Full Press Release Details
CytoMed Therapeutics Reports Full Year Ended December
31, 2024 Financial Results
and Provides Clinical and Corporate Updates
Singapore - (April 28, 2025) -
CytoMed Therapeutics Limited (NASDAQ: GDTC) ("CytoMed" or the "Company"), a Singapore-based clinical stage
biopharmaceutical company focused on harnessing its proprietary technologies to develop novel affordable donor-derived, cell-based allogeneic
immunotherapies without engaging in separate activities such as contract manufacturing, contract research, medical device development,
or diagnostics, today announced its full-year ended December 31, 2024 financial results and provided clinical and corporate updates.
We intend to be among the early pioneers of cellular
immunotherapy treatment modalities to serve the ASEAN region and North Asia with a population of more than two billion. Capitalizing on
Asia's low-cost infrastructure and talents, we make affordable GMP-grade immune cells to be infused into no-option patients, aiming
to explore their potential applications in addressing cancers or autoimmune diseases. This operation continued to grow in 2024 especially
with rising interest from doctors and researchers in donor-derived off-the-shelf allogeneic gamma delta T cells, a rare subset of cancer-killing
Topline income amounted to US$624,771 in 2024 compared
to US$588,423 in 2023. Cash and bank balances amounted to US$3.64 million as of December 31, 2024. We did not need to raise new money
in 2024 despite using internal resources to acquire a new premise for expanded operations and invest in a new licensed business of cord
blood banking which will be strategically transformed into our wellness and regenerative arm targeting auto-immune diseases.
Financial Results for the full-year ended December
Net Loss: Excluding costs associated with being a
public company listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market amounting to US$188,341, the Company recorded a reduced net loss of US$1.66 million
for the financial year ended December 31, 2024. Including these costs, the audited net loss was US$1.85 million, representing a 39% improvement
compared to the net loss of US$3.03 million in 2023. The reduction was primarily due to the absence of initial public offerings ("IPO")
related expenses, as well as lower company insurance and investor relations costs.
Cash and Bank Balances: As of December 31, 2024, the
Company reported cash and bank balances of US$3.64 million, compared to US$6.58 million as of December 31, 2023. Based on our current
operating plan and available cash resources, we believe that our existing cash and bank balances will be sufficient to fund our operations
through at least 2026. The Company owned a total of 5 properties across Singapore and Malaysia for production purposes funded with borrowings
amounting to US$316,176 as of December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2024, there was no new warrant issue other than those underwriter's
warrants in relation to our IPO.
Research Expenses: The Company's research expenses
were US$1.40 million for the financial year ended December 31, 2024, compared to US$1.16 million in 2023. The increase of US$234,099 was
mainly attributable to higher clinical trial expenses and increased employee benefits. This was partially offset by lower spending on
laboratory consumables and reduced depreciation expenses.
Employee Benefits Expenses: The Company's employee
benefits expenses were US$453,321 for the financial year ended December 31, 2024, compared to US$332,413 in 2023, mainly driven by the
increase in headcount and employee salary rates.
Other Expenses: The Company's other expenses
were US$730,532 for the financial year ended December 31, 2024, compared to US$1.62 million in 2023. This reduction was primarily due
to the absence of IPO related expenses, decrease in investor relations expenses, as well as a decrease in company insurance expenses.
We will need to navigate 2025 with caution, given
the heightened volatility in global economic conditions. At this time, we do not envisage any significant impact from tariffs for now.
Late last year, CytoMed became a clinical stage biopharmaceutical
company with our first patient safely dosed in November 2024 under a phase I clinical trial ("ANGELICA Trial") approved in
Singapore in partnership with the National University Hospital ("NUH"), Singapore. Termed the ANGELICA trial, this is a first-in-human
CAR T trial in the world involving CytoMed's patented donor-derived allogeneic gamma delta T cells which express a chimeric antigen
receptor ("CAR") which can recognize many types of cancers, both hematological and solid cancers. As a phase I trial, the
number of patients to be recruited is typically small, with not more than 20 late stage cancers. The National Medical Research Council
of Singapore has awarded a significant grant to implement this trial in Singapore.
