REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bolt Biotherapeutics (Nasdaq: BOLT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel immuno-oncology therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today announced that it will present a poster with new preclinical data for BDC-3042, a Dectin-2-targeting agonistic antibody, at the upcoming American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2023. The conference is being held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. from April 14-19, 2023.

“We are excited about BDC-3042 and its novel mechanism of action targeting tumor-associated macrophages. BDC-3042 has the potential to treat many types of cancer,” said Randall Schatzman, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Bolt Biotherapeutics. “We will be presenting new data in our AACR poster demonstrating recent progress in the development of this proprietary program. We look forward to advancing BDC-3042 into the clinic this year.”

Details about the presentation can be found below and on the AACR website. Additionally, a copy of the poster will be available on the Publications page of the Bolt Biotherapeutics website following the conference.

Title: Targeting tumor-associated macrophages to enhance anti-tumor immunity with the Dectin-2 agonistic antibody BDC-3042
Poster Board Number: 11
Abstract Presentation Number: 2964
Presenter: Justin A. Kenkel, Ph.D.
Details: Monday, April 17, 2023, 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT
Location: Orange County Convention Center, Section 24

Key Findings from the Study

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are an abundant immune cell population in many solid tumors and play a key role in establishing the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment that enables tumor progression. However, TAMs have the potential to be reprogrammed into immunostimulatory cells that enhance innate and adaptive anti-tumor immunity. BDC-3042 is an agonistic antibody targeting Dectin-2, an immune-activating receptor expressed by TAMs. Given that Dectin-2 is over-expressed in many human cancers, BDC-3042 has broad applicability as an anti-cancer therapy.

• BDC-3042 exhibits strong binding to Dectin-2-expressing primary human TAMs from a range of solid tumor types.
• BDC-3042 activates primary human TAMs to produce an array of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines associated with anti-tumor immunity.
• BDC-3042 elicits activation of TAMs in mice with humanized immune systems, as evidenced by induction of key proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the tumor microenvironment.
• BDC-3042 mediates tumor growth inhibition of MDA-MB-231 tumors in humanized mice, and combination with a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor generally enhances efficacy.

About Bolt Biotherapeutics, Inc.

Bolt Biotherapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. Bolt Biotherapeutics’ pipeline candidates are built on the Company’s deep expertise in myeloid biology and cancer drug development. The Company’s pipeline includes BDC-1001, a HER2-targeting Boltbody Immune-stimulating Antibody Conjugate (ISAC), BDC-3042, a myeloid-modulating antibody, and multiple Boltbody ISAC collaboration programs. Bolt Biotherapeutics is currently progressing BDC-1001 through a Phase 1/2 dose-escalation clinical trial, as a monotherapy and in combination with Bristol Myers Squibb’s immune checkpoint inhibitor, Opdivo^® (nivolumab), in a variety of HER2-expressing solid tumors. Bolt Biotherapeutics is advancing BDC-3042, an agonist antibody targeting Dectin-2, through IND-enabling activities. In preclinical development, BDC-3042 demonstrated the ability to convert tumor-supportive macrophages to tumor-destructive macrophages. Bolt Biotherapeutics is leveraging its ability to engineer and optimize novel applications of its Boltbody ISACs to develop multiple immuno-oncology candidates through strategic collaborations with leading biopharmaceutical companies. For more information, please visit https://www.boltbio.com/

Forward-Looking Statements 

This press release contains forward-looking statements about us and our industry that involve substantial risks and uncertainties and are based on our beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to us. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding our upcoming poster presentation and the initiation of clinical trials, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “on track,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” or “would,” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements represent our current beliefs, estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release and information contained in this press release should not be relied upon as representing our estimates as of any subsequent date. These statements, and related risks, uncertainties, factors and assumptions, include, but are not limited to: the potential product candidates that we develop may not progress through clinical development or receive required regulatory approvals within expected timelines or at all; clinical trials may not confirm any safety, potency or other product characteristics described or assumed in this press release; such product candidates may not be beneficial to patients or become commercialized; and our ability to maintain our current collaborations and establish further collaborations. These risks are not exhaustive. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Further information on factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated by our forward-looking statements is included in the reports we have filed or will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. These filings, when available, are available on the investor relations section of our website at investors.boltbio.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Investor Relations and Media Contacts:
Karen L. Bergman
Vice President, Communications and Investor Relations
Bolt Biotherapeutics, Inc.
650-665-9295
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Sarah McCabe
Stern Investor Relations, Inc.
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David Melamed
Russo Partners, LLC
212-845-4225
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