Advanced Proteome Therapeutics Corporation Embarks Upon a Major Antibody Initiative

VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - April 15, 2016) - Advanced Proteome Therapeutics Corporation ("APC" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: APC)(FRANKFURT: 0E8) announces that APC has invented a novel approach to a persistent problem in the field of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), one which ideally is able to site-selectively add virtually any drug to any IgG antibody (which provides most of the scaffolds for ADC formation). The approach is expected to yield products of high purity, which should improve clinical performance and provide numerous business opportunities for licensing and partnering in joint efforts. It is noteworthy that antibody therapeutics are estimated to reach yearly sales of nearly $125 Billion USD by the year 2020, highlighting the extraordinary growth that is anticipated in this market.

Antibody-drug conjugates are a novel, highly promising class of therapeutics that combine the unique targeting capabilities of monoclonal antibodies with the properties of cytotoxic drugs, enabling the selective destruction of diseased tissue such as cancerous tumors. However, significant, identifiable gaps exist in the technological know-how required to render ADCs pure and homogeneous. Most notably, current methods of attachment of drugs to antibodies, at worst, lead to intractable mixtures, and at best, are cumbersome and challenging to scale for manufacturing purposes. Nevertheless, it is a multibillion dollar per year market with prospects for a huge jump in revenues dependent on improvements in technology.

Core APC technologies are designed to render protein products the Company targets for drug conjugation, pure and homogeneous, simplifying pre-clinical and process development, as well as manufacturing. In the field of antibody therapeutics, the appeal of site-specific labeling technologies is universally acknowledged. Thus the Company has technology applicable to one of the hottest areas in biotechnology -- which has been a focal point of interest on the part of potential partners in discussions at partnering conferences the Company has attended. 

Since the beginning of 2016, APC has been actively involved in several partnering conferences (the Biotech Showcase in San Francisco, the Immunotherapy World 2016 Conference in Washington, DC and BioEurope in Stockholm, Sweden) in which there has been genuine expressions of interest in its technologies, highlighting the high demand for site-specific labeling technologies, such as those which the Company has developed and continues to refine. Recent heightened levels of interest have led to numerous opportunities which the Company is currently evaluating for the best prospects for partnering.

The prospective partnering opportunities re ADCs, the applicability of APC's site-specific labelling technologies, as well as current unmet needs, offer powerful incentives for applying APC technologies to alleviate major bottlenecks in ADC development. Therapeutic antibodies number in the hundreds (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_therapeutic_monoclonal_antibodies) and many require additional payloads for optimization and clinical viability. A platform technology that can fulfill unmet needs in the area of site-specific labeling can be expected to command premiums in the hundreds of millions of USD.

The Company will be applying its technology intensively over the next 3 months to specific antibodies, while pursuing the most attractive commercial opportunities compatible with our business objectives of being a leader in the field of antibody-drug conjugates.

About APC

Advanced Proteome Therapeutics Corporation (APC) is advancing a Site-Specific Protein Modification technology platform to enable the development of superior protein therapeutics. Using this technology, the Company has generated numerous and diverse modifications of Annexin V with superior binding and stability properties and are amenable to further labeling and conjugation for use in therapeutic applications. APC has preliminary data in pre-clinical animal models which show the potential of a number such entities, including APC 101, to act as an immunotherapeutic agent for cancer therapy. The company is also engaged in creating annexin-drug conjugates to rival antibody-drug conjugates and has prepared examples of such novel species.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release involve risks and uncertainties, and are subject to change based on various important factors including timely development and acceptance of new products, gaining product approval, successful entry into new markets, changes in financing conditions, and changes in FDA regulations.