In August 2024, our Indian partner and collaborator,
SunAct Cancer Institute received approval from Vedant Hospital Institutional Ethics Committee to conduct a Phase II Investigator Initiated
Trial ("IIT") using CytoMed manufactured cells for various cancer indications. The trial was subsequently registered with
the Clinical Trials Registry - India in March 2025. We anticipate the first patient recruitment to commence in the second half of
2025. This clinical trial in Mumbai will be funded through the Company's internal resources.
In March 2025, the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory
Authority ("NPRA") Ministry of Health of Malaysia announced the extension of the scope of clinical trial products and the
manufacture of the same to include applications for first-in-human clinical trials in cell and gene therapy products. Our GMP facilities
and operations are situated in Malaysia. We are encouraged by the initiatives of the NPRA and intend to draw on the advancement and accessibility
of the same as we review and if appropriate, submit the relevant applications to conduct an IIT for our proprietary cells. We are of the
view that Malaysia is very attractive for starting and conducting IITs due to its affordable cost structure.
Our US research collaborator, MD Andersen of University
of Texas, Houston has reported encouraging/positive animal in-vivo data, subject to further validation, using our cells for Acute Myeloid
Leukemia and we intend to publish these results in a peer-reviewed publication with the ultimate goal of submitting an Investigational
New Drug ("IND") application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA").
Regarding our novel hybrid immune cells made from
induced pluripotent stem cells ("iPSC"), CytoMed has generated the critical cell banks for the patented iPSC-derived hybrid
of gamma delta T and Natural Killer cell technology and is currently undergoing process development into an allogeneic, potentially very
potent cancer-killing immunotherapy product to treat a wide range of cancers, liquid and solid. iPSC-derived cells have recently gained
trial approvals for Parkinson Disease and blindness, among others.
We will focus on developing our two "off-the-shelf,
allogeneic" technology platforms centered on gamma delta T cells and iPSCs respectively and bring them to use in a clinical setting.
Turning to regenerative medicine, we are finalizing
the dossier with our collaborator Singapore's Sengkang General Hospital, for a Phase I clinical trial using umbilical cord-derived
stem cells to treat osteoarthritis, which is targeted for submission in the second half of 2025.
We are exploring restructuring our China presence
potentially through a joint venture to manufacture cells at low costs. We intend to adopt these manufacturing methods to our Singapore
and Malaysia operations so we can enhance our offerings in ASEAN to benefit more patients. Various Chinese and international parties have
approached CytoMed with interest in our proprietary gamma delta T cells programme, validating our off-the-shelf cell therapy technology,
which we believe will further accelerate the reach of our cells internationally. With their large populations, China and India are our
strategic focus and we continue to seek partners in new markets. Cellular treatment is gaining recognition and acceptance as another treatment
modality to treat cancer patients with unmet needs.
On August 15, 2024, we completed the acquisition of
a licensed cord blood bank in Malaysia, one of only three licensed cord blood banks there. This cord blood bank will provide rare and
precious cord blood as cost-free raw materials for our strategic expansion into a new class of cord blood-derived therapeutics for auto-immune
diseases and cancers due to its na ve cord properties. We intend to spinoff this subsidiary in future as a separate cord blood-based
biopharmaceutical company, manufacturing solutions such as cord blood-derived Natural Killer cells, widely researched for its safe and
potentially effective remedy for auto-immune diseases. There are few providers of cord blood-derived therapeutics due to the unavailability
of low-cost cord blood units.
Strategies for Growth
Looking ahead to 2025, an important milestone is the
initial clinical readout of our ANGELICA trial anticipated by the end of this year. We are also working on submitting a U.S. FDA IND application
for our donor-derived allogeneic gamma delta T cells for a common form of leukemia. We continue to seek out like-minded partners especially
to deploy our allogeneic gamma delta T cells in combinational therapies such as with antibodies and bi-specifics. To enhance our profile
in the US, we plan to establish a liaison office in New York so we can be in the same time zone, be closer to our US investors and look
out for opportunities including M&A, strategic alliances and learn of new technologies.
We will focus on growing revenue. Fast growing international
medical tourism in Asia has created plenty of opportunities to develop this new science of cell therapy, which is very expensive or inaccessible
in the West despite the passing of Right-to-Try laws due to fear of litigation. In 2025, we intend to implement alternative revenue-generating
methods to address no-option late stage diseased patients on a compassionate, or named patient basis (alternatively known as special access
or accelerated access programs), including investing in medical clinics and partnering hospitals and medical cancer centers in the region.
In particular, CytoMed is located in the heart of a new special economic zone just established in early 2025 by Singapore and the adjacent