Genascence Announces Data From Phase 1 Clinical Trial on GNSC-001, Company's Lead Program in Osteoarthritis, Presented at American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy 25th Annual Meeting

• Additional safety data, including 12-month follow-up on all subjects, demonstrated GNSC-001 is safe and well tolerated
• Injection of GNSC-001 was associated with increased synovial concentrations of IL-1Ra and improved pain and function scores
• Osteoarthritis affects more than 30 million Americans, and is leading cause of disability

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Genascence Corporation ("Genascence"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company revolutionizing the treatment of prevalent musculoskeletal diseases with gene therapy, today announced that additional safety data from the Phase 1 clinical trial of GNSC-001 for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA), including 12-month follow-up on all subjects, demonstrated that it was safe and well tolerated. These data will be delivered in a poster presentation today at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy's (ASGCT) 25^th Annual Meeting being held virtually and in-person May 16-19, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

GNSC-001 is the company's lead program in OA. GNSC-001 is a genetic medicine – a recombinant adeno-associated vector (AAV) carrying a coding sequence for interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), a potent inhibitor of interleukin-1 (IL-1) signaling. IL-1 is considered one of the key mediators involved in the pathogenesis of OA, causing inflammation as well as cartilage destruction. GNSC-001 is designed to offer long-term, sustained inhibition of IL-1 following a single injection into the affected joint.

"Osteoarthritis is incapacitating, causing years of pain and disability for people living with the disease. Further, patients have limited treatment options, and nothing is currently available that is able to slow down progression of OA," said Thomas Chalberg, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Genascence. "We are excited by these findings as they demonstrate the initial safety of GNSC-001 and provide encouraging data to pursue GNSC-001 as a novel treatment for OA patients. We look forward to advancing the clinical program for GNSC-001 so that we can deliver transformative results for patients suffering from this disabling disease."

Title: A Phase I Trial of Osteoarthritis Gene Therapy (NCT02790723)
Date: May 17, 2022 5:30-6:30 PM ET
Session: Gene and Cell Therapy Trials in Progress
Abstract Number: 799
Location: Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall D
Presenter: Christopher H. Evans, Ph.D.

In this investigator-sponsored Phase 1 single-arm, open-label, dose-escalation clinical trial of GNSC-001, a total of nine subjects with knee OA were enrolled and monitored for one year. Three subjects were treated in each of three cohorts, receiving either 1x10¹¹ vg, 1x10¹² vg, or 1x10¹³ vg GNSC-001 delivered by intra-articular injection. The primary endpoint is safety and tolerability. Additional measures include levels of circulating viral genomes, immune response to the vector, blood and urine analysis, and physical examination. Although the study was not powered for efficacy and had no control group, patients reported pain via VAS (0-10) and pain and function via WOMAC. Knee joints were imaged by X-ray and MRI upon study entry and after one year.

Results showed that intra-articular injection of GNSC-001 produced no severe adverse events; blood chemistries and hematologies remained normal during the 12-month follow-up period with no evidence of neutropenia. There were no vector-related adverse events in eight of the nine subjects; one subject experienced a mild/moderate knee effusion following injection which resolved with ice and rest. Clinical trial participants developed various degrees of anti-AAV neutralizing antibodies after injection of GNSC-001, as seen in preclinical studies. Small amounts of viral genomes were found in peripheral blood, beginning one day after injection and clearing within four weeks. Injection of GNSC-001 was associated with increased concentrations of IL-1Ra in synovial fluid, which remained elevated after 12 months of follow up. Pain and function scores improved following injection of GNSC-001.

"These additional data from the Phase 1 trial of GNSC-001 in patients with osteoarthritis showed that it safe and well tolerated including after one year," said Dr. Evans. "These results are encouraging as we believe this therapy has the potential to reduce structural disease progression in osteoarthritis patients."

The study was supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP). More information is available at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02790723.

Abstracts can be accessed via the conference website at annualmeeting.asgct.org.

Osteoarthritis (OA), or degenerative joint disease, is the leading cause of disability. It is characterized by destruction of cartilage and structural changes in bone within the joint, which contribute to pain and loss of joint function. Osteoarthritis affects more than 30 million Americans and is increasing as a result of the aging population and increasing prevalence of obesity. Osteoarthritis represents a major economic burden, owing to direct medical costs and loss of productivity. Each year, millions of patients are treated for knee OA with NSAIDs, opioids, and steroid injections into the knee to manage their knee pain. There are no currently available therapies known to alter or slow down OA progression.

Genascence, a clinical-stage biotechnology company revolutionizing the treatment of prevalent musculoskeletal diseases with gene therapy, is developing life-changing treatments for highly prevalent conditions affecting millions of people. The company was founded in 2017 with technology licensed from three leading U.S. research institutions: Mayo Clinic, University of Florida, and NYU Langone Health. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Genascence's founders and leadership team have deep experience in the design, development, and manufacturing of successful gene therapies and biological medicines. For more information, please visit www.genascence.com.

SOURCE Genascence