Shasqi to Present on SQ3370 and CAPAC™ Platform Expansion at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2022 Annual Meeting

- Encouraging initial Phase 1 safety data for SQ3370 in heavily pre-treated and high disease burden patients

- Commonly used ADC payload monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE), modified with click chemistry, enabled dosing 50-fold higher than conventional MMAE maximum tolerated dose in mice

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shasqi, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision click chemistry-activated oncology therapeutics, will present updated data from its ongoing Phase 1 clinical study of SQ3370 in patients with advanced solid tumors as well as preclinical data highlighting the activity of its click chemistry-modified protodrug version of monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE), at the upcoming American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2022. Presentations and posters will be available for registered attendees for on-demand viewing on the AACR website on April 8, 2022, after 1:00 pm ET.

“We continue to be encouraged by initial data observed from our ongoing Phase 1 study of SQ3370 in heavily pre-treated patients with high disease burden, and we are advancing the development of SQ3370 as a treatment for patients with advanced solid tumors where an anthracycline-containing regimen is appropriate,” said José M. Mejía Oneto, M.D., Ph.D., founder and CEO of Shasqi. “We’ve also demonstrated that our click chemistry platform can activate high doses of MMAE, a commonly used antibody-drug conjugate payload, at the tumor. Our MMAE protodrug achieved good plasma stability, attenuation of cytotoxicity, and was tolerated at doses up to 50-fold higher than the conventional MMAE maximum tolerated dose. We also present the anti-tumor effect of MMAE protodrugs activated at the tumor site using a biopolymer injection. We look forward to studying the anti-tumor efficacy of MMAE protodrugs when targeted to the tumor using biologic approaches.”

Preclinical Poster Title: Click Activated Protodrugs Against Cancer (CAPAC™): A modular platform for tumor-directed oncology therapeutics
Session Title: New Technologies for Drug Discovery
Session Date and Time: Monday, April 11, 1:30-5:00 pm CST
Abstract Number: 1894/25
Poster Number: ET01/02

Trial-In-Progress Poster Title: SQ3370 in advanced solid tumors: Interim phase 1 results
Session Title: Phase 1 Clinical Trials 2
Session Date and Time: Tuesday, April 12, 9:00 am -12:30 pm CST
Abstract Number: CT177/2
Poster Number: CT01/02

About CAPAC and SQ3370:

SQ3370 is the first click chemistry-based treatment to be tested in humans. It utilizes Shasqi’s proprietary CAPAC platform, an approach that activates cancer drugs at a tumor with decreased systemic toxicity. Shasqi is validating its platform with SQ3370, which is designed to activate a powerful chemotherapeutic, doxorubicin, at the tumor site. The investigational product is based on the chemical reaction between a drug protected through a trans-cyclooctene modification (a protodrug) and a tetrazine-modified biopolymer. The biopolymer is injected into the target tumor lesion, where it precisely activates an intravenously infused protodrug. Shasqi believes its click-chemistry approach can improve the efficacy and safety of many existing therapeutics across various modalities that have a limited therapeutic window.

About Shasqi:

Shasqi is a privately held, clinical-stage biotechnology company whose mission is to enable patients to beat cancer with tumor-localized therapies. Shasqi leverages its proprietary CAPAC Platform to develop precision oncology therapeutics designed to deliver unprecedented doses precisely focused at the tumor with an uncharacteristically mild safety profile - breaking through the historical ceiling of dose-limiting toxicities. Shasqi’s CAPAC Platform is highly modular and can be applied to a broad range of cancer drugs that are otherwise limited by toxicity, enabling the exploration of therapeutic biology in ways that were not previously possible.