Released: Friday 19th January 2024

Nature publication demonstrates anti-cancer effects of MDX-124 in multiple tumour types

A new approach to cancer treatment

The high-impact Nature Portfolio journal Oncogene has published peer-reviewed data
highlighting the anti-cancer effects of Medannex’s first-in-class therapeutic agent, MDX-124.
The paper reports collaborative research between Chris Parris and his team at the School of Life
Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), Professor Chris Pepper (Brighton and Sussex Medical
School) and UK biotech company Medannex, which developed the novel monoclonal antibody
therapy.

MDX-124 targets annexin-A1, an immunomodulatory protein which is overexpressed in several
cancer types, and promotes tumour progression. High annexin-A1 expression levels correlate
with poorer overall survival in various cancers with considerable unmet clinical need, including
triple-negative breast, pancreatic, colorectal and prostate.
The Oncogene publication shows that MDX-124 significantly reduces cancer proliferation in a
dose-dependent manner across a panel of human cancer cell lines expressing annexin-A1. This
anti-proliferative effect is achieved by arresting cell cycle progression, with cancer cells
accumulating in the G1 phase.

Furthermore, MDX-124 is shown to significantly inhibit tumour growth in in vivo models of
triple-negative breast and pancreatic cancer, indicating that annexin-A1-targeted therapy
represents a viable and innovative approach to cancer treatment.
The Phase Ib clinical study of MDX-124 (‘ATTAINMENT’) is under way, to establish the safety andoptimum dose of the novel therapy. Its clinical efficacy will then be evaluated in newly-diagnosed cancer patients, in combination with standard-of-care treatments.

Professor Parris, Head of the School of Life Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: ‘The
recent publication in Oncogene represents a highly successful collaboration between academia
and the pharmaceutical industry. We are very proud of this high-impact publication and are
gratified that we have helped Medannex bring MDX-124 into a first-in-human clinical study. We
look forward to continuing our successful collaboration with Medannex.’

Medannex Director of Scientific Operations, Dr Fiona Dempsey, who co-authored the paper said: ‘We are delighted to publish this work with our collaborators demonstrating the anti-cancer potential of our innovative antibody therapeutic and look forward to the clinical data coming out of the ATTAINMENT study in due course.’

The Oncogene paper can be accessed here:
https://rdcu.be/dvBrc
Details of the ATTAINMENT clinical study can be accessed here:
https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN78740398

About Medannex Ltd: Medannex is a clinical-stage Scottish biopharmaceutical company headquartered
in Edinburgh. The company is pioneering the targeting of annexin-A1 to provide powerful new treatment
options for people impacted by cancers, autoimmune diseases and other conditions.
Medannex is collaborating with world-leading clinical experts to explore the significant therapeutic and
commercial potential of its patent-protected technology: https://medannex.org
About Anglia Ruskin University (ARU): ARU transforms lives through innovative, inclusive and
entrepreneurial education and research. ARU is the UK University of the Year (Times Higher Education
Awards 2023), holds a Gold award for the quality of its education, awarded through the Teaching
Excellence Framework (TEF), and has been named University of the Year at the UK Social Mobility
Awards.

ARU’s research institutes and four faculties bridge scientific, technical and creative fields, delivering
impactful research which tackles pressing issues and makes a real difference to our communities. Its
academic excellence has been recognised by the UK’s Higher Education funding bodies, with 16 of its
research areas assessed as world-leading.
With main campuses in Cambridge, Chelmsford and Peterborough, ARU is the largest provider of Nursing,
Midwifery, Health and Social Care students in the East of England, and one of the UK’s leading
universities for degree apprenticeship provision, working with hundreds of employers across the country.
Professor Chris Parris is Head of ARU’s School of Life Sciences.
About Professor Chris Pepper: Professor Pepper is RM Phillips Chair in Experimental Medicine at
Brighton and Sussex Medical School. An expert in cancer biology, he has published more than 150
research papers, as well as numerous reviews and editorials.
His research is internationally recognised, as demonstrated by sustained contributions to the world
literature in high-impact journals including the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Research, Clinical
Cancer Research, Nature Communications and Nature Genetics. In addition, he is an author of eight
global patents and the co-founder of Cardiff University spin-out company, TeloNostiX.

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Medannex Ltd enquiries – email jamesingham@medannex.org