Celyad Oncology to Present Updates from Allogeneic and Autologous CAR T Programs at 62nd ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition

• Three accepted abstracts will be presented virtually in a pre-recorded poster session
  

MONT-SAINT-GUIBERT, Belgium, Nov. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Celyad Oncology SA (Euronext & Nasdaq: CYAD), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapies for cancer, today announced that three abstracts have been accepted for presentation at the 62^nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, which will be held virtually from December 5-8, 2020. The presentations will focus on the company’s anti-BCMA allogeneic CAR T candidate, CYAD-211, and autologous NKG2D receptor-based CAR T candidates CYAD-01 and CYAD-02. In addition, the abstracts will be published online in the November supplemental issue of peer-reviewed journal Blood.

ASH 2020 Presentation Details:
The following abstracts published today are now available on the ASH conference website. Following their presentation at the meeting, the posters will be available in the Scientific Publications section of Celyad Oncology’s website.

Publication #1428:	Clinical Development of a Non-Gene-Edited Allogeneic BCMA-Targeting CAR T-cell Product in Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
Session Name:	703. Adoptive Immunotherapy: Poster I
Date:	Saturday, December 5, 2020 from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. PT
Publication #993:	Results from the Phase I Clinical Studies Evaluating CYAD-01, a first-generation NKG2D CAR T-cell Product in Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome Patients
Session Name:	613. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Clinical Studies: Poster I
Date:	Saturday, December 5, 2020 from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. PT
Publication #990:	First Results from the Dose Escalation Segment of the Phase I Clinical Study Evaluating CYAD-02, an Optimized Non Gene-Edited Engineered NKG2D CAR T-cell Product, in Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome Patients
Session Name:	613. Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Clinical Studies: Poster I
Date:	Saturday, December 5, 2020 from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. PT

About CYAD-211

CYAD-211 is an investigational, short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-based allogeneic CAR T candidate for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (r/r MM). CYAD-211 is engineered to co-express a BCMA targeting chimeric antigen receptor and a single shRNA, which interferes with the expression of the CD3ζ component of the T cell receptor (TCR) complex. In July 2020, Celyad Oncology announced FDA Clearance of its IND application for CYAD-211.

About CYAD-01

CYAD-01 is an investigational CAR T therapy in which a patient's T cells are engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) based on NKG2D, a receptor expressed on natural killer (NK) cells that binds to eight stress-induced ligands expressed on tumor cells.

About CYAD-02

CYAD-02 is an investigational CAR T therapy that engineers an all-in-one vector approach in patient’s T cells to express both (i) the NKG2D chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), a receptor expressed on natural killer cells that binds to eight stress-induced ligands expressed on tumor cells, and (ii) short hairpin RNA (shRNA) SMARTvector technology licensed from Horizon Discovery to knockdown the expression of NKG2D ligands MICA and MICB on the CAR T cells. In preclinical models, shRNA-mediated knockdown of MICA and MICB expression on NKG2D CAR T cells has shown enhanced in vitro expansion, as well as enhanced in vivo engraftment and persistence, of the CAR T cells, as compared to first-generation NKG2D receptor based CAR T cells.

About Celyad Oncology

Celyad Oncology is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapies for cancer. The Company is developing a pipeline of allogeneic (off-the-shelf) and autologous (personalized) CAR T cell therapy candidates for the treatment of both hematological malignancies and solid tumors. Celyad Oncology was founded in 2007 and is based in Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium and New York, NY. The Company has received funding from the Walloon Region (Belgium) to support the advancement of its CAR T cell therapy programs. For more information, please visit www.celyad.com.

Forward-looking statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements, within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may include statements regarding: the clinical activity of CYAD-01 and CYAD-02 and the development of CYAD-211. Forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which might cause actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Celyad Oncology to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risk and uncertainty include the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and government measures implemented in response thereto. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other risks can be found in Celyad Oncology’s U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings and reports, including in its Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on March 25, 2020 and subsequent filings and reports by Celyad Oncology. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of publication of this document and Celyad Oncology’s actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Celyad Oncology expressly disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in this document to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, unless required by law or regulation.

Investor and Media Contacts:

Sara Zelkovic
Communications & Investor Relations Director
Celyad Oncology
investors@celyad.com

Daniel Ferry
Managing Director
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
daniel@lifesciadvisors.com

Source: Celyad Oncology SA