Molecular Templates to Present Preclinical Data on Engineered Toxin Bodies (ETB) at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting

Presentations will include a report on the development of EGFR and HER2 targeting and EMT phenotype specific ETBs

GEORGETOWN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Molecular Templates, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of a new class of small biologic therapies called Engineered Toxin Bodies (ETB), announced today that it will present preclinical data in two poster presentations at the 102^nd American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting in Orlando, FL during April 2-6, 2011. In a presentation, entitled "Engineered toxin bodies with specific activity against EGFR and HER2 expressing cells," the company will report the development of ETBs that specifically target for destruction cancer cells expressing the EGFR or HER2 receptors. ETBs work through intracellular enzymatic ribosomal shutdown that does not rely on modulation of a signaling pathway to induce an effect. Therefore they may have utility against EGFR expressing cancers that possess KRAS mutations or breast cancers where growth is not mediated by HER2 signaling. In a separate poster presentation, the company will present preclinical data highlighting the etiologically driven screening capabilities of the ETB platform to identify ETBs that have specific activity against cancer cells that have acquired mesenchymal-like phenotypes.

"We look forward to sharing these preclinical data that demonstrate the unique capabilities of our maturing ETB platform technology," said Eric Poma, president and chief executive officer of Molecular Templates. "ETBs represent a new class of targeted biologic therapies with predictable pharmacokinetics evolved from a proprietary toxin scaffold. As we advance our ETB candidates forward, we are excited about leveraging the broad utility of our technology for a variety of cancer types and settings."

The schedule for the poster presentations is as follows:

Date & Time:    Monday, Apr 04, 2011, 8:00 AM-12:00 PM (EDT)

Poster Title:   Engineered toxin bodies with specific activity against EGFR and
                HER2 expressing cells

Abstract:       1380

Location:       Exhibit Hall A4-C, Poster Section 17

Date & Time:    Monday, Apr 04, 2011, 8:00 AM-12:00 PM (EDT)

Poster Title:   Engineered toxin bodies with specific cell kill activity against
                mesenchymal cells

Abstract:       1751

Location:       Exhibit Hall A4-C, Poster Section 31

Additional details of the presentations can be found on the AACR website at http://www.aacr.org/.

About Molecular Templates

Molecular Templates is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of targeted biologic therapeutics using its novel Engineered Toxin Bodies (ETB) platform technology. For more information, visit www.moleculartemplates.com.

    Source: Molecular Templates

Released March 30, 2011