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March 2023 Midatech Pharma PLC ("Midatech" or the "Company") New Preclinical R&D Programme Focused on Leptomeningeal Disease Midatech Pharma PLC (AIM: MTPH.L; Nasdaq: MTP), a drug delivery technology company focused on i

Key Takeaway: Midatech Pharma PLC has announced the initiation of a new preclinical R&D program, MTD217, aimed at developing treatments for leptomeningeal disease, a severe complication in metastatic cancers. The program focuses on the simultaneous inhibition of key metabolic pathways to improve therapeutic efficacy and reduce off-target toxicity. Initial in vitro results have shown significant synergistic effects with existing drugs, and the company is working towards generating proof of concept data for future clinical trials. With the establishment of new patent protections, Midatech is positioning itself to capitalize on its innovations in drug delivery technology.

Market Sentiment Analysis

POSITIVE FACTORS

  • Midatech has launched a new preclinical R&D program targeting leptomeningeal disease.
  • The company has demonstrated a synergistic effect of its drug formulation in vitro.
  • New patent positions have been established to protect the combination formulations.
  • The program has the potential to lead to first-in-human studies with promising outcomes.

Full Press Release Details

("Midatech" or the "Company")
New Preclinical R&D Programme Focused on
Leptomeningeal Disease
Midatech Pharma PLC (AIM: MTPH.L; Nasdaq: MTP),
a drug delivery technology company focused on improving the bio-delivery and bio-distribution of medicines, is pleased to announce a new
research programme coded MTD217 focusing on developing new therapeutic options for metastatic cancers with high unmet needs.
Many cancers exhibit high levels of metabolic
plasticity, i.e. the ability to switch between energy-generating pathways in response to cellular stresses1,
such as those caused by chemotherapy. Highly proliferative cancers frequently use the aerobic glycolysis pathway, known as "the
Warburg effect", to generate energy2. Oxidative Phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is another critical mechanism that enables a
variety of fuel sources to be used to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a molecule present in cells that provides energy for metabolic
processes. When under induced stress, cancer cells switch away from aerobic glycolysis and significantly increase reliance on the alternative
OXPHOS pathway. Inhibiting the OXPHOS pathway represents a potential means of targeting both primary and metastatic tumour lesions in
patients. OXPHOS can be inhibited by a range of small molecule therapeutics, however systemic administration of these generally causes
undesirable toxic effects in healthy cells3.
Midatech's MTD217 programme explores simultaneous
inhibition of key metabolic pathways, including the Warburg effect and OXPHOS. The research is centred around a number of new water-soluble
drug formulations that can be easily infused or injected simultaneously, or sequentially, directly into the cancer microenvironment, disrupting
metabolic functions in a highly localised manner, thus limiting off-target toxicity. The Company has already been able to demonstrate
up to a six-fold synergistic effect of administering its formulation of panobinostat, known as MTX110, with an OXPHOS inhibitor in
vitro with three patient-derived cells lines. On the back of those data, Midatech has established new patent positions to protect
these combination formulations.
The Company's initial target is treatment
of leptomeningeal disease, a lethal complication in which metastatic cancer cells invade the cerebrospinal fluid and central nervous system4.
In collaboration with several large academic centres, Midatech is now accelerating preclinical studies to generate proof of concept data
in this setting that can support a future clinical trial application.
Dr Dmitry Zamoryakhin, MD, MBA, CSO of Midatech,
"We are very excited about accelerating
this promising programme towards first-in-human studies. It capitalises on Midatech's knowledge in direct intratumoral delivery
of drugs, currently being explored in our clinical programme of MTX110 in recurrent glioblastoma. Furthermore, blockage of the OXPHOS
pathway by MTD217 opens opportunities to demonstrate potential synergistic effects with checkpoint inhibitors in solid tumours as well
as exploration of co-treatment with MTX110 in patients with aggressive brain tumours."
Ahmat et.al Tumour microenvironment and metabolic plasticity in cancer and cancer stem cells: Perspectives on metabolic and immune
regulatory signatures in chemoresistant ovarian cancer stem cells. Semin Cancer Biol. 2018 Dec; 53:265-281
2 Trang et.al Therapeutic Drug-Induced Metabolic
Reprogramming in Glioblastoma. Cells 2022, 11, 2956
Targeting Mitochondria for Treatment of Chemoresistant Ovarian Cancer. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(1):229. Published 2019 Jan 8.
doi:10.3390/ijms20010229
4 Law et.al A preclinical
model of patient-derived cerebrospinal fluid circulating tumor cells for experimental therapeutics in leptomeningeal disease from melanoma.
Neuro-Oncology 24(10), 1673-1686, 202
For more information, please contact:
Midatech Pharma PLC
Dmitry Zamoryakhin, CSO
Tel: +44 (0)29 20480 180
www.midatechpharma.com
Strand Hanson Limited (Nominated Adviser and Broker)
James Dance / Matthew Chandler / Rob Patrick
Tel: +44 (0)20 7409 3494
IFC Advisory Limited (Financial PR and UK Investor Relations)
Tim Metcalfe / Graham Herring
Tel: +44 (0)20 3934 6630
Email: midatech@investor-focus.co.uk
Edison Group (US Investor Relations)
Alyssa Factor
Tel: +1 (860) 573 9637
Email: afactor@edisongroup.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in
this announcement may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of legislation in the United Kingdom and/or
United States. Any forward-looking statements are based on currently available competitive, financial and economic data together with
management's views and assumptions regarding future events and business performance as of the time the statements are made and are
subject to risks and uncertainties. The Company wishes to caution you that there are some known and unknown factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Reference should be made
to those documents that the Company shall file from time to time or announcements that may be made by the Company in accordance with the
London Stock Exchange's AIM Rules for Companies ("AIM Rules"), the Disclosure and Transparency Rules ("DTRs")
and the rules and regulations promulgated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, which contains and identifies other important
factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any projections or forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements
by or concerning the Company are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. Except as may be required under
the AIM Rules or the DTRs or by relevant law in the United Kingdom or the United States, the Company does not undertake any obligation
to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements because of new information, future events or otherwise arising.
About Midatech Pharma
Midatech Pharma PLC (dual listed on LSE AIM: MTPH;
and NASDAQ: MTP) is a drug delivery technology company focused on improving the bio-delivery and bio-distribution of medicines. The
Company combines approved and development medications with its proprietary and innovative drug delivery technologies, to provide compelling
products that have the potential to powerfully impact the lives of patients.
The Company has developed three in-house technology
platforms, each with its own unique mechanism to improve delivery of medications to sites of disease. All of the Company's technologies
have successfully entered human use in the clinic, providing important validation of the potential for each platform:
The platform nature of the technologies offers
the potential to develop multiple drug assets rather than being reliant on a limited number of programmes. Midatech's technologies
are supported by 36 patent families including 120 granted patents and an additional 70 patent applications. Midatech's headquarters and
R&D facility is in Cardiff, UK. For more information please visit www.midatechpharma.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Midatech's new research programme about?

Midatech's MTD217 programme focuses on developing treatments for metastatic cancers.

What cancer condition is the MTD217 programme targeting?

The programme initially targets leptomeningeal disease caused by metastatic cancer.

How does MTD217 aim to disrupt cancer metabolism?

MTD217 explores simultaneous inhibition of the Warburg effect and OXPHOS pathways.

What synergy has Midatech shown with its formulations?

The company demonstrated a six-fold synergistic effect using MTX110 and an OXPHOS inhibitor.

Where is Midatech Pharma's headquarters located?

Midatech Pharma is headquartered in Cardiff, UK.

Last updated: Mar 27, 2023