- Enrollment ongoing in Phase 1 dose-escalation IMMUNICY-1 trial for lead shRNA-based allogeneic CAR T candidate, CYAD-211, for relapsed/refractory (r/r) multiple myeloma (MM)
- In July 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifted the clinical hold for the T-cell-inhibitory-molecule (TIM)-based allogeneic CAR T candidate CYAD-101 for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC)
- Company to increase strategic focus on collaborations related to broad intellectual property portfolio
- Conference call and webcast scheduled for today, August 5th, at 2:00 p.m. CEST / 8:00 a.m. EDT
Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium – Celyad Oncology SA (Euronext & Nasdaq: CYAD) (the “Company”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapies for cancer, today announced an update on its financial results and recent business developments for the first half ended June 30, 2022.
“As the Company continues to evolve, we are excited about a renewed focus on additional value drivers for Celyad Oncology. Importantly, with our world-class intellectual property focused on allogeneic CAR T technology, we have multiple opportunities for partnerships with peers in the industry,” commented Michel Lussier, interim Chief Executive Officer of Celyad Oncology. “We also were proud to recently announce that the FDA lifted the clinical hold on our CYAD-101 program. In addition, we look forward to the upcoming data read out for CYAD-211 in the second half of 2022. We are truly ushering in a new chapter for Celyad Oncology by unlocking the potential of not only our product candidates, but also our portfolio of IP, technology, and overall expertise in cell therapy.”
Second Quarter 2022 and Recent Business Highlights
- The Board of Directors named Hilde Windels as Chair of the Board of Directors
- Michel Lussier named Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Company
Pipeline and Business Updates
CYAD-211 – Allogeneic shRNA-based, anti-BCMA CAR T for r/r MM
CYAD-211 is an investigational, short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-based allogeneic CAR T candidate for the treatment of r/r MM. CYAD-211 is engineered to co-express a B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) targeting CAR and a single shRNA, which interferes with the expression of the CD3ζ component of the T-cell receptor (TCR) complex.
- Preliminary data reported in December 2021 from the dose-escalation segment of the IMMUNICY-1 Phase 1 trial evaluating CYAD-211 following cyclophosphamide/fludarabine (CyFlu) preconditioning chemotherapy in patients with r/r MM showed evidence of clinical activity with a good tolerability profile including no evidence of Graft versus Host Disease. In addition, all patients in the trial had detectable CYAD-211 cells in the peripheral blood.
- Enrollment is currently ongoing in the IMMUNICY-1 Phase 1 trial to evaluate enhanced lymphodepletion (eLD) and increased CYAD-211 doses with the aim to improve cell persistence and potentially maximize the clinical benefit of CYAD-211. The IMMUNICY-1 protocol also allows for CYAD-211 redosing in certain patients.
- Additional data updates from the eLD cohorts of the Phase 1 IMMUNICY-1 trial of CYAD-211 for r/r MM are expected during second half of 2022.
CYAD-101 – Allogeneic TIM-based NKG2D CAR T for mCRC
CYAD-101 is an investigational, non-gene edited, allogeneic CAR T candidate engineered to co-expresses the TIM peptide alongside a CAR based on NKG2D, a receptor expressed on natural killer (NK) and T cells, that binds to eight stress-induced ligands.
- In June 2022 we submitted our complete response to the clinical hold of the CYAD-101-002 phase 1b trial to the FDA stating our intent to amend the eligibility criteria to exclude patients who have bilateral lung metastases and patients who have received treatment with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeting monoclonal antibodies within the previous 9 months prior to trial recruitment. In July 2022, based on that complete response, we received notification that the FDA lifted the clinical hold on the CYAD-101-002 phase 1b trial
shARC Platform
Discovery research continues on programs focused on the co-expression of Interleukin-18 in conjunction with our short hairpin RNA shRNA technology platform, also known as our shARC (shRNA Armored CAR) franchise, with a focus on the development of next-generation, allogeneic CAR T candidates.
CYAD-02 – Autologous NKG2D CAR-T for r/r AML and MDS
CYAD-02 is an investigational, autologous CAR T therapy that co-expresses both the NKG2D CAR and a single shRNA targeting the NKG2D ligands MICA/MICB on the CAR T cells.
