ZIOPHARM Announces Three Presentations at the 2017

BOSTON, Oct. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZIOP ), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing gene and cell-based immunotherapies for cancer, today announced that three abstracts highlighting data from the Company’s Ad-RTS-hIL-12 + veledimex program have been accepted for presentation at the 22nd Annual Meeting and Education Day of the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO). The meeting will be held Nov. 16 - 19 in San Francisco. Additional information will be available from the Society when all abstracts are released from embargo on Nov. 6.

Details for the SNO presentations with discussion are as follows:

E-Talk: A Phase 1 study of Ad-RTS-hIL-12 + veledimex in adult recurrent glioblastoma Presenter: E. Antonio Chiocca, M.D., Ph.D. Session Title: Adult Therapeutics Date and Time: Saturday, Nov. 18, 5:32 – 5:36 p.m. PST Abstract Code: ATIM-26

Oral Presentation: Controlled expression of IL-12 improves survival in glioma by activating the immune response in mice and humans Presenter: John A. Barrett, Ph.D. Session Title: Immunology – Preclinical and Clinical I Date and Time: Sunday, Nov. 19, 9:15 - 9:20 a.m. PST Abstract Code: IMMU-34

Oral Presentation: Controlled local expression of IL-12 as gene therapy concomitant with systemic chemotherapy improves survival in glioma Presenter: John A. Barrett, Ph.D. Session Title: Immunology – Preclinical and Clinical I Date and Time: Sunday, Nov. 19, 10 - 10:05 a.m. PST Abstract Code: IMMU-33

About Ad-RTS-hIL-12 plus Veledimex

ZIOPHARM is advancing Ad-RTS-hIL-12 plus veledimex as a gene therapy for glioblastoma. Ad-RTS-hIL-12 is an adenoviral vector administered via a single injection into the tumor and engineered to express hIL-12, a powerful cytokine that has demonstrated the potential to stimulate a targeted, anti-tumor immune response. The expression of hIL-12 is controlled and modulated with the RheoSwitch Therapeutic System ^® (RTS ^® ) by the small molecule veledimex, an activator ligand which has been shown to cross the blood brain barrier. ZIOPHARM anticipates initiation of a pivotal trial for Ad-RTS-hIL-12 plus veledimex for the treatment of rGBM by the end of 2017. The Company also has initiated a Phase 1 study to evaluate the stereotactic administration of Ad-RTS-hIL-12 plus veledimex in adult patients with rGBM, and plans to initiate enrollment of adult patients with rGBM who will receive a single dose of Ad-RTS-hIL-12 plus veledimex in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor targeting programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) by the end of the year.

About ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc.

ZIOPHARM Oncology is a Boston, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company employing innovative gene expression, control and cell technologies to deliver safe, effective and scalable cell- and viral-based therapies for the treatment of cancer and graft-versus-host-disease. The Company's immuno-oncology programs, in collaboration with Intrexon Corporation (NYSE: XON ) and the MD Anderson Cancer Center, include chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) and other adoptive cell-based approaches that use non-viral gene transfer methods for broad scalability. The Company is advancing programs in multiple stages of development together with Intrexon Corporation's RheoSwitch Therapeutic System ^® (RTS ^® ) technology, a switch to turn on and off, and precisely modulate, gene expression in order to improve therapeutic index. The Company's pipeline includes a number of cell-based therapeutics in both clinical and preclinical testing which are focused on hematologic and solid tumor malignancies.

Forward-Looking Safe-Harbor Statement:

This press release contains certain forward-looking information about ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc. that is intended to be covered by the safe harbor for "forward-looking statements" provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts, and in some cases can be identified by terms such as "may," "will," "could," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," and "believes." These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the progress and timing of the development of the Company's research and development programs. All of such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of the Company, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the Company's ability to finance its operations and business initiatives and obtain funding for such activities; whether chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) approaches, Ad-RTS-hIL-12, TCR and NK cell-based therapies, or any of other product candidates will advance further in the preclinical research or clinical trial process and whether and when, if at all, they will receive final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or equivalent foreign regulatory agencies and for which indications; whether chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) approaches, Ad-RTS-hIL-12, TCR and NK cell-based therapies, and the Company's other therapeutic products it develops will be successfully marketed if approved; the strength and enforceability of the Company's intellectual property rights; competition from other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies; as well as other risk factors contained in the Company's periodic and interim reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to, the risks and uncertainties set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2017 and subsequent reports that the Company may file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to revise and disseminate forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, or to reflect the occurrence of or non-occurrence of any events.

Trademarks

RheoSwitch Therapeutic System ^® and RTS ^® are registered trademarks of Intrexon Corporation.

Contact: David Connolly ZIOPHARM Oncology 617-502-1881 dconnolly@ziopharm.com

David Pitts Argot Partners 212-600-1902 david@argotpartners.com