Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 14, 2024) - Defence Therapeutics Inc. (CSE: DTC) (OTCQB: DTCFF) (FSE: DTC) ("Defence" or the "Company"), a Canadian biopharmaceutical company developing novel immune-oncology vaccines and drug delivery technologies, is pleased to announce the issuance of several new patents, as well as new allowances of patent applications belonging to different Patent Families in Defence's vast and diverse portfolio.

Defence's vaccine enhancer platform technology based on simple admixture of Accum^® and variants thereof with specific antigens, is further expanded by the recent allowance of Defence's US application no. 18/169,440 by the USPTO. The newly allowed subject-matter, which includes valuable composition-of-matter claims directed to Accum^® or variants thereof as standalone agents for enhancing antigen presentation, or in admixture with of any vaccine antigen, elegantly compliments Defence's previously granted US patent no. 11,612,651 covering methods of improving polypeptide antigen immunogenicity. Importantly, this Patent Family is the first family broadly covering Defence's anticancer ARM™ vaccine platform. Recent pre-clinical studies using Defence's ARM-002™ vaccine suggest potent antitumor responses in in vivo melanoma, lymphoma, and pancreatic cancer models when combined with the anti-PD-1 immune-checkpoint inhibitor, paving the way for upcoming Phase I clinical trials.

Defence is also pleased to announce the securing of a new patent in Australia protecting its ADC platform technology based on the ability of the original Accum^® to form potent antibody-drug conjugates leading to targeted cellular accumulation of a payload. Granted on February 1, 2024, Australian patent no. 2017233725 broadly protects not only Defence's original Accum^® but also important variants thereof, which further strengthens the company's patent protection in this valuable and growing therapeutic space. This represents a significant milestone in the future development and commercialization of novel ADCs for treating and detecting many cancers, and adds to Defence's previous granted patents in the United States (US 11,352,437), Japan (JP 7,126,956), and Israel (IL 261765).

In addition, Defence's vaccine platform technology based on covalent conjugation of Accum^® and variants thereof to specific antigens, which already included US patent no. 11,291,717, now includes Canadian patent no. 3,201,103 granted on December 12, 2023, as well as Australian patent no. 2021402007 granted on March 14, 2024. Furthermore, counterpart Japanese application no. 2023-535891 was recently allowed by the Japanese Patent Office and the Japanese patent is expected to be granted imminently. These patents include claims broadly covering a method of improving polypeptide antigen immunogenicity by covalently conjugating any antigen to Accum^® or any variant thereof, and also include independent composition-of-matter claims covering potential vaccine compositions.

"We are thrilled to announce the issuance of these patents and allowances with broad claims covering our ADC and vaccine platforms, which underscore our relentless pursuit of innovation and our unwavering commitment to improving human health," says Mr. Plouffe, CEO and president of Defence.

Acceleration of examination of the remaining applications in both of Defence's vaccine platform Patent Families via the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program is currently being pursued based on these broad issued and allowed claims. The issuance of new patents in these families is therefore expected shortly.

About Defence

Defence Therapeutics is a publicly-traded clinical-stage biotechnology company working on engineering the next generation vaccines and ADC products using its proprietary platform. The core of Defence Therapeutics platform is the ACCUM^® technology, which enables precision delivery of vaccine antigens or ADCs in their intact form to target cells. As a result, increased efficacy and potency can be reached against catastrophic illness such as cancer and infectious diseases.

For further information:
Sebastien Plouffe, President, CEO and Director
P: (514) 947-2272
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www.defencetherapeutics.com

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