Scancell founder says the company is ready to commercialise novel medicines to counteract cancer

AIM-listed Scancell Holdings plc (AIM: SCLP), is the developer of novel oncology immunotherapies and is leveraging its proprietary research to generate novel medicines to treat significant unmet needs in cancer. Today, the Company has announced a major international biotechnology company is exclusively evaluating a Scancell investigational anti-glycan monoclonal antibody for the development of novel therapeutic products. Under the terms of the agreement, Scancell has granted the company seven months exclusivity for further evaluation, which includes an US$1m exclusivity payment payable within 30 days. In this interview founder, chief executive and chief scientific officer Professor Lindy Durrant tells focusIR. “At the moment we have a very strong pipeline. We have a number of really good products. So the focus is more getting those into the clinic or validating them as deals. So of course deals are a way of getting other stuff in the clinic. That's always been my passion to take the science from the lab and into patients and hopefully help them, but by so doing also increase shareholder value.” In this interview, investors will hear: • Why the company is developing two vaccines, currently in clinical trials, including one with strong, durable, predictable responses • How Scancell is creating therapies to counteract the disease • What Scancell thinks about deals with big pharma to progress its work • When the Company expects regulatory MHRA approval to expand its ModiFY trial • Why the relationship with Genmab, and the antibody license agreement signed in October 2022, could be worth as much as US$624m if fully developed • How long the company’s current cash runway is • How revenues from Scancell’s pre-clinical antibody platform partially derisks the business model by providing non-dilutive cash Professor Durrant suggests that Scancell is closer to finding solutions in the fight against cancer: “That clinical data at the moment is looking really, really strong. If we get the similar sort of response rate in melanoma in a randomised phase two, phase three, it will be one of very few vaccines approved and taken forward and it proves the concept. I've always said checkpoints work on the principle that T cells can kill cancer. Vaccines generate T cells, so they should work. Somebody, somewhere will make it work. I think I'm there.” “It takes a long time unfortunately to go from concept right through to the clinic and proving in the clinic. So, I'm very grateful that people have stayed through and stuck with us with this story. But hopefully with this new stunning clinical data, we're beginning to show them you were right, it really does work and that there could be good strong commercial potential for my investors.” Professor Lindy Durrant interviewed by Sarah Lowther for focusIR.