10-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

Commission File Number 001-40629

CANDEL THERAPEUTICS, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (617) 916-5445

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class TradingSymbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share CADL The Nasdaq Global Market

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. YES ☐No☒

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐No☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☒ NO ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☒ NO ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☐

Non-accelerated filer ☒ Smaller reporting company ☒

Emerging growth company ☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). YES ☐ NO ☒

The aggregate market value of voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant on June 30, 2023, based on the closing price of $1.26 for shares of the registrant’s common stock as reported by the Nasdaq Global Market, was approximately $28.2 million. This calculation does not reflect a determination that certain persons are affiliates of the registrant for any other purposes.

The number of shares of registrant’s Common Stock outstanding as of March 21, 2024 was 29,347,468.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the Proxy Statement) are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Such Proxy Statement will be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year to which this report relates. Except with respect to information specifically incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K, the Proxy Statement is not deemed to be filed as part of this Form 10-K.

Table of Contents

Page

PART I

Item 1. Business 4

Item 1A. Risk Factors 42

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 96

Item 1C. Cybersecurity 96

Item 2. Properties 97

Item 3. Legal Proceedings 97

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 97

PART II

Item 6. Reserved 98

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 114

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 114

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 114

Item 9B. Other Information 115

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 115

PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 116

Item 11. Executive Compensation 116

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 116

PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 117

Signatures

Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy, product candidates, clinical development plans and expectations, prospective products, product approvals, research and development costs, timing and likelihood of success, and plans and objectives of management for future operations and results, are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are only predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and are subject to a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and assumptions described under the sections in this Annual Report on Form 10-K titled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks, including, without limitation, the following:

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the timing and the success of preclinical studies and clinical trials of CAN-2409 (international non-proprietary name: aglatimagene besadenovec) and CAN-3110 and any other product candidates;

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the initiation of any clinical trials of CAN-2409 and CAN-3110 and any other product candidates;

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our need to raise additional funding before we can expect to generate any revenues from product sales;

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our ability to conduct successful clinical trials or obtain regulatory approval for CAN-2409 and CAN-3110 or any other product candidates that we may identify or develop;

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the ability of our research to generate and advance additional product candidates;

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the effects of public health crises, outbreaks of an infectious disease or ongoing geopolitical conflicts, including mitigation efforts and economic effects, on any of the foregoing or other aspects of our business operations;

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our ability to establish an adequate safety or efficacy profile for CAN-2409, CAN-3110 or any other product candidates that we may pursue;

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our ability to manufacture CAN-2409, CAN-3110 or any other product candidate in conformity with our specifications and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) requirements and to scale up manufacturing of our product candidates to commercial scale, if approved;

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the implementation of our strategic plans for our business, any product candidates we may develop and any companion diagnostics;

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our intellectual property position, including the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our product candidates any companion diagnostics;

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the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility for any product candidates we may develop;

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estimates of our expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing;

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the period we estimate to be funded by our existing financial resources;

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our ability to establish and maintain collaborations;

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the potential benefits with the continued existence of our license agreement with Mass General Brigham (MGB);

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our financial performance;

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our ability to effectively manage our anticipated growth;

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developments relating to our competitors and our industry, including the impact of government regulation;

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our ability to retain the continued service of our key professionals and to identify, hire and retain additional qualified professionals; and

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other risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in Part I, Item 1A - Risk Factors in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified and some of which are beyond our control, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not occur, and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Moreover, new risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K will prove to be accurate. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances, or otherwise.

You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents that we reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify that all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

All references to "Candel", "we", "us", "our", or the "Company" mean Candel Therapeutics, Inc. and its subsidiary.

Summary of the Material and Other Risks Associated with Our Business

Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those described more fully in Part I, Item 1A - Risk Factors in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should carefully consider these risks and uncertainties when investing in our common stock. The principal risks and uncertainties affecting our business include the following:

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We are a biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history and we have not generated any revenue from product sales. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for at least the next several years and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

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Substantial doubt exists about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our ability to continue as a going concern requires that we obtain sufficient additional funding to finance our operations. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we would be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate some of our research, clinical trials, product development, or future commercialization efforts.

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We have incurred indebtedness, and we may incur additional indebtedness, which could adversely affect our financial condition.

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Our business is dependent on the success of CAN-2409, as well as CAN-3110 and any other product candidates that we advance into the clinic. All of our product candidates will require additional development before we may be able to seek regulatory approval for and launch a product commercially.

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Our preclinical studies and clinical trials may fail to demonstrate adequately the safety and efficacy of any of our product candidates, which would prevent or delay development, regulatory approval, and commercialization.

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Our product candidates are based on a novel approach to the treatment of cancer, which makes it difficult to predict the time and cost of product candidate development and subsequently obtaining regulatory approval, if at all.

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Even if we receive marketing approval for our current or future product candidates, our current or future product candidates may not achieve broad market acceptance, which would limit the revenue that we generate from their sales.

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The regulatory approval processes of the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities are lengthy, time consuming and inherently unpredictable. If we are not able to obtain, or experience delays in obtaining, required regulatory approvals, we will not be able to commercialize CAN-2409, CAN-3110 and future product candidates as expected, and our ability to generate revenue may be materially impaired.

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The FDA’s agreement to a Special Protocol Assessment with respect to the study design of our phase 3 clinical trial of CAN-2409 in newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer in intermediate and high-risk patients does not guarantee any particular outcome from regulatory review, including ultimate approval, and may not lead to a successful review or approval process.

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Some of our product candidates are being and may continue to be studied in third-party research and clinical trials sponsored by organizations or agencies other than us, or in investigator-sponsored clinical

trials, which means we will have minimal or no control over the conduct of such trials and which may adversely affect our ability to obtain marketing approval or certain regulatory exclusivities.

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Changes in product candidate manufacturing or formulation may result in additional costs or delay.

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Any future public health crisis, outbreaks of an infectious disease or ongoing geopolitical conflicts may have adverse effects on our business and operations.

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If the government or third-party payors fail to provide adequate coverage, reimbursement and payment rates for our product candidates, or if health maintenance organizations or long-term care facilities choose to use therapies that are less expensive or considered a better value, our revenue and prospects for profitability will be limited.

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If the manufacturers upon which we may rely fail to produce our product candidates in the volumes that we require on a timely basis, or fail to comply with stringent regulations applicable to biopharmaceutical manufacturers, we may face delays in the development and commercialization of, or be unable to meet demand for, our product candidates and may lose potential revenues.

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The transition of our manufacturing operations to a third-party contract manufacturer may result in further delays or expenses, and we may not experience the anticipated operating efficiencies.

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Our rights to develop and commercialize certain of our product candidates are subject and may in the future be subject, in part, to the terms and conditions of licenses granted to us by third parties. If we fail to comply with our obligations under our current or future intellectual property license agreements or otherwise experience disruptions to our business relationships with our current or any future licensors, we could lose intellectual property rights that are important to our business.

PART I

Item 1. Business.

Overview

We are a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing off-the-shelf viral immunotherapies that elicit an individualized, systemic anti-tumor immune response to help patients fight cancer. Our engineered viruses are designed to induce a systemic anti-tumor response due to immunogenic cell death through direct viral-mediated cytotoxicity in cancer cells, thus releasing tumor neo-antigens and creating a pro-inflammatory microenvironment at the site of injection. This is intended to lead to in-situ vaccination against the injected tumor and uninjected distant metastases. Our viral immunotherapy approach utilizes intratumoral administration of genetically engineered viruses to induce tumor cell death and elicit a systemic anti-tumor response. Local delivery enables us to achieve these effects while aiming to minimize systemic toxicity. The immune cells induced by these viral immunotherapies are believed to target patients’ specific tumor antigens, potentially improving responses in immunologically “hot” tumors while at the same time infiltrating the tumor microenvironment, transforming non-inflamed “cold” tumors with limited immune response into “hot” tumors. While our product candidates are administered directly into the tumor, we have observed systemic immune response in our preclinical studies and clinical trials that may indicate the potential of our product candidates to induce systemic immune response against distal, uninjected tumors, also known as an “abscopal” effect.

We believe viral immunotherapy is among the most promising cancer treatment modalities today. Our goal is to further improve patient outcomes through viral immunotherapies by selecting the optimal vector, specific transgenes and clinical indications for each tumor type while optimizing product candidate attributes, such as high-titer formulation, intratumoral administration to induce systemic anti-tumor immunity, and storage conditions that could potentially lower logistical barriers for patients and clinicians.

We have established two clinical off-the-shelf viral immunotherapy platforms based on novel, genetically modified adenovirus and herpes simplex virus (HSV) constructs, respectively.

Our most advanced product candidate, CAN-2409, is an off-the-shelf adenovirus product candidate which is administered in conjunction with the prodrug valacyclovir, that has generated promising clinical activity across a range of solid tumor indications. CAN-2409 is currently being studied in the following ongoing clinical trials:

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Prostate Cancer

A pivotal phase 3 randomized, triple-blinded and placebo-controlled clinical trial in the United States under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA), with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluating 711 evaluable patients with newly diagnosed, localized prostate cancer who have an intermediate or high-risk for progression. We completed enrollment of this trial in September 2021, and we expect to report topline data in the fourth quarter of 2024.

