trial for UCART19 is planned for 2015.

Dr Mathieu Simon, MD, Executive Vice-President at Cellectis stated: "Thanks to the extremely positive in vivo proof of concept results for our flagship UCART19 product, we are delighted to take a step forward with Accelera in order to complete the regulatory documents necessary for filing the IMPD package."

Enrico Pesenti, Managing Director at Accelera said: "The collaboration with Cellectis confirms Accelera exclusive competence in designing and executing preclinical programs with innovative biologicals and cell based therapies. The agreement is also a significant sign of confidence in the outstanding quality of the scientific and industrial research Nerviano Medical Sciences Group develops today."

About Cellectis
Cellectis is a biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology. The company's mission is to develop a novel generation of therapy based on engineered T-cells to treat cancer. Cellectis capitalizes on its 14 years of expertise in genome engineering, based on TALEN™, meganucleases and the state-of-the-art electroporation technology Pulse Agile, to create a new generation of cancer immunotherapy for treating leukemias and solid tumors. Cellectis adoptive cancer immunotherapy for chronic and acute leukemias is based on the first allogeneic T-cell chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology. CAR technologies are designed to target surface antigens expressed on cells. These treatments reduce toxicities associated with current chemotherapeutics and have the potential for curative therapy. The Cellectis Group is focused on life sciences and uses leading genome engineering technologies to build innovative products in various fields and markets. Cellectis is listed on the NYSE Alternext market (ticker: ALCLS). To find out more about us, visit our website: www.cellectis.com.

About Accelera
Accelera is the pre-clinical CRO (Contract Research Organisation) within the NMS Group, offering to pharmaceutical and biotech companies at national and international. High-quality and integrated pre-clinical services to support all phases of their research and development programs, from the selection of the most promising molecules to the preparation of the documentation required for approval from the regulatory authorities. Cutting-edge systems, advanced technologies, qualified scientific staff and acknowledgments from the Regulatory Agencies (GLP Compliance) guarantee the reliability of the results obtained in Accelera facilities, as well as ensuring they are fully accessible at international level. For further information: http://www.accelera.info/

About Nerviano Medical Sciences Group
Nerviano Medical Sciences (NMS) is a research-based company dedicated to the discovery and development of breakthrough treatments for cancer.
NMS leverages strategic alliances with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies for securing long-term business sustainability.
NMS has already in place collaborations or licenses with other major pharmaceutical companies such as Genentech/Roche, Pfizer and Novartis as well as with biotechnology companies and academia.Since December 31, 2011 NMS is indirectly owned by Regione Lombardia through the Regional Foundation for Biomedical Research (FRRB).
For further information on Nerviano Medical Sciences: http://www.nervianoms.com

Disclaimer
This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for shares in Cellectis in any country. This press release contains forward-looking statements that relate to the Company's objectives based on the current expectations and assumptions of the Company's management only and involve unforeseeable risk and uncertainties that could cause the Company to fail to achieve the objectives expressed by the forward-looking statements.

 

Contacts

Cellectis
Philippe Valachs, Phone: +33 (0)1 81 69 16 00
e-mail: [email protected]
or
Nerviano Medical Sciences - Accelera
Marco Catalani, Phone: +39 02 72.02.35.35
e-mail: [email protected]