Full Press Release Details
COVID-19 Cocktail Retains Neutralizing Activity Against the Most Prevalent Omicron Subvariants* in the US, BA.4/5 and BA.2.12.1
Exton, PA - July 06, 2022 -
Immunome, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMNM), a biopharmaceutical company that utilizes its human memory B cell platform to discover and develop
first-in-class antibody therapeutics, today announced that their cocktail (IMM-BCP-01) retained activity against the BA.4/5 and BA.2.12.1
subvariants in pseudovirus testing. IMM-BCP-01 is currently in Phase 1b clinical testing in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and in
locations where the predominant variants are BA.2.12.1, BA.4, BA.5 and BA.2.
IMM-BCP-01 is a three-antibody cocktail with
each antibody having a different mechanism of action. IMM20190 binds to a composite epitope involving the receptor binding ridge and
an area adjacent to the receptor binding loop preventing binding to ACE2. IMM20184 and IMM20253 neutralized live BA.2 Omicron variant
in in vitro testing as well as pseudoviruses corresponding to the BA.2.12.1 and BA.4/.5 subvariants. In particular, IMM20253
neutralized the virus through an ACE2-independent mechanism that differs from the neutralization mechanisms used by current or past antibodies
approved for clinical use. Data recently published in Science Immunology provides a mechanistic basis for how IMM20253
binding, which is conserved across all variants to date including Omicron and its sub-lineages, neutralized SARS-CoV-2.
"We are pleased that IMM-BCP-01 retains
effectiveness against the currently dominant BA.4/.5 and BA.2.12.1 subvariants," stated Purnanand Sarma, PhD, President &
CEO of Immunome. "Further, as several existing antibody treatments lose their potency against the Omicron subvariants, IMM-BCP-01
continues to retain activity against these variants in preclinical testing and we believe our cocktail has potential to play a significant
role in managing the pandemic. We also look forward to announcing topline data from our Phase 1b clinical study in the second half of
The investigational work for IMM-BCP-01 was funded by the U.S.
Department of Defense's (DOD) Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense
(JPEO-CBRND) in collaboration with the Defense Health Agency (DHA) (Contract number: W911QY-20-9-0019).
*As of 25 June 2022,
Omicron BA.4, BA.5 and BA.2.12.1 variants together represent > 90% of the COVID-19 cases in the United States (CDC; https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#nowcast-heading)
IMM-BCP-01 is a three-antibody cocktail
targeting non-overlapping regions of the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, including highly conserved, subdominant epitopes, which
elicits both ACE2 and non-ACE2 dependent neutralization, and induces natural viral clearance mechanisms, such as antibody dependent
cellular cytotoxicity, complement activation and phagocytosis. When tested in vivo, these mechanisms combine to significantly
reduce viral load in lungs of the hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2. IMM-BCP-01 neutralizes all variants of SARS-CoV-2 tested to
date in vitro. This investigational work was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense's (DOD) Joint Program Executive
Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) in collaboration with the Defense Health Agency
(DHA). (Contract number: W911QY-20-9-0019).
Immunome is a biopharmaceutical
company that utilizes its proprietary human memory B cell platform to discover and develop first-in-class antibody therapeutics that
are designed to change the way diseases are treated. The company's initial focus is developing therapeutics to treat oncology and
infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Immunome's proprietary discovery engine identifies novel therapeutic antibodies and their
targets by leveraging the highly educated components of the immune system, memory B cells, from patients whose bodies have learned to
fight off their disease. For more information, please visit www.immunome.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes certain
disclosures that contain "forward-looking statements" intended to qualify for the "safe harbor" from
liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including, without limitation, express or
implied statements regarding Immunome's beliefs and expectations on the advancement of its COVID-19 therapeutic antibody
program, execution of its regulatory, research, clinical and strategic plans and anticipated upcoming milestones for its platform
and programs, including expectations regarding, among other things: the timing and results of its preclinical studies and clinical
trials; clinical plans; general regulatory actions; translation of preclinical data into clinical safety and efficacy; and
therapeutic potential and benefits of, and possible need and demand for, our product candidates that are not historical fact.
Forward-looking statements may be identified by the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate,"
"expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "suggest," "can,"
"may," "will," "could," "should," "seek," "potential" and
similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on Immunome's current expectations and are subject to inherent
uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but
are not limited to, those risks and uncertainties associated with: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Immunome's business,
operations, strategy, goals and anticipated milestones; the fact that research and development data are subject to differing
interpretations and assessments; Immunome's ability to execute on its strategy, including with respect to its R&D
efforts, IND submissions and other regulatory filings, timing of these filings and the timing and nature of governmental
authority feedback regarding the same, initiation and completion of any clinical studies, confirmatory testing and other anticipated
milestones as and when anticipated; the effectiveness of Immunome's product candidates, including the possibility that further
preclinical data and any clinical trial data may be inconsistent with the data used for advancing the product candidates and that
further variants of concern could emerge; Immunome's ability to fund operations and raise capital; Immunome's reliance
on vendors; the competitive landscape; and the additional risks and uncertainties set forth more fully under the caption "Risk
Factors" in Immunome's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) on March 28, 2022, and elsewhere in Immunome's other filings and reports with the SEC. Forward-looking statements
contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and Immunome undertakes no duty to publicly update or revise any forward
looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable
law. In this press release, we may discuss our current and potential future product candidates that have not yet completed clinical
trials or been approved for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other governmental authority, including
expectations about their therapeutic potential and benefits thereof. No representation is made as to the safety or effectiveness of
these current or potential future product candidates for the use for which such product candidates are being studied.
Chief Financial Officer
LifeSci Communications