A phase 2 randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in the United States evaluating 187 patients with low-to-intermediate risk, localized prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance. We completed enrollment of this trial in May 2019, and we expect to report topline data in the fourth quarter of 2024.

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Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

An open-label phase 2 clinical trial in the United States evaluating CAN-2409 plus valacyclovir in combination with continued PD-(L)1 checkpoint inhibitors in approximately 80 patients with stage III/IV NSCLC who have inadequate response to front line PD-(L)1 checkpoint inhibitor treatments. In April 2023, we announced that the FDA granted fast track designation for CAN-2409 plus valacyclovir in combination with pembrolizumab in order to improve survival or delay progression in patients with stage III (not candidates for curative intent) or stage IV NSCLC, who are resistant to first line PD-(L)1 inhibitor therapy and who do not have activating molecular driver mutations or have progressed on directed molecular therapy. These patients historically have had an expected median overall survival (mOS) of 10-14 months (Reckamp K et al. J Clin Onc 2022;40:2295-2306). The aim of the CAN-2409 immunotherapy antitumor strategy is to raise the tail on the survival curve by increasing the number of long survivors beyond 10-14 months.

In 2022, we presented data from this phase 2 clinical trial where patients who received two administrations of CAN-2409 plus prodrug and completed the 12-week treatment window that demonstrated: 1) increased infiltration of CD8+ cytotoxic tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment, systemic expansion of effector T cells and increased soluble granzyme B levels in

peripheral blood, 2) favorable changes in the trajectory of tumor progression, 3) decreased tumor size of target lesions in most patients, and 4) reduced size of uninjected tumor lesions (Aggarwal C et al. Abstract #9037 ASCO June 2022 and Aggarwal C et al. Candel Virtual R&D Day, December 2022). These data were further supported in an update released September 2023, based on a data cutoff of August 1, 2023:

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40 patients across Cohort 1 (stable disease at enrollment; n=5) and Cohort 2 (progressive disease at enrollment; n=35) were evaluable, as they received two courses of CAN-2409 plus valacyclovir and completed the 12-week treatment window.

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While overall survival was not yet mature, we observed an encouraging number of long survivors. We believe that CAN-2409 may induce a new state of functional immunosurveillance and durable disease control in a subset of the patients.

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Of the 40 evaluable patients, 15 patients had lived ≥ 12 months; of these, 10 patients had lived > 18 months, of whom 70% (7/10) were alive as of last follow up. All 4 patients (100%) with overall survival > 24 months were alive at last follow up, with the longest reaching 31.7 months.

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An additional 18 out of the 40 evaluable patients were also alive but had not yet reached 12 months of follow up.

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Notably, many patients treated with CAN-2409 had long survival (≥ 12 months) despite having disease features generally associated with advanced disease and reduced likelihood to benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, such as low or negative PD-(L)1 expression, including:

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Amongst patients alive ≥ 12 months with known PD-(L)1 status (14/15), 93% had negative or low PD-(L)1 score (<1 or between 1-49).

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Advanced disease with stage IV in 73% (11/15), lymph node involvement in 73% (11/15), pleural effusion in 40% (6/15), bone metastases in 27% (4/15), adrenal metastases in 20% (3/15), brain metastases in 13% (2/15), liver metastases in 7% (1/15), involvement of 3 or more organs in 13% (2/15), and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 1 in 40% (6/15).

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There was a significant increase observed in activated central memory, effector-memory, effector T cells, and natural killer (NK) cells after CAN-2409 treatment. These include CD8+Ki67+IFNg+ T cells, CD8+ granzyme B+Ki67+ T cells, CD56+CD16+granzyme B+ NK cells, and gd+ T cells. We also observed an increase in memory B cells after CAN-2409 treatment

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We observed an increase in effector/cytotoxic T cells and NK cells in peripheral blood after the second CAN-2409 administration associated with subsequent improved survival (≥ 12 months).

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We continued to observe a favorable safety/tolerability profile after CAN-2409 treatment in NSCLC. There were no dose limiting toxicities or grade 4 or greater treatment related adverse events. Grade 3 treatment related adverse events were reported in < 10% of patients receiving at least one dose of CAN-2409 (safety population), which we believe compares favorably to current standard of care (SoC) options.

Candel expects to share topline overall survival data for Cohort 2 in the second quarter of 2024, assuming data are mature at that time.

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Pancreatic Cancer

Wehave initiated a randomized phase 2 clinical trial in the United States evaluating CAN-2409 in borderline resectable and locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. In December 2023, we announced that the FDA granted fast track designation for CAN-2409 plus valacyclovir for the treatment of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) to improve overall survival. In

March 2023, in connection with our cost management and dynamic portfolio management initiatives, we elected to pause new enrollment in this randomized phase 2 clinical trial, subject to additional funding. Despite the pause in new patient enrollment, we presented initial positive interim overall survival and immunological biomarker clinical data at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting in the fourth quarter of 2023.

In a previous phase 1b trial, a statistically significant increase in the number of CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes was observed. Initial positive phase 2 data revealed notable improvements in patients with borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenorcarcinoma (PDAC) following CAN-2409 plus prodrug together with SoC chemoradiation; the following data were disclosed as of the August 21, 2023 data cutoff

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Clinical data highlights:

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Prolonged and sustained survival was observed after experimental treatment with CAN-2409 in patients with borderline resectable PDAC.

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An estimated survival rate of 71.4% at both 24 and 36 months was observed in patients who received CAN-2409 regimen together with SoC chemoradiation prior to surgery, versus only 16.7% estimated survival at 24 and 36 months with SoC chemoradiation prior to surgery

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Importantly, 5 out of 7 patients who received CAN-2409 were still alive at the time of data cutoff, with two patients surviving more than 45 months from enrollment. Only one patient randomized to control SoC chemotherapy remained alive at data cutoff (alive at 43 months).

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mOS has not been reached yet in patients who received CAN-2409 because most of the patients in the CAN-2409 group were still alive at data cut-off; mOS was 12.5 months in the control arm.

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Disease course was altered after salvage chemotherapy with improved CA19-9 levels and ongoing survival in CAN-2409 arm, but not in control arm.

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Biomarker data analysis demonstrated:

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Consistent and robust activation of immune response after dosing with CAN-2409.

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In pancreatic tissue of patients treated with CAN-2409 plus prodrug together with SoC (but not SoC alone), dense aggregates of CD8+ granzyme B positive cytotoxic T cells, dendritic cells, and B cells were observed in the tumor microenvironment.

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Increased levels of soluble granzymes B and H as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IFN-γ, were observed in peripheral blood after CAN-2409 treatment, but not with control treatment.

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Safety analysis:

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CAN-2409 was associated with a favorable tolerability profile.

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Addition of CAN-2409 regimen to SoC was generally well tolerated, with no reported dose-limiting toxicities, including no cases of pancreatitis.

Our lead HSV-based product candidate, CAN-3110, is currently in an ongoing investigator-sponsored phase 1 clinical trial in our initial target indication of recurrent high-grade glioma (HGG). In February 2024, we announced that the FDA granted fast track designation for CAN-3110 for the treatment of patients with recurrent HGG to improve overall survival. These patients have failed SoC treatment and have a poor prognosis (expected overall survival < 6-9 months). Initial overall survival data from this clinical trial was presented in an oral presentation at the ASCO Annual Meeting in June 2021, and additional biomarker data was reported in an oral presentation at the Society for Neuro-Oncology Annual Meeting in November 2021. During our Research and Development Day in December 2022, we presented updated

data demonstrating that CAN-3110 was well tolerated with no observed dose-limiting toxicity; achieved 11.6 months mOS with a single dose; and showed evidence of persistent herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) antigen and HSV-1 replication consistent with mechanism of action as well as robust evidence of immune activation. In May 2023, we presented clinical and biomarker data from this ongoing clinical trial in an oral presentation at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting where we reported mOS in arm A (n=41) ongoing at 11.8 months and mOS in arm B (n=9) ongoing at 12.0 months as of the April 20, 2023 data cutoff. Safety and tolerability data reported no dose-limiting toxicities in both arm A and arm B.

