TC BioPharm Announces Grant Funding in Collaboration with Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)

News provided by

Sep 05, 2023, 08:30 ET

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Sept. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TC BioPharm (Holdings) PLC ("TC BioPharm" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: TCBP), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing platform allogeneic gamma-delta T cell therapies for cancer, is proud to announce it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) to research the therapeutic potential of gamma-delta T cells for the treatment of mucosal infections. The collaboration recently received grant funding from The Impact Fund arm of QMUL. TC BioPharm will be working in conjunction with Dr. Neil McCarthy's lab out of QMUL.

The project includes grant funding from The Queen Mary Impact Fund (QMIF) to finance the study. QMIF provides highly flexible and internally administrated funding to support knowledge exchange, acceleration of impact, and bridges the gap between UKRI-funded research (EPSRC, STFC, ESRC, and MRC) and benefits for society.

Dr. McCarthy's lab studies host–pathogen interactions at mucosal surfaces, with a particular focus on gamma delta T-cells and their role in gut barrier protection against microbial infection and inflammation. The ultimate aim of this work is to understand how gamma delta T-cell function becomes dysregulated in infectious and inflammatory diseases and could potentially be restored by novel agonist / antagonist immunotherapies.

"We are grateful for the support from the Queen Mary University of London Impact Fund and appreciate Dr. McCarthy and his team taking this initiative on with enthusiasm," said Bryan Kobel, CEO of TC BioPharm. "Dr. McCarthy's lab is a leading institution in the gamma delta field focusing on gut health and microbial infections, a great area of interest for TCB. This is an exciting opportunity for our company and QMUL, the collaboration is a good starting point for both groups with the potential to extend into future engagements and asset spinoffs, while simultaneously expanding the TCB-008 platform into new indications. We believe the data set here and in future endeavors will further showcase the therapeutic benefit of the gamma delta T-cells centering around their role in immunotherapy's future.

"My team is excited about working with TC BioPharm to explore the anti-microbial potential of γδ cell therapies," stated Dr. McCarthy. "Our data suggests this could be a promising approach to preventing gut barrier damage in context of mucosal infection and inflammation. We look forward to learning more from this new collaboration and exploring novel routes for translating γδ cell potency into the clinic."

The QMUL Enterprise Investment Fund

The QMUL Enterprise Investment Fund has been launched, offering the chance to invest in new technologies and innovations developed by academics and students at QMUL. The Fund will offer tax reliefs for individual investors under the government's tax efficient SEIS and EIS schemes, and it is expected to appeal particularly to alumni and other investors interested in investing in new businesses arising from QMUL research and innovation. The Fund will be managed by Javelin Ventures Limited, an experienced FCA-regulated fund manager, and will benefit from a highly experienced Investment Advisory Committee comprising respected entrepreneurs and investors from across technology sectors.

About TC BioPharm (Holdings) PLC

TC BioPharm is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of gamma-delta T cell therapies for the treatment of cancer with human efficacy data in acute myeloid leukemia. Gamma-delta T cells are naturally occurring immune cells that embody properties of both the innate and adaptive immune systems and can intrinsically differentiate between healthy and diseased tissue. TC BioPharm uses an allogeneic approach in both unmodified and CAR modified gamma-delta T cells to effectively identify, target and eradicate both liquid and solid tumors in cancer.

TC BioPharm is the leader in developing gamma-delta T cell therapies, and the first company to conduct phase II/pivotal clinical studies in oncology. The Company is conducting two investigator-initiated clinical trials for its unmodified gamma-delta T cell product line - Phase 2b/3 pivotal trial for OmnImmune® in treatment of acute myeloid leukemia using the Company's proprietary allogeneic CryoTC technology to provide frozen product to clinics worldwide. TC BioPharm also maintains a robust pipeline for future indications in solid tumors as well as a significant IP/patent portfolio in the use of CARs with gamma-delta T cells and owns our manufacturing facility to maintain cost and product quality controls.

SOURCE TC BioPharm