Be Biopharma Announces First Scientific Disclosures and New Preclinical Data Supporting the Advancement of B Cell Medicines at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy 26th Annual Meeting

Data Selected for Oral Presentation from Late-Breaking Abstract from NIH-Partnered Study Showing Engraftment without Preconditioning in Non-Human Primates

Engineered B Cells Demonstrate In Vivo Anti-Tumor Efficacy with Bi-specific T Cell Engagers

Additional Studies Demonstrate Precise Engineering and Expression of Multiple Therapeutic Proteins

Be Biopharma, Inc. (“Be Bio”), a company pioneering the discovery and development of Engineered B Cell Medicines (BeCMs), announced that it will present new data from preclinical research and collaboration programs at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) 26^th Annual Meeting taking place May 16-20, 2023, in Los Angeles, Calif.

A late-breaking abstract was selected for oral presentation from Be Bio’s collaboration study with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health in which homing and engraftment of plasma cells were observed from peripheral B cells without preconditioning in immune competent non-human primates. In a separate oral presentation, the precise engineering of B cells using Be Bio’s proprietary engineering platform will be featured. Additionally, a poster presentation will show the stable expression and continuous secretion of therapeutic proteins in vitro and in vivo. Finally, Be Bio’s scientific co-founders and collaborators from the Seattle Children’s Research Institute will present findings in which engineered B cells produced Bi-specific T cell engagers that mediated T cell activation and showed in vivo anti-tumor efficacy in a patient-derived xenograft model.

“Data from our preclinical research programs support the ability of Be Bio’s platform to unlock the power of B cells as the basis for a prolific and versatile product engine,” said Dr. Rick Morgan, Chief Scientific Officer, Be Bio. “We are inspired by the potential to transform patient lives with B cell medicines as we progress our lead candidate towards an investigational new drug application and advance our novel pipeline programs in rare disease and oncology.”

Details of the presentations are as follows:

• Abstract 575, Poster Presentation: Human Plasma Cells Engineered to Produce Bi-Specific T Cell Engagers Show In Vivo Anti-Tumor Efficacy
  
  
  
  Presenter: Tyler Hill, MSTP, Seattle Children’s Research Institute
  
  Session Date/Time/Location: Wednesday, May 17, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. PT, Exhibit Hall A

• Abstract 119, Oral Presentation: Precise CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Engineering of Primary Human B Cells Enables a New Class of Cellular Medicines Designed for Sustained Delivery of Therapeutic Biologics
  
  
  
  Presenter: Dr. Anja Hohmann, Senior Director, Cell Engineering, Be Bio
  
  Session Date/Time/Location: Thursday, May 18, 2:15 - 2:30 p.m. PT, Concourse Hall 152 & 153

• Late Breaking Abstracts 1, Oral Presentation: Rhesus Antibody Secreting Cells Differentiated Ex Vivo from B Cells Engraft without Preconditioning in an Autologous Host and Represent a Novel Modality for Cell and Gene Therapy
  
  
  
  Presenter: Dr. David Young, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health
  
  Session Date/Time/Location: Friday, May 19, 9:30 - 9:45 a.m. PT, Room 515 AB

• Abstract 1453, Poster Presentation: Development of an Ex Vivo Gene Engineered B Cell Medicine Platform with Precision, Modularity, and Broad Therapeutic Utility
  
  
  
  Presenter: Dr. Hanlan Liu, Senior Vice President, Rare & Early Pipeline Research, Be Bio
  
  Session Date/Time/Location: Friday, May 19, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. PT, Exhibit Hall A

About B Cells – A New Class of Cellular Medicines

Imagine what could “Be?” In nature, a single B cell engrafts in the bone marrow and can produce thousands of proteins per second at constant levels over decades. B cells are nature’s exquisite medicine factories, manufacturing proteins to fight disease and maintain health. Unleashing the power of B cells is driving a new class of cellular medicines – Engineered B Cell Medicines (BeCMs). BeCMs have the potential to be durable, allogeneic, redosable and administered without toxic conditioning. The promise of BeCMs could transform therapeutic biologics with broad application — across protein classes, patient populations and therapeutic areas.

About Be Biopharma

Be Biopharma (“Be Bio”) is pioneering Engineered B Cell Medicines (BeCMs) to dramatically improve the lives of patients who are living with cancer, rare diseases and other serious conditions. With eyes locked on the patient, our team of purpose-driven scientists, technologists, manufacturing experts and business builders collaborate to create a bold new class of cell therapies. Be Bio was founded in October 2020 by Longwood Fund and B cell engineering pioneers David Rawlings, M.D., and Richard James, Ph.D., from Seattle Children’s Research Institute. Be Bio is backed by ARCH Venture Partners, Atlas Venture, RA Capital Management, Alta Partners, Longwood Fund, Bristol Myers Squibb, Takeda Ventures, Seattle Children’s Research Institute and others. Since our founding, Be Bio’s investors have committed over $180 million to enable the Company to re-imagine medicine based on the power of B cell therapy. For more information, please visit us at Be.Bio and our LinkedIn page.

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