In October 2023, we jointly published an article in Nature that reported extended survival associated with immune activation in patients with recurrent HGG treated with CAN-3110. Notably, new data reported an increased survival in 66% of patients with positivity for anti-HSV1 antibodies (mOS of 14.2 months). Immune status was positively associated with survival both in patients with pre-existing HSV1 antibodies (pre-treatment) and in 33% of patients that, while negative at baseline, developed anti-HSV1 antibodies after a single injection of CAN-3110. Clinical responses were observed in both injected and uninjected lesions in patients with multifocal disease. Significant tumor responses in both arm A and arm B were observed, with continued reduction in tumor volume in a patient in arm B approximately one year after CAN-3110 treatment. Clinical response for this patient, in follow-up as of data cutoff, continued without additional treatment. Analysis of post-treatment samples demonstrated evidence of persistent HSV antigen expression and replication in both injected and uninjected tumor tissue associated with CD8+ T cell infiltration. The extent of immune activation, measured by gene profiling and quantification of immune cells in post-treatment specimens, was associated with the presence of anti-HSV1 antibodies and survival. Survival was also associated with the diversity of the T cell repertoire in circulating T cells, suggesting that patients treated with CAN-3110 were able to mount a diverse immune response against the virus and tumor antigens released during the oncolytic process had improved survival.

We are conducting an extension of the clinical trial known as arm C, in which patients with recurrent HGG will receive a repeat dosing regimen of CAN-3110 (up to six injections over four months). Clinical data from arm C will help evaluate whether multiple injections can increase mOS. This clinical trial extension is supported by the Break Through Cancer foundation.

We are also designing other novel viral immunotherapy candidates using our proprietary enLIGHTENTM Discovery Platform, a systematic, iterative HSV-based discovery platform leveraging human biology and advanced analytics to create new viral immunotherapy candidates for solid tumors. In October 2022, we entered into a collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Center for Cellular Immunotherapies to study the impact of novel viral immunotherapy candidates based on our enLIGHTENTM Discovery Platform to strengthen the activity of UPenn’s investigational CAR-T cell therapies in difficult to treat solid tumors.

In November 2023, during the SITC 2023 Annual Meeting, we presented two posters describing the key elements of the platform and the development of the first experimental agent from the enLIGHTEN Discovery Platform. The new agent, Alpha-201 Macro1, is an investigational viral immunotherapy designed to interfere with the CD47/SIRPα pathway and activate innate immune surveillance. Results demonstrated monotherapy activity following local administration in a preclinical model of lung and breast cancer. Additional preclinical data presented at SITC confirmed the capability of the enLIGHTENTM Advanced Analytics suite to predict optimal gene payload combinations to arm viral vectors, that enable the design of potential combination therapeutics to overcome tumor resistance especially in cancers resistant to ICI treatment.

In March 2024, we announced the acceptance of an abstract at the American Association for Cancer Research's (AACR) 2024 Annual Meeting related to the second candidate from our enLIGHTENTM Discovery Platform, a first-in-class multimodal immunotherapy for induction of tertiary lymphoid structures as a novel therapeutic strategy for solid tumors.

We currently own development and commercialization rights for our programs in major markets, including the United States, Europe and Asia, allowing us to control development and seek approval in those areas as we prepare our commercialization efforts.

We were incorporated in Delaware in June 2003 as Advantagene, Inc. (Advantagene). In December 2019, Advantagene licensed substantially all the assets of Periphagen, a company focused on engineering HSV as a gene therapy vector, and in September 2020, licensed CAN-3110 from Mass General Brigham (MGB). In December 2020, we formally changed our name from Advantagene to Candel Therapeutics, Inc. We completed our initial public offering in July 2021.

Our Strategy

Our goal is to develop first-in class and best-in-class viral immunotherapies to transform the lives of cancer patients. We plan to develop and commercialize our two most advanced product candidates, CAN-2409 and CAN-3110, for the

treatment of a broad range of solid tumor indications, while continuing to build our pipeline through our discovery platform. Key elements of our strategy include the following:

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Advance the late-stage development of, and seek regulatory approval for, our product candidate, CAN-2409, in newly diagnosed, localized prostate cancer. We are currently conducting a potentially registrational phase 3 clinical trial in intermediate- and high-risk patients in combination with the SoC, radiotherapy. If approved, we believe CAN-2409 could be a first-in-class drug for localized prostate cancer patients with the potential to significantly increase percentage of patients that achieve disease-free survival or reduce disease progression and recurrence.

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Advance the clinical development of CAN-3110 from our HSV platform with tumor-specific enhanced replication potency. An investigator-sponsored phase 1b clinical trial is ongoing in recurrent HGG. This trial is evaluating the activity of CAN-3110 in therapy-resistant disease, where we believe a replicating virus may present therapeutic advantages. Our aim is to improve mOS compared to optimal SoC.

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Advancethe development of CAN-2409 in stage III/IV NSCLC patients with inadequate responses to SoC immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). A phase 2 clinical trial that evaluates CAN-2409 in combination with ICI is currently underway in NSCLC. Our aim is to improve mOS compared to optimal SoC (12-14 months).

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Advancethe development of CAN-2409 in patients with newly diagnosed, localized prostate cancer. A phase 2 trial that evaluates CAN-2409 as a monotherapy is currently underway in low to moderate risk patients who are under active surveillance. Our aim is to improve progression-free survival compared to the active surveillance approach.

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Advance the development of CAN-2409 in pancreatic cancer. We have initiated a randomized phase 2 clinical trial in patients with borderline resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma. However, in March 2023, in connection with our cost management and dynamic portfolio management initiatives, we elected to pause new enrollment in this randomized phase 2 clinical trial, subject to additional funding, while we continue to follow the patients who participated in the clinical trial. Our aim is to improve mOS compared to SoC.

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Advance the development and initiate IND-enabling work of CAN-3110 in a second indication characterized by Nestin expression. We intend to discuss a new clinical trial designed to explore safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy in a new indication characterized by Nestin expression (such as breast cancer or melanoma) with the FDA.

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Leverage our HSV viral immunotherapy platform to develop additional HSV-based product candidates. Our new enLIGHTENTM Discovery Platform enables rapid vector engineering to generate a range of new candidates in a data driven and indication specific manner. We utilize a key attribute of HSV, a high capacity for genetic cargo, to enable targeted modifications and deploy indication specific genes to the tumor microenvironment. Our platform is designed to generate both replication-defective and replication-competent agents depending on the demands of a particular application.

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Establish strategic partnerships to maximize the value of our current and future product candidates. In order to advance treatment options for a large number of patients, we may partner with other companies with complementary resources to maximize the value of our current and future product candidates. Such partnerships may allow us to pair CAN-2409, CAN-3110 and our future product candidates with other novel agents owned by strategic partners. Partnerships may also help realize the full potential of our product candidates in markets where we are unlikely to pursue development or commercialization on our own. We intend to maintain significant economic interest in our product candidates and selectively consider partnership opportunities.

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Ensure commercial-scale manufacturing of our product candidates. We will rely on third party contract manufacturers for commercial-scale manufacturing of both product candidates, CAN-2409 and CAN-3110. We expect that our cost-of-goods will be substantially lower than cell- and antibody-based therapies because of our high-yield manufacturing process.

Our Approach

Conventional cancer therapies (chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery) often do not eradicate 100% of the tumor cells, which often leads to tumor progression or recurrence. Deep and durable responses, therefore, are still elusive for many cancer patients. Traditionally, surgery and/or radiotherapy are used for local tumor debulking, whereas chemotherapeutic agents target systemic eradication of tumor cells. These treatment modalities, however, are often limited by toxicity.

Immunotherapy is a relatively new treatment modality that has expanded the anti-cancer treatment paradigm. FDA-approved immunotherapies include cytokines, cell therapies and antibodies, including ICIs. Much focus has been placed on harnessing the effector T cell arm of the immune system for tumor specific immunity. Adoptive T cell therapy

has shown positive results but with limited activity in solid tumors, and is not scalable for widespread use. Vaccine approaches range in complexity from peptide antigens to autologous or allogeneic tumor cell products. The advantage of the single antigen approaches is that they can be easily manufactured and produced, however, they have the fundamental disadvantage of being potentially irrelevant for a patient’s specific tumor or immune system or easily bypassed by resistant clones. Cellular vaccines are not easily scalable and allogeneic vaccines may not bear the relevant antigens expressed by a patient’s tumor. ICIs such as anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 antibodies, have transformed the treatment paradigm for different cancer indications. However, only approximately 15% to 40% of overall patients respond to such treatment.

We are focused on the development of viral immunotherapy approaches, which are based on an extensive history of research. Originally, the mechanism of action of those agents was believed to be based only on the ability of the virus to induce cancer cell lysis and to resolve tumors. Later, it was demonstrated that viral immunotherapy may induce immunogenic cell death. This effect may be enhanced by the pro-inflammatory effects of the viral capsid proteins. With the dramatic emergence of ICIs and immunotherapy as a core treatment modality, the importance of the immunostimulatory aspect of viral-mediated approaches became more widely evident. The currently understood generalized mechanism of action of viral immunotherapies is unique in combining both an anti-tumor cytotoxic component and an immune-stimulatory component. Together, these modalities lead to an “in-situ vaccination” effect against the injected tumor followed by an effect on uninjected distant metastases.

