Nohla Announces EHA Abstract Acceptance on Dilanub

SEATTLE, May 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nohla Therapeutics, a leading developer of universal, off-the-shelf cell therapies for patients with hematologic malignances and other critical diseases, today announced the online availability of an abstract that has been selected for presentation during the 23 ^rd Congress of European Hematology Association Annual Conference in Stockholm. The abstract is available at https://learningcenter.ehaweb.org/eha/2018/st...74*media=3 and a copy of the poster will be available on the Company’s website after it has been presented.

The abstract summarizes long-term follow-up data showing that Nohla’s dilanubicel (NLA101) cell therapy significantly improved hematopoietic recovery with no patients experiencing transplant-related mortality, leading to an 86% (n=13/15) disease-free and overall survival rate in patients undergoing a cord blood transplant. Patient survival rates were evaluated at five years following transplant.

“Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation remains the only known curative approach for patients with high-risk leukemia, however access is limited by donor availability,” said Filippo Milano, MD, PhD, Assistant Member at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s Clinical Research Division and Associate Director of its Cord Blood Program. “Umbilical cord blood has emerged as an important source of donor stem cells but adoption has been limited due to the low number of cells contained in each graft.  Results to date show that dilanubicel may address this need by providing expanded stem and progenitor cells resulting in rapid immune recovery and long-term survival benefits compared to standard cord blood transplant and other allogeneic transplants.”

“These results demonstrate that infusion of dilanubicel given with a cord blood transplant was safe and led to faster neutrophil and platelet recovery, but more importantly showed excellent long-term survival with no transplant-related mortality or severe (grade 3-4) acute graft vs. host disease,” said Colleen Delaney, MD, MSc, Chief Medical Officer and Co-founder of Nohla Therapeutics. “We expect to have top-line results later this year from Nohla’s ongoing randomized Phase 2b trial coordinated by the Fred Hutch evaluating dilanubicel in 160 patients with hematologic malignancies receiving a cord blood transplant.”

About Dilanubicel Dilanubicel is a universal donor, off-the-shelf, ex vivo expanded hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell product that provides rapid, transient hematopoiesis with long-term immunologic benefits. Unlike autologous or patient-specific allogeneic cell therapies, dilanubicel does not require Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) tissue matching. Intentionally developed to provide short-term, temporary bone marrow function until a patient’s immune system recovers, dilanubicel also induces long-term immunologic benefits with the potential for improved survival. Dilanubicel is efficiently manufactured ahead of time, cryopreserved, and available for immediate off-the-shelf use.

About Nohla Therapeutics Nohla Therapeutics is a leading developer of off-the shelf cell therapies for patients with cancer and other critical diseases. Nohla’s proprietary notch ligand technology platform serves as the foundation for its ongoing clinical, preclinical and discovery programs. The company’s lead product candidate, dilanubicel, is currently being evaluated in two ongoing Phase 2 trials for patients with hematologic malignancies undergoing a myeloablative allogeneic transplant, and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression following high-dose chemotherapy.  Nohla is also pursuing multiple preclinical and discovery programs in the areas of immune tolerance and other diseases. More information is available at www.nohlatherapeutics.com .

Nohla Contact: Jim DeNike Senior Director, Corporate Development & Investor Relations 206.519.5294 jimd@nohlatherapeutics.com