Secarna Pharmaceuticals to Present New Data and Clinical Strategy for Lead Antisense Oligonucleotide Program SECN-15 at ASCO 2025

• Data support that targeting NRP1 with antisense oligonucleotides is a promising therapeutic strategy for solid cancers where current immunotherapies show limited benefit

• SECN-15 demonstrates meaningful anti-tumor activity as well as excellent safety and tolerability profile in vivo

• Gastric cancer selected as a lead indication for planned Phase I/II clinical trial

MUNICH, DE / ACCESS Newswire / May 23, 2025 / Secarna Pharmaceuticals GmbH & Co. KG, a company redefining the discovery and development of best-in-class oligonucleotide therapeutics, will present new data on 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 Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting taking place May 30 – June 4 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

The new data being presented demonstrate that SECN-15 has a strong safety profile, with sustained systemic NRP1 downregulation, and is well tolerated in both mice and rats, supporting its potential for clinical development. In addition to these safety findings, SECN-15 demonstrates strong single agent and combination efficacy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in tumor models where ICIs have no or limited activity. This is underscored by the functional analysis of SECN-15’s mode of action, which shows that SECN-15 leads, among others, to reduction of genes associated with the epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT), a pathway linked to ICI resistance in multiple solid tumor indications.

These results position SECN-15 as a promising candidate for indications where current immunotherapies show limited benefit, such as gastric cancer, which will be a focus of the planned Phase I/II clinical trial to investigate SECN-15’s safety and efficacy as monotherapy and in combination with PD-1 blocking antibodies.

Poster presentation details:

Title: SECN-15: A novel treatment option for patients with checkpoint inhibitor-resistant tumors by targeting Neuropilin-1 with antisense oligonucleotides
Poster number: 2580
Date and Time: June 2,1:30 pm – 4:30 pm CT
Presenter: Konstantin Petropoulos, PhD, Chief Executive Officer

“We’re pleased to present preclinical data with our lead program SECN-15 at this year’s ASCO Annual Meeting,” said Konstantin Petropoulos, PhD, Chief Executive Officer at Secarna Pharmaceuticals. “The preclinical results highlight SECN-15’s strong therapeutic potential, favorable safety and tolerability, and meaningful anti-tumor activity – alone or when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors. These findings support our strategy of advancing SECN-15 into clinical development for cancers with high unmet medical need and limited response to current immunotherapies, such as gastric cancer. We are actively preparing for the first human trials to further explore this promising therapeutic strategy.”

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

Contact

Secarna Pharmaceuticals GmbH & Co. KG
Am Klopferspitz 19
82152 Planegg/Martinsried, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)89 215 46 375

Konstantin Petropoulos, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
info@secarna.com

For media inquiries contact
MC Services AG

Lydia Robinson-Garcia
Phone: + 49 (0)170 7134018
Email: secarna@mc-services.eu

SOURCE: Secarna Pharmaceuticals GmbH & Co. KG

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