Pairing this therapeutic approach with ICI treatment or with radiotherapy is based on a strong mechanistic rationale and has shown promise in experimental models of cancer. It has been observed that tumors that are least responsive to ICI are commonly characterized by low levels of lymphocytic infiltration and low or no PD-L1 expression levels; they are referred to as “cold” tumors. One of our areas of focus is the conversion of immunologically suppressed “cold” tumors into immunologically active “hot” tumors, thereby increasing their responsiveness to ICI or other therapies, such as radiotherapy.

The Mechanism of Action of Viral Immunotherapy:

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Direct anti-tumor cytotoxic activity.Tumor-specific viral-mediated oncolysis is achieved by both precise delivery of the engineered virus to the tumor as well as the virus’ ability to selectively replicate within a cancer cell. Various approaches have been applied in different programs to increase the specificity and potency of viral toxicity aimed at tumor cells, including genetic modifications and use of prodrugs.

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Broad stimulation of anti-tumor immunity.The immunogenic cell death driven by oncolysis results in a potent local and systemic immune stimulation with the increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines and adhesion molecules. This, in turn, promotes the activation of both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system in the presence of highly immunogenic viral components. This broad response commonly includes recruitment and activation of antigen-presenting cells and effector immune cells to the site of the tumor.

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Priming of the immune system against tumor antigens. The lysis of cancer cells leads to the exposure of tumor-specific antigens. This early effect, combined with intratumoral immune cell infiltration and activation, leads to antigen presentation and initiation of a local adaptive immune response targeted against a set of tumor antigens expressed by the patient’s cancer cells.

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Development of a systemic immune memory response. Viral immunotherapy induces the development of a long-lasting systemic immune surveillance against the antigens associated with the injected tumor, and consequently, tumor antigens expressed at metastatic sites. This leads to a cytotoxic immune response against the distant tumor cells, also known as an abscopal effect.

Desirable Clinical Properties. Viral immunotherapy has attributes that are important for cancer therapeutics. The agents are off-the-shelf and they have been shown to stimulate local and systemic immune responses in most patients, leading to an individualized anti-tumor immune response. In contrast, individualized cellular immunotherapies require specific manufacturing processes for each individual patient. The first viral immunotherapy was approved by the FDA in 2015, providing support that additional agents in this class may have similar potential. Furthermore, safety data shown in several clinical trials of various immunotherapies supports the ability to combine viral immunotherapy with other agents due to the potential for fewer overlapping side effects.

Our Immunotherapy Platforms. Our two clinical platforms, one based on adenovirus and the other based on HSV, provide different and complementary sets of attributes, which allows us to utilize the product candidate that is best suited for a particular clinical application.

Key attributes across our viral immunotherapy platforms include:

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Targeting a Wide Range of Cell Types. Product candidates from both the HSV and adenoviral platforms can transduce a diverse range of cell types, which we believe will allow us to address many different forms of cancer.

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Off-the-Shelf Product. A standardized product intended to be available as needed via prescription supports straightforward clinical administration, simplified manufacturing and supply chain management.

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Intratumoral Route of Administration. Both of our product candidates are administered by direct injection into the tumor site, and have been shown to result in a systemic immune response. This approach aims to maximize immune stimulation and minimize systemic toxicity, factors that are believed to be suboptimal with intravenous administration. We believe that directly injecting these viral immunotherapies into a patient’s cancerous tissue helps to optimize the benefit/risk for these agents to be highly immunostimulatory at the site of the tumor, whereas systemically administered agents would need to avoid detection by the body’s immune surveillance mechanisms to avoid rapid destruction before getting to the target tumor. While our product candidates are administered directly into the tumor, we have observed a systemic anti-tumor immune response in our preclinical studies and clinical trials, resulting in improvement of both injected and uninjected tumors, also known as an “abscopal” effect. For the indications that we selected, intratumoral administration is a straightforward procedure that is aligned with clinical practice, leveraging SoC medical procedures, such as intra-prostate injection or delivery during diagnostic (bronchoscopy) or therapeutic (neurosurgery) procedures.

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Cost-efficient Manufacturing. Both product candidates are relatively inexpensive to manufacture, particularly when compared to other biologic or cellular therapy treatments.

Key attributes of our Adenoviral platform include:

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Targeting a Wide Range of Cell Types. Adenoviruses can efficiently transduce cells from different lineages. This allows us to apply this platform to many different tumor types.

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Immunogenic Virus Particle. The adenoviral virus particles are strong simulators of the innate immune system, a property that contributes to immune activation at the site of administration.

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High-Titer Formulation. Adenovirus can be formulated at high titers, facilitating the administration of low volume doses sufficiently potent to induce strong activity.

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Product Stability. The formulation deployed in clinical trials has stability at refrigerator temperatures (4°C), supporting use at less specialized and therefore widely accessible sites such as community-based private clinics.

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Non-Replicating Design. Engineering the adenovirus to remove replication ability reduces the potential for viral shedding, something which is particularly important in clinical applications such as prostate cancer. There is no need for in vivo amplification as the virus is highly immunogenic and can be administered at high titers.

Key attributes of our CAN-3110 platform include:

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Capacity for selective replication in the tumor. There is a strong rationale for use of a replication-competent virus that is designed to provide potent oncolysis and viral amplification in tumors characterized by high volume or located in less anatomically accessible areas, such as recurrent HGG. We have engineered CAN-3110 to selectively replicate only within tumors. This tumor specific replication ability of CAN-3110 is regulated by the expression of ICP34.5, a gene encoding for a protein that permits viral replication even in the presence of the interferon response that is normally able to quell viral infection. In the CAN-3110 construct, ICP34.5 expression is driven by the expression of Nestin, a protein largely expressed in certain tumors, like gliomas, but not in healthy brain tissue, thereby enabling replication specifically in the context of brain tumors. We believe our HSV-based platform will allow us to implement additional genetic modifications to leverage the use of CAN-3110 in recurrent HGG and in other tumor types expressing Nestin.

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Oncolytic activity combined with immunostimulatory properties. CAN-3110 is designed to persist and replicate at the site of the tumor. Viral replication is accompanied by tumor oncolysis, with release of tumor antigens in the microenvironment and activation of a local systemic immune response.

Key attributes of the enLIGHTENTM Discovery Platform include:

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Strong focus on human biology, including deep phenotyping of human tumors, to increase probability of success

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Data driven selection of the payload. The use of advanced analytics on proprietary and publicly available datasets enables us to select what we believe is the best payload for combinatory strategy in a specific

indication, rationalizing our payload selection, de-risking development and maximizing our probability of success.

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Use of HSV based on its high capacity for genetic cargos. Our HSV-based platform allows the introduction of large genetic cargos, such as multiple immunomodulatory genes that may further enhance the anti-tumor immune response.

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Amenable to engineered modifications. Our knowledge of virus biology allows us to make modifications, such as those already present in CAN-3110 to target certain tumor types. Leveraging these modifications, we can select the best viral vector to deliver the selected payload in a specific indication.

Our Pipeline

We have an advanced pipeline of late-stage and early-stage clinical trials with our two most advanced product candidates, CAN-2409 and CAN-3110.

CAN-2409, formerly known as gene mediated cytotoxic immunotherapy (GMCI), is our most advanced product candidate. It is a replication defective adenovirus that has been genetically modified to express the gene encoding the HSV-thymidine kinase enzyme. This enzyme activates the prodrug, valacyclovir, a widely available, generally well-tolerated antiviral at the site of the tumor, generating a powerful patient-specific anti-tumor immune response. We believe there are three key aspects of the mechanism of action. First, the direct, cellular killing activity is based on the transformation of valacyclovir into a toxic nucleotide analogue that disrupts DNA synthesis and repair. This phenomenon occurs preferentially in actively dividing cancer cells, thereby providing tumor specificity. This DNA repair inhibition is also hypothesized to be the mechanistic explanation behind the encouraging pre-clinical and clinical activity of CAN-2409 in combination with radiotherapy, a treatment known to cause DNA breaks requiring repair for continued cellular survival. Second, adenoviral capsid proteins themselves also directly trigger an immuno-inflammatory response through the establishment of a proinflammatory tumor microenvironment, resulting in the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and adhesion molecules that contribute to the optimal conditions to immunize against the tumor antigens that are released in the tumor microenvironment as a direct result of the formed toxic nucleotide analogues. Together, this results in the recruitment, activation and proliferation of anti-tumor effector cells, in particular CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. Consequently, the localized death of tumor cells releases numerous antigens that can be recognized by the patient’s own immune system, thereby training the immune system to recognize, target and destroy cancer cells bearing the same antigens that have spread to other sites in the body.

To date, CAN-2409 has been administered to over 1000 patients with cancer, many of whom are in ongoing, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials. In total, we have conducted more than 10 clinical trials with CAN-2409 in a range of solid tumor indications. We have seen encouraging clinical activity and a favorable tolerability profile with CAN-2409 in both monotherapy and combination settings with radiotherapy, ICI therapy, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), chemotherapy and surgery. Based on the totality of our clinical data generated to date, we are currently pursuing indications in lung, pancreatic, and prostate cancer, which we believe all have great potential to address the unmet need.

