Medicenna to Present Clinical Update on the MDNA11 ABILITY-1 Trial at the Upcoming Sachs 10th Annual Oncology Innovation Forum

TORONTO and HOUSTON, May 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medicenna Therapeutics Corp. (“Medicenna” or the “Company”) (TSX: MDNA, OTCQB: MDNAF), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company focused on the development of Superkines, announced today that it will present an update on the MDNA11 ABILITY-1 Trial at the Sachs 10^th Annual Oncology Innovation Forum. The forum takes place on Friday, May 31^st, 2024, as part of the clinical partnering and investment activities surrounding the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (“ASCO”) Annual Meeting being held in Chicago from May 31^st-June 4, 2024.

Taking place on the first day of the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting, the Company will present the updated data from its Phase 1/2 ABILITY-1 Study including anti-tumor activity, safety, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data following treatment with MDNA11, the only long-acting, ‘beta-enhanced not-alpha’ interleukin-2 (IL-2) super-agonist in clinical development, being evaluated as both a monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA) in patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors.

Medicenna’s President and CEO, Dr. Fahar Merchant, will lead the Company’s presentation and be available for one-on-one meetings at the Sachs 10th Annual Oncology Innovation Forum as well as during the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Details on the Company’s presentation at the Sachs 10th Annual Oncology Innovation Forum are as follows:

Date: May 31^st, 2024

Time: 1:40 PM CT (2:40 PM ET)

Venue: Waldorf Astoria Chicago Hotel, Faulkner Room

Following the Company’s presentation, the webcast and replay information for this event will be available on the Investor Relations section of Medicenna’s website.

The Sachs Oncology Innovation Forum brings together thought leaders from cancer research institutes, patient advocacy groups, pharma, biotech, and Wall Street, to facilitate partnering, funding and investment. Attendees will have the opportunity to attend live company presentations and meet privately with biotech executives, pharma licensing teams, and financial and corporate investors and their advisors. For more information please visit: https://www.sachsforum.com/10oif-about.html

As previously announced, the Company will also be presenting an abstract, offering new data analyses for bizaxofusp (formerly known as MDNA55), a Phase-3 ready immunotherapy for recurrent glioblastoma, as a poster at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting.

About MDNA11

MDNA11 is a long-acting ‘beta-enhanced not-alpha’ interleukin-2 (IL-2) Superkine specifically engineered to overcome the shortcomings of aldesleukin and other next generation IL-2 variants by preferentially activating immune effector cells (CD4⁺ T, CD8⁺ T and NK cells) responsible for killing cancer cells, with minimal or no stimulation of immunosuppressive Tregs. These unique proprietary features of the IL-2 Superkine have been achieved by incorporating seven specific mutations and genetically fusing it to a recombinant human albumin scaffold to improve the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile and pharmacological activity of MDNA11 due to albumin’s natural propensity to accumulate in highly vascularized sites, in particular tumor and tumor draining lymph nodes. MDNA11 is currently being evaluated in the Phase 1/2 ABILITY-1 study as both a monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA).