Compugen Announces Publication of BAY 1905254 Preclinical Data in Cancer Immunology Research

HOLON, Israel, April 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Compugen Ltd. (NASDAQ: CGEN), a clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company and leader in predictive target discovery, announced today the publication of a peer reviewed paper titled "Characterization of BAY 1905254, a novel immune checkpoint inhibitor targeting the immunoglobulin-like domain containing receptor 2 (ILDR2)" describing BAY 1905254's ability to trigger an anti-tumor immune response in mice, supporting its clinical evaluation as a cancer immunotherapy. The preclinical studies, published in Cancer Immunology Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, were conducted in collaboration between Compugen and Bayer AG, with data demonstrating BAY 1905254 in vitro T cell activation and in vivo anti-tumor activity.

ILDR2 is a novel therapeutic target in immuno-oncology discovered computationally by Compugen and licensed to Bayer under a research and development collaboration and license agreement. ILDR2 is expressed by a specialized stromal cell subset so called fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) located in the lymph node where T cell priming and initiation of local T cell responses occur. Therefore, the hypothesis on the mode of action of BAY 1905254 is that the blockade of the immunosuppressive function of ILDR2 in the lymph node results in enhanced T cell priming, allowing for enhanced anti-cancer immune responses. BAY 1905254 is currently being evaluated by Bayer in a Phase 1 study as monotherapy and in combination with Keytruda® in patients with advanced solid tumors.

"This publication further supports and extends our prior published studies on ILDR2, offering additional validation to Compugen's ability to discover computationally untapped drug targets. It also further substantiates ILDR2's role as a new immune checkpoint with possible applications in oncology and autoimmune diseases," said Anat Cohen-Dayag, Ph.D., President and CEO of Compugen. "ILDR2's differentiated mode of action suggests that BAY 1905254 has the potential to expand treatment options for cancer patients unresponsive or refractory to existing immunotherapies."

"Bayer has been an excellent partner to us and we are very pleased with their continued commitment and investment in the clinical development of BAY 1905254," added Dr. Cohen-Dayag.

The paper was co-authored by scientists at Bayer and Compugen.

About Compugen

Compugen is a clinical-stage therapeutic discovery and development company utilizing its broadly applicable, predictive computational discovery platforms to identify novel drug targets and develop therapeutics in the field of cancer immunotherapy. The Company's lead product candidate, COM701, a first-in-class anti-PVRIG antibody, for the treatment of solid tumors, is undergoing a Phase 1 clinical study. In addition, COM902, Compugen's antibody targeting TIGIT, is in a Phase 1 clinical study. The Company's therapeutic pipeline also includes early stage immuno-oncology programs focused largely on myeloid targets. Compugen's business model is to selectively enter into collaborations for its novel targets and related drug product candidates at various stages of research and development. The Company is headquartered in Israel, with offices in South San Francisco, CA. Compugen's shares are listed on the Nasdaq and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CGEN. For additional information, please visit Compugen's corporate website at www.cgen.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of Compugen. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "will," "may," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "potential," "plan," "goal," "estimate," "likely," "should," "confident," and "intends," and similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding ILDR2 and BAY 1905254 and Compugen's belief that the data are supportive of Compugen's ability to discover untapped drug targets that may expand the reach of immunotherapy in cancer. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Compugen to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Among these risks: Compugen's business model is substantially dependent on entering into collaboration agreements with third parties, which presents a number of risks, and Compugen may not be successful in generating adequate revenues or commercializing aspects of its business model. In addition, Compugen's approach to the discovery of therapeutic products is based on Compugen's proprietary computational target discovery infrastructure that is unproven clinically, and Compugen does not know whether it will be able to discover and develop products of commercial value. These risks and other risks are more fully described in the "Risk Factors" section of Compugen's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as well as other documents that may be subsequently filed by Compugen from time to time with the SEC. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent Compugen's views only as of the date of this release and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. Compugen does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements unless required by law.

Company contact:
Elana Holzman
Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
Compugen Ltd.
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +972-(3)-765-8124

Investor Relations contact:
Bob Yedid
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +1-(646)-597-6989

Media contact:
Josephine Belluardo, Ph.D.
LifeSci Communications
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +1-(646)-751-4361

SOURCE Compugen Ltd.

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