We are conducting a phase 3 clinical trial of CAN-2409 under agreement with the FDA through the SPA process in newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer in intermediate- and certain high-risk patients in combination with the SoC that comprises radiotherapy and optional ADT. Our SPA provides FDA concurrence that our key endpoints and specific critical elements of our trial design are adequate to support a future marketing application if, among other things, we achieve the primary endpoint in the trial. The clinical trial is randomized, triple-blinded and placebo-controlled. It targeted enrollment of approximately 700 patients and was fully enrolled with 711 patients in September 2021, with topline data anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2024. We have also received fast track designation by the FDA for the development of CAN-2409 for the treatment of localized, primary prostate cancer in combination with radiotherapy to improve the local control rate, decrease recurrence and improve disease-free survival. We expect that if the trial is successful and if we obtain FDA approval, CAN-2409 could be the first new FDA approved pharmacologic treatment available in over 30 years as a first-line therapeutic for the over 100,000 patients who are newly diagnosed with localized prostate cancer each year in the United States.

We have also completed enrollment for a phase 2 clinical trial of CAN-2409 as monotherapy in newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients under active surveillance. This trial has recruited 187 patients with low-, intermediate- and certain high-risk localized prostate cancer. We expect to announce topline data in the fourth quarter of 2024. We believe that this trial, if successful, could position CAN-2409 as a first-line monotherapy treatment for patients with low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer, thereby meaningfully expanding the addressable patient population.

In NSCLC, we have observed monotherapy activity of CAN-2409 in a phase 1 biomarker focused, window of opportunity clinical trial. In 2020, we initiated a phase 2 clinical trial evaluating CAN-2409 in combination with PD-(L)1 checkpoint inhibitors for patients with inadequate response to PD-(L)1 ICI. This open-label clinical trial was originally amended to target enrollment of approximately 80 patients with stage III/IV NSCLC in two separate cohorts. The cohorts are defined based on response to ICI at the time of enrollment. Cohort 1 addresses patients with stable disease at enrollment. Cohort 2 enrolls patients with progressive disease after at least 18 weeks of ICI treatment. Patients will continue treatment with their initial checkpoint inhibitor and CAN-2409 will be added to their regimen. The primary efficacy endpoints for this trial are tumor response as measured by RECIST criteria including overall response rate (ORR) and/or disease control rate (DCR). We reported initial data from this trial at the ASCO Annual Meeting in June 2022 and during our Research and Development Day in December 2022. These data were further supported in an update announced in September 2023, based on a data cutoff of August 1, 2023. In this September 2023 announcement, we presented updated data which showed evidence of local and systemic anti-tumor activity; a DCR of 77% (20/26) in patients entering the trial with disease progression (cohort 2); sustained and ongoing clinical responses greater than 1 year; favorable change in the trajectory of tumor progression; decreased tumor size of RECIST target lesions in most patients; reduced uninjected tumor size in 14/21 patients (67%); an overall response rate of 13% (4/30) across cohorts 1 and 2; durable disease stabilization translating into encouraging preliminary evidence of progression-free survival; consistent induction of local and systemic cytotoxic T cell response; increased infiltration of CD8+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment; systemic expansion of effector T cells and increase in soluble granzyme B levels in the peripheral blood; and a favorable safety/tolerability data with most treatment-related adverse events being grade 1/2. In December 2023, the recruitment of this study was paused as we completed target enrollment for cohort 2. We received FDA fast track designation for CAN-2409 plus valacyclovir in combination with pembrolizumab in order to improve survival or delay progression in patients with stage III/stage IV in NSCLC who are resistant to first line PD-(L)1 inhibitor therapy and who do not have activating molecular driver mutations or have progressed on directed molecular therapy in April 2023. We anticipate presenting topline overall survival data in the second quarter of 2024.

In a previous phase 1b trial, patients with pancreatic cancer treated with CAN-2409 in addition to SoC demonstrated a greater survival duration over the expected survival of the patients treated with the existing SoC alone in a comparison to historical trial results. Furthermore, in the group of patients where pre- and post-treatment tumor biopsies were available, a statistically significant increase in the number of CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes was observed. We have initiated a randomized phase 2 clinical trial evaluating CAN-2409 in borderline-resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma. In March 2023, in connection with our cost management and dynamic portfolio management initiatives, we elected to pause new enrollment in this randomized phase 2 clinical trial, subject to additional funding. Despite the pause in patient enrollment, we presented initial clinical data in the fourth quarter of 2023.The initial data showed prolonged and sustained survival in patients treated with CAN-2409 but not in the control arm, We observed a separation of the survival curves with an estimated survival rate of 71% in the treatment arm, compared to 16.7% in the control arm at both 24 and 36 months after treatment. We received FDA fast track designation for CAN-2409 plus prodrug (valacyclovir) for the treatment of patients with PDAC to improve overall survival in December 2023. We expect to present an update of the survival data in the second quarter of 2024.

Our second viral immunotherapy platform is based on a novel, next generation, genetically modified HSV that induces tumor specific oncolysis. The HSV-based platform enables generation of both replication-competent and replication-defective viral product candidates as well as capacity to clone, in the vector, up to five transgenes that will allow us to optimize our virus profile for different tumor settings. CAN-3110, our first HSV-based product candidate, has been engineered for enhanced specificity and tumor cell killing, while minimizing toxicity on healthy tissue. CAN-3110 was

formerly known as rQNestin34.5v.2. An investigator-sponsored phase 1b clinical trial is ongoing with CAN-3110 in our initial target indication of recurrent HGG and we reported additional biomarker results in November 2021. During our Research and Development Day in December 2022, we presented updated data demonstrating that the treatment was well tolerated, with no observed dose-limiting toxicity. This was further supported during an oral presentation at the ASGCT Annual Meeting in May of 2023, where we reported mOS of 11.8 months in arm A and 12.0 months in arm B with a single dose, based on a data cutoff date of April 20, 2023. Additionally, the data showed evidence of immune activation and persistent HSV-1 antigen and HSV-1 replication consistent with the mechanism of action. Clinical and biomarker data for the first 41 patients treated with a single injection of CAN-3110 were published in Nature in October 2023. The FDA has granted fast track designation to CAN-3110 for the treatment of patients with recurrent HGG to improve overall survival in February 2024. We are currently evaluating the effects of multiple doses of CAN-3110 in recurrent HGG supported by the Break Through Cancer foundation.

Based on the molecular targeting of CAN-3110, we believe that it could be evaluated in an expanded range of indications in the future, such as other neurologic tumors, melanoma, sarcoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, thyroid tumors, and breast cancer.

In addition, we are pursuing novel discovery programs based on our enLIGHTENTM Discovery Platform. In November 2023, during the SITC 2023 Annual Meeting, we presented two posters describing the key elements of the platform and the development of the first experimental agent from the enLIGHTENTM Discovery Platform. This first agent, Alpha-201 Macro1, is an investigational viral immunotherapy designed to interfere with the CD47/SIRPα pathway and activate innate immune surveillance. Results demonstrated monotherapy activity following local administration in a preclinical model of lung cancer. Additional preclinical data presented at SITC confirmed the capability of the enLIGHTENTM Advanced Analytics suite to predict optimal gene payload combinations to arm viral vectors, that enable the design of potential combination therapeutics to overcome tumor resistance especially in cancers resistant to ICI treatment.

In March 2024, we announced the acceptance of an abstract at AACR 2024 Annual Meeting related to the second candidate from our enLIGHTENTM Discovery Platform, a first-in-class multimodal immunotherapy for induction of tertiary lymphoid structures as a novel therapeutic strategy for solid tumors.

Market Opportunity

The four indications where we have the most advanced clinical trials are localized prostate cancer, NSCLC, pancreatic cancer, and recurrent HGG. These types of cancer present substantial market opportunities and are also enabling indications for future expansion into other solid tumors.

Localized Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men in the United States, representing a high level of medical burden and unmet need. The prostate cancer therapy market is estimated to grow to over $16.1 billion by 2026. Approximately 200,000 men in the United States are diagnosed with prostate cancer annually, with more than 30,000 deaths each year. Although most deaths occur in patients with later stage metastatic disease, most prostate cancer patients roughly 150,000 annually in the United States are initially diagnosed in the early stage of disease, of which roughly 105,000 are considered to have intermediate- or high-risk of progression and approximately 45,000 are considered to be low-risk.

For the intermediate- and high-risk patients, the SoC is radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy often in conjunction with androgen deprivation therapy or chemical castration. These treatments have a high incidence of potentially life altering side effects, including incontinence and erectile dysfunction. There is therefore a significant unmet need for a novel treatment able to forestall or prevent progression to later stages of disease without the burdensome side effects associated with the current SoC. Weighing the balance between therapeutic efficacy and side effects linked to therapy, about 10% of the intermediate-risk patients, and approximately 40% of the low-risk patients decide, in consultation with their physicians, to adopt a close monitoring approach known as active surveillance that involves periodic imaging, biomarker evaluation and biopsies. SoC in this early, localized setting, leaves substantial need unaddressed.