- In December 2021, the Company presented clinical results from the dose-escalation CYCLE-1 Phase 1 trial evaluating CYAD-02 for the treatment of r/r acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Data from the trial showed that a single shRNA can target two independent genes (MICA/MICB) to enhance the phenotype of the CAR T cells. In addition, the dual knockdown showed a positive contribution to the initial clinical activity of CYAD-02 as well as a trend towards increased engraftment and persistence compared to the first-generation, autologous NKG2D receptor CAR T.
- The Company continues to explore potential partnership opportunities for the future development of CYAD-02.
Strategic Focus on Intellectual Property
The Company maintains a robust intellectual property portfolio within the landscape of CAR T, including twelve foundational U.S.
patents associated with allogeneic CAR T for the treatment of cancer as well as patents for NKG2D receptor-based cell therapies. We believe these patents provide an avenue for the Company to develop its own programs as well as to seek potential partnership opportunities.
First Half 2022 Financial Results
Key financial figures for the first half of 2022, compared with the first half of 2021 and full year 2021, are summarized below:
| Selected key financial figures (€ millions) | Half Year 30 June 2022 | Half Year 30 June 2021 | Full Year 31 December 2021 |
| Revenue | – | – | – |
| Research and development expenses | (10.5) | (10.0) | (20.8) |
| General and administrative expenses | (6.2) | (4.8) | (9.9) |
| Change in fair value of contingent consideration | 1.1 | (2.0) | 0.8 |
| Other income/(expenses) | 1.6 | 1.8 | 3.4 |
| Operating loss | (14.1) | (14.9) | (26.4) |
| Loss for the period/year | (14.1) | (14.9) | (26.5) |
| Net cash used in operations | (16.3) | (12.2) | (26.6) |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 14.4 | 12.0 | 30.0 |
Research and Development expenses were €10.5 million for the first half of 2022, compared to €10.0 million for the first half of 2021. The €0.5 million increase was mainly driven by intellectual property filing and maintenance fees to strengthen intellectual property prosecution and the increase of employee expenses mainly related to the full expense impact of the employees recruited during 2021 to support the Group’s preclinical and clinical programs, employee turnover and management changes, both of which were partially offset by the decrease in clinical activities resulting from the Phase 1b CYAD-101-002 (KEYNOTE-B79) trial which was on clinical hold during the second quarter of 2022.
General and Administrative expenses were €6.2 million for the first half of 2022, compared to €4.8 million for the first half of 2021. This increase is primarily attributable to an increase in insurance costs for the period, combined with an increase in employee expenses mainly related to management changes through the six-month period ended June 30, 2022.
A fair value adjustment of €1.1 million (non-cash income) related to the reassessment of the contingent consideration and other financial liabilities associated with the advancement of the Company’s NKG2D-based CAR T candidates as of June 30, 2022, required by International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), was mainly driven by the updated assumptions on projected revenue associated with the Company’s CYAD-101 program, for which the timing of the potential commercialization has been delayed by one year. Additionally, the addressable patient population for CYAD-101 has been reduced based on recent safety findings from the CYAD-101-002 Phase 1b trial. The fair value adjustment was also driven by updated assumptions to discount rate and revaluation of the U.S. dollar foreign exchange rate.
The Company also posted €1.6 million in net other income for the first half of 2022, compared to a net other income of €1.8 million for the first half of 2021. Other income for the first half of 2022 is primarily due to grant income from the Walloon Region of €1.4 million.
Net loss for the first half of 2022 was €14.1 million, or € (0.62) per share, compared to a net loss of €14.9 million, or € (1.02) per share, for the first half of 2021.
Net cash used in operations was €16.3 million for the first half of 2022, compared to €12.2 million for the first half of 2021.
As of June 30, 2022, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of €14.4 million ($15.0 million).
As of June 30, 2022, the total number of basic shares outstanding were 22.6 million similar to December 31, 2021.
Celyad Oncology First Half 2022 Conference Call Details
Date: Friday, August 5, 2022
Time: 2 p.m. CEST / 8 a.m. EDT
Dial-in: +1 201 493 6779 (International), + 1 877 407 9716 (United States) or +32 (0) 800 73 904 (Belgium). Please ask to be joined into the Celyad Oncology SA call.
The conference call will be webcast live and archived within the “Events” section of the Celyad Oncology website.
