• Pre-clinical data demonstrate robust anti-tumor activity and a novel off-the-shelf approach for GPC3+ solid tumors

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Carisma Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: CARM) ("Carisma" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative immunotherapies, today announced the upcoming presentation of new pre-clinical data on its anti-GPC3 in vivo chimeric antigen receptor macrophage and monocyte (together, "CAR-M") therapy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma ("HCC"), developed in collaboration with Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA). The data will be presented in a poster session at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer ("SITC") Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas, on November 8, 2024.

The abstract, titled "Pre-Clinical Efficacy of a Novel Anti-GPC3 In Vivo CAR-M for Hepatocellular Carcinoma," presents the first pre-clinical data on the development candidate targeting Glypican-3 ("GPC3"), a tumor-associated antigen commonly expressed in HCC. This novel off-the-shelf approach reprograms endogenous myeloid cells in vivo using lipid nanoparticles ("LNP") to deliver mRNA encoding CARs. The data show that this in vivo CAR-M therapy has significant potential as a treatment for GPC3+ solid tumors, including HCC.

"Our data at SITC this year highlights the groundbreaking potential of the in vivo CAR-M platform," said Steven Kelly, President and Chief Executive Officer of Carisma. "The pre-clinical results demonstrate robust anti-tumor activity and pave the way for an off-the-shelf therapy for hard-to-treat cancers like hepatocellular carcinoma. This data underscores the progress we've made, and we're eager to advance this promising therapy into clinical development."

SITC Presentations Details:

Title: Pre-clinical efficacy of a novel anti-GPC3 in vivo CAR-M for hepatocellular carcinoma
Publication Number: 329
Session Date & Time: Friday, Nov. 8, 2024
Location: Exhibit Halls A B George R. Brown Convention Center

Title: A Phase 1, First-in-Human study of autologous monocytes engineered to express an anti-HER2 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) in participants with HER2 overexpressing solid tumors
Publication Number: 659
Session Date & Time: Friday, Nov. 8, 2024
Location: Exhibit Halls A B George R. Brown Convention Center

The poster presented at SITC 2024 will be available online in the "Publications" section of Carisma's website at https://carismatx.com/technology/publications/ following the start of the poster session.

About Carisma Therapeutics

Carisma Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on utilizing our proprietary macrophage and monocyte cell engineering platform to develop transformative immunotherapies to treat cancer and other serious diseases. We have created a comprehensive, differentiated proprietary cell therapy platform focused on engineered macrophages and monocytes, cells that play a crucial role in both the innate and adaptive immune response. Carisma is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. For more information, please visit www.carismatx.com.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, anticipated discovery, preclinical and clinical development activities for Carisma's product candidates, the potential safety, efficacy, benefits and addressable market for Carisma's product candidates, and clinical trial results for Carisma's product candidates. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. The words "believes," "anticipates," "estimates," "plans," "expects," "intends," "may," "could," "should," "potential," "likely," "projects," "continue," "will," "schedule," and "would" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements are predictions based on the Company's current expectations and projections about future events and various assumptions. Although Carisma believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, Carisma cannot guarantee future events, results, actions, levels of activity, performance or achievements, and the timing and results of biotechnology development and potential regulatory approval is inherently uncertain. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause Carisma's actual activities or results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement, including risks and uncertainties related to Carisma's ability to advance its product candidates, the receipt and timing of potential regulatory designations, approvals and commercialization of product candidates, clinical trial sites and our ability to enroll eligible patients, supply chain and manufacturing facilities, Carisma's ability to maintain and recognize the benefits of certain designations received by product candidates, the timing and results of preclinical and clinical trials, Carisma's ability to fund development activities and achieve development goals, Carisma's ability to protect intellectual property, and other risks and uncertainties described under the heading "Risk Factors" in Carisma's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents that Carisma files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and Carisma undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, except as may be required by law. 

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