As a result of PSA screening programs, most patients are diagnosed at early stages of disease with low grade, low volume, asymptomatic prostate cancer. Current screening methods are inadequate to definitively identify which patients are most likely to progress. As a result of the side effects and complications from currently available treatments, there is a large desire to delay or prevent the need for radical treatment. As a result, many men with prostate cancer meeting the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for low-risk prostate cancer choose not to be treated and to undergo an intense monitoring program, known as Active Surveillance (AS), as their preferred initial course of treatment. However, within 10 years of diagnosis, between 21% and 38% of men will have developed progressive cancer and require invasive treatments. It has been reported that 21% and 41% of patients initially under AS convert to active treatment based on progression of their disease within two and five years, and approximately 17% of men undergoing AS choose to move to active treatments within 10 years of diagnosis in the absence of any evidence of

progression, underscoring the level of anxiety that patients experience when they carry a diagnosis of untreated prostate cancer and the significant unmet need in this early line of treatment.

To our knowledge, the only FDA-approved pharmacologic intervention indicated for newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer is chemical castration therapy, also known as ADT. SoC for localized disease is primarily surgery, radiotherapy and/or ADT. Because ADT has a potentially severe side effect profile, including impotence, hot flashes, mood changes, depression, impact on quality of life, and others, these hormone treatments are reserved only for those patients that present the highest risk of localized or metastatic prostate cancer. Similarly, surgical prostatectomy can often cause urinary dysfunction and sexual dysfunction that can last years and sometimes be permanent. Approximately one-third of men with normal baseline function will report an increase in urinary symptoms and urgency after prostatectomy and most men will experience erectile dysfunction after treatment with either surgery or radiation.

We believe CAN-2409 could provide a significant commercial opportunity for therapeutic use in the newly diagnosed, localized prostate cancer patient population, with the goal of reducing progression or recurrence of disease without significant toxicities and with a product that can be administered at outpatient facilities.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

In recent years ICI, specifically PD-1 directed agents, have transformed the treatment paradigm of NSCLC and become a backbone therapy for this indication. Over a half dozen ICI products have been approved in various cancer indications, and there are numerous other related drug candidates in preclinical and clinical development. Global sales for ICIs in 2019 were approximately $23 billion with NSCLC accounting for 50% to 55% of overall sales. The commercial opportunity in NSCLC is significant. Drug treated patient populations in the US for 2020 are estimated at 75,160; 47,920 and 21,990 in first-, second- and third-line treatment, respectively. ICI use in NSCLC has become SoC with approximately 49% of first-line patients in the United States being treated with an ICI alone or in combination with other agents. Nonetheless, 60% of these patients will have an inadequate response after one year of ICI treatment, and 80% after three years.

We believe CAN-2409 could provide a significant commercial opportunity for therapeutic use in NSCLC patients with an inadequate response to ICI, if we are able to demonstrate overall survival of more than 12-14 months after treatment per protocol.

Pancreatic Cancer

The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 64,050 people in the United States (33,130 men and 30,920 women) will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2023; about 50,550 people (26,620 men and 23,930 women) will die of pancreatic cancer this year. Treatment is with surgery in cases where tumors are resectable, followed by adjuvant chemoradiation; there is increasing use of neoadjuvant chemoradiation in borderline resectable or even resectable disease in order to better reduce the risk of recurrence. For resected patients, while surgery and adjuvant approaches (e.g. FOLFORINOX) have improved mOS, 5 year survival rates remain modest (20-30%) and most tumors will recur (median recurrence free survival ~1.5 years). While there is a high level of total clinical research and development activity across pancreatic cancer settings (over 150 investigational products in phase 2 or later development), the majority are targeting metastatic disease. Physicians have identified a continued unmet need for more effective treatment options across the pancreatic cancer setting, including a need for further approaches which can increase the resectability of borderline / locally advanced patients, and improving cure rates in resected patients. There are an estimated 18,510 patients with resectable disease, with a sizeable proportion receiving surgery and adjuvant therapy; there are 12,340 patients with borderline resectable disease and 30,850 with locally advanced tumors (with the majority undergoing neoadjuvant / induction treatment) in the US/EU5.

We believe CAN-2409 could provide a significant commercial opportunity for therapeutic use in borderline resectable pancreatic cancer patients, if we are able to confirm the improvement in overall survival two years after initiation of treatment in patients who received CAN-2409 combined with SoC compared to SoC alone.

High-Grade Glioma

Glioblastoma, the most common form of HGG, is a relatively rare cancer with first-line drug treated prevalent population in the United States of approximately 16,113 patients. Treatment in the upfront setting is surgical resection, if possible, coupled with temozolomide and/or radiotherapy; however, virtually all patients eventually develop recurrent disease.

The prognosis for glioblastoma that has recurred is dire; mOS with second line chemotherapy such as lomustine is associated with mOS of 6-9 months. Few pharmaceutical treatment options exist for patients with recurrent HGG, with the last significant FDA approval over a decade ago. Avastin was approved in 2009, specifically for patients with recurrent glioblastoma, and approval was granted despite the absence of a survival benefit in the registrational studies. New agents to treat patients with recurrent HGG are urgently needed.

We believe CAN-3110 provides a significant opportunity for therapeutic use in recurrent HGG based on the results published in Nature in October 2023, showing nearly doubling of the expected mOS after just a single injection of CAN-3110.

Our Product Candidates

Initial Product Candidate - CAN-2409

We believe the adenovirus-based CAN-2409 has advantageous properties that differentiate from other viral immunotherapies. Namely, CAN-2409:

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Has consistently shown activity in clinical trials across a range of solid tumor types.

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Has been dosed in more than a thousand patients and has generated favorable tolerability and safety data.

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Is engineered to be potently immunogenic but non-replicating with the goal of eliciting a systemic anti-tumor immune response while minimizing the risk for local and systemic toxicity.

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Can be stored at 4°C, facilitating the use of CAN-2409 in out-patient clinics. This aspect is particularly favorable in indications such as prostate cancer, where patients are often monitored in individual private practices.

CAN-2409 (international non-proprietary name: aglatimagene besadenovec) is an adenovirus-based replication-defective engineered gene construct encoding the thymidine kinase gene derived from the herpes simplex virus. It is injected directly into a tumor or target tissue. Localized injection is intended to minimize systemic toxicities associated with systemic intravenous administration, eliminating the requirement for complex immune evasion or tumor-specific targeting mechanisms, and reprograms the immune response against the injected tumor, while activating the desired systemic anti-tumoral immune response against the injected tumor and uninjected metastases. The adenoviral vector is used to transport the HSV-thymidine kinase gene into the tumor cells at the site of injection. HSV-thymidine kinase converts generic, FDA-approved anti-herpes drugs, such as ganciclovir, acyclovir and valacyclovir, which we use as prodrugs, into a toxic nucleotide analogue. These agents are widely available, inexpensive and are generally well-tolerated. Cells transduced with the HSV-thymidine kinase gene as well as neighboring cells that are replicating or exhibit DNA damage undergo immunogenic cell death after exposure to these systemically administered prodrugs that are converted in the tumor microenvironment into toxic metabolites.

The prodrug-derived cytotoxic nucleotide analogs are designed to inhibit DNA replication and repair, leading to the death of multiplying tumor cells, and in particular of cells undergoing repair from radiation or chemotherapy damage. This form of cell death is immunogenic and exposes tumor antigens that can elicit a further tumor-specific immune response. Additionally, the virus itself stimulates a marked immuno-inflammatory response. Key pro-inflammatory cytokines as well as chemokines, adhesion molecules and costimulatory molecules are locally upregulated, resulting in an inflamed (hot) tumor microenvironment, able to further enhance CD8+ cytotoxic tumor infiltrating lymphocyte cell activation and immunization against various released tumor antigens.

This local effect provides a strong mechanistic rationale for the combination of viral immunotherapy with ICIs such as PD-1 or PD-L1 targeting antibodies. ICI agents work by unmasking the inhibitory signals provided by PD-L1 ligands on tumor cells when bound to PD-1 receptors on T cells. By blocking this suppressive signal pharmacologically, it has been demonstrated that T cells can be unleashed to attack cancer cells and that profound clinical benefit can be achieved, but this benefits only a minority of patients. It has been hypothesized that treatment results can be significantly improved by optimizing recognition of the specific tumor antigens by the patient’s adaptive immune system using viral immunotherapy combined with the non-specific stimulation of T cells induced by ICI treatment. It appears that a duality of signals is required: releasing the checkpoint inhibition as described earlier, coupled with the provision of a positive, stimulatory signal to T cells. The efficient presentation of tumor specific antigens by MHC class I molecules to the immune system provides just such a specific, stimulatory signal. Viral immunotherapies have been shown to facilitate such cross presentation of tumor antigens and are therefore an attractive complement to PD-1 or PD-L1 checkpoint blockade.

