•         Data will showcase SECN-15’s potential to significantly improve the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors
• Secarna is preparing for first-in-human trials to start mid-2026 to further explore this promising combination therapeutic strategy

Martinsried (Munich), Germany, March 26, 2025 - Secarna Pharmaceuticals GmbH & Co. KG, a company redefining the discovery and development of best-in-class oligonucleotide therapeutics, will present new pre-clinical data with the company’s lead program, SECN-15, a potential first-in-class antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) targeting the transmembrane protein Neuropilin 1 (NRP1), at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2025 Annual Meeting, taking place April 25 – 30 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The presented data will show the ability of SECN-15 to modulate the tumor microenvironment, highlighting SECN-15’s potential to significantly improve the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), particularly in solid tumors.

The following poster will be presented:

Title: Neuropilin-1 specific antisense oligonucleotides exhibit anti-tumor activity in vivo and significantly increase the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors

Poster number: 9

Poster Session: Overcoming Checkpoint Inhibition and Tumor Suppression, April 30, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Presenter: Richard Klar, PhD, Chief Research Officer

NRP1 is expressed on different cell types in the tumor microenvironment and exerts a variety of immunosuppressive and protumorigenic functions by interacting with multiple receptors and ligands. Overexpression of NRP1 is associated with poor prognosis in different cancers, including gastric cancer, breast cancer and glioblastoma.

"We are excited to present the latest findings from our lead oncology program SECN-15, an ASO targeting NRP1, at AACR,” said Richard Klar, PhD, Chief Research Officer at Secarna Pharmaceuticals. “The data show that SECN-15 has the potential to strongly enhance the therapeutic impact of immune checkpoint inhibitors. This innovative approach could pave the way for more effective treatment options for patients with solid tumors, including gastric cancer, where checkpoint inhibitors have shown limited efficacy.  We are preparing for first-in-human trials to further explore this promising therapeutic combination strategy."

Key findings highlight efficacy of SECN-15

Secarna has utilized its proprietary, AI-empowered oligonucleotide platform, OligoCreatorTM, to design and characterize highly active and safe NRP1-specific locked nucleic acid (LNA)-modified ASOs.

The data to be presented show that SECN-15 can robustly knock down NRP1 in relevant immune cell types, including T cells and macrophages, both in vitro and in vivo, and that this NRP1 downregulation in tumors leads to increased T cell activation and remodeling of the extracellular matrix.  

In mice treated with NRP1-specific ASOs, delayed tumor growth and complete tumor eradication were demonstrated. Additionally, these ASOs were shown to strongly enhance the efficacy of ICIs. Of particular note, mice showing complete responses in the monotherapy as well as the combination therapy setting demonstrated rapid tumor eradication upon tumor re-challenge, indicating induction of an anti-tumor memory immune response.

Based on the data being presented from translational research studies, gastric cancer, an indication where ICI monotherapy treatment has shown limited activity, has been selected as one of the lead indications in the planned Phase I/II clinical trials.

Secarna is currently in pre-IND studies with SECN-15. A Phase I/II clinical trial is planned to start in mid-2026.

About Secarna Pharmaceuticals

Secarna Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company redefining the discovery and development of best-in-class oligonucleotide therapeutics, offering hope to patients facing conditions that are beyond the reach of current approaches and modalities. With the Company’s proprietary AI-empowered OligoCreator platform, which includes multiple delivery technologies, Secarna identifies and characterizes oligonucleotide therapeutics with unparalleled speed and excellent safety and efficacy. By delivering these novel therapeutics to the cells, organs or tissues where they are needed, targeted oligonucleotide therapies have the potential to revolutionize treatments for a wide range of difficult-to-treat disorders. Secarna’s unique ‘OligoCreator’ platform is leveraged to transform untreatable conditions into treatable ones, profoundly changing the future of medicine. www.secarna.com