The immune system is highly dynamic, with continuous trafficking of different populations of immune cells throughout the body. One outcome of this is that when T cells are locally activated and reprogrammed to recognize tumor-specific antigens, they can act systemically to drive an efficient immune response at sites distant from the original tumor. This abscopal effect may explain the significant effects observed at distant, uninjected sites demonstrated in experimental models of cancers. Abscopal effect has been shown with CAN-2409 in a mouse model of prostate cancer. The model employed RM-1, a syngeneic prostate cell line, that was implanted both in the flanks of the mice as well as systemic, via a tail vein injection to mimic metastatic disease, resulting in the emergence of lung tumor nodules. After intratumor treatment of the flank tumor masses with either CAN-2409 and systemic prodrug, alone or in combination with radiotherapy, we observed a beneficial response in both injected and uninjected metastatic tumor. Use of CAN-2409 resulted in a 38% mean reduction in tumor volume and, in the combination arm, a reduction of 61% in tumor volume. Notably, the average number of lung nodules was reduced from 20.5 in the control arm and 22.4 in the mice that

received radiotherapy to 13.0 in the CAN-2409 arm, and to 6.6 when CAN-2409 was combined with radiotherapy. We have also observed the abscopal response in connection with the experimental treatment of CAN-2409 in patients with NSCLC. We observed regression of uninjected lesions in about two-thirds of evaluable patients presenting with multiple lesions.

The activity of CAN-2409 treatment has been shown to be dependent on CD8+ T cell involvement in studies in mouse models that evaluated permutations of CAN-2409 treatment and T cell depletion. Furthermore, T cells from mice that were successfully treated with CAN-2409 and prodrug were shown to be sufficient to inhibit tumor growth when mixed with AKR tumor model cells and implanted subcutaneously in mouse flanks. This activity was not observed with T cells from untreated mice, from mice that were treated with a control vector that lacked the thymidine kinase gene, or when the AKR tumor cells were xenografted alone. These data are consistent with a T cell dependent mechanism of action of CAN-2409. Additionally, we have shown the induction of CD8+ T cell infiltration at the site of the tumor in patients with prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, and NSCLC.

Second Product Candidate - CAN-3110

CAN-3110 is a modified HSV with specific properties that can be leveraged in diverse clinical indications. Namely, CAN-3110:

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Is engineered to provide oncolysis through replication specifically in Nestin expressing cancer cells.

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Has demonstrated statistically significant survival benefit in preclinical models of brain cancer.

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Has generated favorable tolerability and safety data, not reaching a dose limiting toxicity in the dose range tested in an ongoing investigator-sponsored phase 1b trial.

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Has shown a clinical signal in a difficult to treat brain cancer population, critically defined by a highly immunosuppressive environment.

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Has been engineered to replicate in a range of other indications characterized by Nestin expression.

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Is derived from our HSV-based platform that also provides the potential to support expansion of our pipeline with novel agents.

CAN-3110 is an engineered HSV where the expression of ICP34.5, the gene responsible for viral replication, has been placed under the control of a tumor-specific Nestin promoter. Nestin is a cytoskeletal protein that is overexpressed in glioma cells, but it is absent in the healthy adult brain. In CAN-3110, ICP34.5 expression is controlled by the Nestin promotor enabling viral replication selectively in tumor cells. This replication-competent HSV construct provides tumor-specific cytolytic activity, while sparing healthy cells that do not express Nestin.

This modification of the viral genome of CAN-3110 enables us to maintain the function of ICP34.5, an HSV protein that allows virus replication even in the presence of a suppressive interferon response, under strict control and only in tumor cells.

ICP34.5 is deleted in other HSV oncolytic viruses that may be less tumor selective with an intent of achieving a favorable safety profile, which may result in viruses characterized by poor replication ability and a limited ability to generate an effective anti-tumor immune response.

Our Clinical Trials

CAN-2409 for Prostate Cancer

We have completed multiple phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials in non-metastatic prostate cancer using CAN-2409 as monotherapy and in combination with SoC. These trials generated favorable tolerability and safety data and also provide evidence to support CAN-2409 immune activation, dosing levels and schedules. We have administered CAN-2409 to more than 700 patients with localized prostate cancer to date, most of whom are currently in ongoing, placebo-controlled randomized trials.

Monotherapy Activity

We have observed what we believe to be a clinical response with CAN-2409 as monotherapy in our phase 1 trials. These responses have been consistently observed in patients with prostate cancer, including patients with newly diagnosed, localized disease, as well as those whose cancer was progressing even after radiotherapy.

In newly diagnosed patients with localized prostate cancer, analysis of biopsies following monotherapy CAN-2409 treatment revealed a change in glandular architecture, necrosis and increased immune cell infiltration as compared to baseline biopsy. We observed in treated samples a 4-fold increase in the number of CD8+ T cells and a 3-fold increase in the number of CD68+ macrophages, demonstrating an immune response after CAN-2409 administration.

In another phase 1/2 clinical trial, patients whose prostate cancer had progressed following radiotherapy and that presented a persistently rising PSA level, were treated with CAN-2409 as monotherapy using six dose levels, ranging from 1x108–1x1011 viral particles. In 27 of the 36 patients recruited, a decrease in PSA levels was observed following a single cycle of CAN-2409, as measured by the best PSA decrease in serial assessments within the first 3 months after treatment. PSA, while an imperfect biomarker for prostate cancer, is still widely employed for patient management in conjunction with biopsy, as rising PSA levels, and in particular PSA doubling time are associated with disease progression. In that same trial, we observed that the PSA doubling time improved significantly (p=0.0271) from 15.9 months at baseline to 42.5 months after a single cycle of CAN-2409 administration, in this treatment-resistant patient population. A subset of the patients in this trial also received second or third injection courses of CAN-2409. In most of those patients, a decrease from pre-administration PSA levels was again observed upon repeated injection.

Combination Therapy

Because of the increasing prevalence of combination therapy for cancer patients, the ability to combine novel agents with SoC treatments without overlapping toxicity is of increasing importance. We believe that the favorable tolerability and safety data generated for CAN-2409 in our clinical trials is encouraging for our current and future development plans, in combination with other agents but also as a monotherapy in lower risk patient populations that are not willing to undergo more aggressive forms of treatment. The safety data from our phase 2 clinical trial in prostate cancer patients treated with CAN-2409 in combination with SoC of radiotherapy or androgen deprivation therapy, reported no grade 4 treatment-related adverse events and only single-patient incidence of grade 3 treatment related adverse events. It was anticipated that flu-like symptoms would be evident, because CAN-2409 is an adenoviral gene construct known to induce a systemic immune response. Greater than 50% of patients reported fever and/or chills often associated with viral immune activation. These symptoms, which generally manifested early and transiently, often occurred on the evening of the intratumoral administration of CAN-2409 and resolved by the following morning. The rates of the gastrointestinal adverse events in this study are consistent with those typically reported by patients undergoing radiotherapy, which is a component of SoC in this population.

Our previous phase 2 clinical trial data informed our agreement with the FDA under the SPA for our ongoing phase 3 clinical trial. Although the data is limited as we have not conducted head-to-head studies, in our phase 2 clinical trial we observed that intermediate-risk patients who received CAN-2409 in combination with radiotherapy had failure rates that were 75% lower than those reported in four other contemporaneous trials of similar patient populations. Where these other clinical trials reported freedom from failure rates of between 75%-79%, corresponding to cumulative recurrence rates of 21%-25%, CAN-2409 resulted in a 5% recurrence rate in patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer. The median follow-up of patients who received CAN-2409 in this clinical trial was 5.7 years. Similarly, results in this clinical trial also demonstrated reduced recurrence rates in the low- and high-risk patients enrolled when compared to these other trials. Furthermore, a pathological complete response (pCR) was observed in 93% of the biopsies available at 2yrs (37%-73% in control populations). In this trial, low-risk patients achieved a PSA of < 2ng/ml in 77% of CAN-2409 treated patients versus 58% in control populations.

The endpoint used in our phase 2 trial was freedom from failure (FFF), defined by the period of time between treatment and the occurrence of a clinical or biochemical failure. Under the SPA agreement, we have selected disease-free survival (DFS) as the endpoint for our phase 3 clinical trial. The DFS definition requires an objective detection of tumor progression. This largely overlaps with FFF as it is often triggered by detection of increased PSA levels (i.e., biochemical failure). We have also reanalyzed our previous phase 2 data using DFS parameters, supporting the implementation of DFS as endpoint in our phase 3 trial.

Potentially Registrational Phase 3 Clinical Trial for Localized Prostate Cancer

We are developing CAN-2409 as a potential therapeutic option that avoids the long-term severe side effects of hormone therapy or surgical interventions. Based on the data from our clinical trials to date, we believe that CAN-2409 has the potential, if approved, to be the first new first-line product candidate approved for patients with localized prostate cancer in over 30 years. We are currently conducting a potentially registrational phase 3 trial for CAN-2409, with agreement, under an SPA with the FDA for a single pivotal trial in newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer in intermediate and high-risk patients in combination with the SoC, radiotherapy.

This phase 3 clinical trial is fully enrolled with 711 patients, randomized 2:1. Patients receive three investigational treatment courses of CAN-2409, each consisting of four concurrent injections of transrectal or transperineal ultrasound guided administration of CAN-2409 followed by a course of oral valacyclovir. The first injection course is given at least 15 days but not more than 8 weeks before starting radiation. The second injection course is given 0-3 days prior to radiotherapy. The third and final injection course is delivered 15-22 days after the second injections. A fixed dose of valacyclovir is given for 14 days after each CAN-2409 administration. SoC external beam radiotherapy is administered to patients throughout the course of the trial with optional ADT as determined by the treating physician.

Trial inclusion criteria are based on patients with localized prostate cancer meeting the NCCN criteria of intermediate-risk or patients presenting only one NCCN high-risk feature. NCCN intermediate-risk is defined as having at least one of

the following: prostate serum antigen (PSA) of 10-20 ng/ml, Gleason Score of 7, and is staged T2b-T2c via the TNM staging system. Patients may also exhibit one high-risk characteristic that may consist of a PSA of 20+ ng/ml, a Gleason Score of 8-10, or a cancer that is up to stage T3a, but not more than one of these high-risk factors.

The SPA specifically defines agreement with the FDA on the statistical design and power of the phase 3 trial, as well as the primary endpoint definition. The SPA states that the trial is adequately designed to provide the necessary data that, depending on the outcome, could support a Biologics License Application (BLA) submission. The SPA does note the general point for all SPAs, that BLA acceptance and approvability are review issues and that a BLA approval will depend on the quality of actual clinical trial data, the robustness of the effect on the stated primary endpoint, the impact on the secondary endpoints, a favorable assessment of the study conduct, and analysis of safety information and other supportive data. We have approximately 50 active clinical sites for this clinical trial and have completed enrollment in September 2021 with 711 patients. The primary endpoint for the clinical trial is DFS. This trial has been designed to have 90% power, a hazard ratio of 0.5 and an alpha of 0.05. We are assuming a 15% improvement in the active arm (CAN-2409) as compared to placebo in the rate of events measured according to the DFS definition provided above. We expect topline data from this phase 3 clinical trial in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Phase 2 Clinical Trial for Active Surveillance

Clinical results to date suggest that CAN-2409 as monotherapy may reduce the rates of biochemical failure for patients with localized prostate cancer. In the AS setting, we will assess whether CAN-2409 has the potential to delay or prevent tumor progression to a later stage that demands radical treatment.

In May 2019, the Company completed enrollment of 187 patients in its phase 2 clinical trial of CAN-2409 in patients with low-to-intermediate-risk, localized, non-metastatic prostate cancer, randomized 2:1. The primary endpoint is biopsy-proven progression-free survival (PFS). Progression is defined as an increase in Gleason grade or increase in tumor volume to > 33%. As the primary endpoint is event-driven, in February 2023, based on a blinded review of the event rate, the Company determined that additional time is required for patient follow up in order to collect a sufficient number of events. Based on the current rate of events, the Company currently anticipates topline data to be available in the fourth quarter of 2024.

CAN-2409 for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

To assess the potential for CAN-2409 to trigger local and systemic immune activation and produce a “hot” tumor phenotype, we designed and completed a clinical trial in patients with surgically resectable lung cancer. In this proof of mechanism phase 1 clinical trial, dose escalation of intratumoral neoadjuvant CAN-2409 was followed by tumor resection three weeks later. The specific goal was to obtain biological data to better understand the impact of CAN-2409 on the tumor microenvironment, with a specific focus on intratumoral CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocyte cell activation and function while also assessing the effects on the systemic immune response. The effects of CAN-2409 were evaluated by comparing post-injection specimens to an internal control consisting of each patient’s own pre-treatment needle biopsy and blood samples, and an external cohort of matched patients who underwent standard surgical resection without CAN-2409. The results showed evidence of significant intratumoral and systemic immune activation after experimental CAN-2409 monotherapy treatment. Analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, both before and after CAN-2409 administration, demonstrated a significant increase in expression of proliferation and activation markers including HLA-DR, CD38 and Ki67 three weeks after CAN-2409 initiation. Other relevant findings in this clinical trial included an increase in markers of T cell activation such as PD-1 and CTLA-4, which are targets of ICI that have been approved for use in NSCLC.

In this NSCLC phase 1 clinical trial, two patients experienced grade 3 dehydration with renal insufficiency, two patients presented grade 3 urinary retention and six patients were observed to have a grade 4 low lymphocyte count. Of significant interest, one patient, a 70 year-old male with a 14.8 cm stage IIIA sarcomatoid carcinoma, exhibited a nearly 50% decrease in tumor volume at 3 weeks after CAN-2409 monotherapy treatment. Collectively, these results lead us to believe that CAN-2409 could provide an opportunity to improve ICI response rates in patients with NSCLC by eliciting additional immune activation in lung cancer patients.

CAN-2409 and Checkpoint Combination Phase 2 Clinical Trial for NSCLC in Patients with Inadequate Response to ICI

In 2020, we initiated a phase 2 clinical trial of CAN-2409 in NSCLC patients with inadequate response to ICI that has enrolled patients receiving SoC ICI (plus chemotherapy if indicated) in combination with two courses of CAN-2409 plus continued ICI. This open label clinical trial, as amended, targeted enrollment of approximately 80 patients with stage III/IV NSCLC in two separate cohorts. The cohorts are defined based on response to ICIs at the time of enrollment. Cohort 1 addresses patients with stable disease and Cohort 2 enrolled patients with progressive disease after at least 18 weeks of ICI treatment. Patients continue treatment with their initial ICI and CAN-2409 was added to their regimen. The primary efficacy endpoints for this trial are response rate measured by RECIST and/or Disease Control Rate, with overall survival as a key study endpoint.

We reported initial data from this trial at the ASCO Annual Meeting in June 2022. During our Research and Development Day in December 2022. These data were further supported in an update announced in September 2023, based on a data cutoff of August 1, 2023, where we presented updated data demonstrating evidence of local and systemic anti-tumor activity; a disease control rate of 77% (20/26) in patients entering trial with disease progression (cohort 2); sustained and ongoing clinical responses greater than 1 year; favorable change in the trajectory of tumor progression; decreased tumor size of RECIST target lesions in most patients; reduced uninjected tumor size in 14/21 patients (67%); an overall response rate of 13% (4/30) across cohorts 1 and 2; durable disease stabilization translating into encouraging preliminary evidence of progression-free survival; consistent induction of local and systemic cytotoxic T cell response; increased infiltration of CD8+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment; systemic expansion of effector T cells and increase in soluble granzyme B levels in the peripheral blood; and favorable safety/tolerability data with most treatment-related adverse events being grade 1/2. In December 2023, the recruitment of this study was paused as we completed target enrollment for cohort 2.

We anticipate presenting topline overall survival data from this ongoing phase 2 clinical trial in the second quarter of 2024.

CAN-2409 for Pancreatic Cancer

In a previous phase 1b clinical trial, patients with pancreatic cancer treated with CAN-2409 in addition to SoC demonstrated a greater survival duration over the expected survival of the patients treated with the existing SoC alone in a comparison to historical trial results. Furthermore, in the subset of patients where pre- and post-treatment tumor biopsies were available, a statistically significant increase in the number of CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes was observed. In addition, the study demonstrated that CAN-2409 was generally well-tolerated in combination with SoC.

We are currently conducting a randomized phase 2 clinical trial of CAN-2409 in borderline resectable pancreatic cancer, with a target enrollment of up to 54 patients. In March 2023, in connection with our cost management and dynamic portfolio management initiatives, we elected to pause new enrollment in this randomized phase 2 clinical trial, subject to additional funding. Despite the pause in patient enrollment, we presented initial clinical data in the fourth quarter of 2023, based on a data cutoff date of August 21, 2023. The initial data showed prolonged and sustained survival in patients who were treated with CAN-2409 and there was a separation of the survival rates in the treatment and placebo arms. Estimated survival was 71.4% when 2-3 CAN-2409 courses were added to standard neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by attempted surgical resection compared to 16.7% with standard neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by attempted surgical resection alone at both 24 and 36 months after treatment. We expect to present an update to this survival data in the second quarter of 2024.

CAN-2409 for High-Grade Glioma

Phase 3 Clinical Trial of CAN-2409 in High-Grade Glioma

At our Research & Development Day in December 2022 we announced that we have made a portfolio and resource prioritization decision to pursue CAN-3110 in recurrent HGG, but not to pursue a phase 3 clinical trial of CAN-2409 in high-grade glioma. The CAN-3110 program in recurrent HGG may serve as an enabling clinical trial for future expansion into earlier stages of HGG as well as other solid tumors outside the brain that are characterized by Nestin expression.

Phase 1 Clinical Trial of CAN-2409 With Opdivo in High-Grade Glioma

We conducted a phase 1b clinical trial in patients with newly diagnosed HGG examining the combination of CAN-2409 and anti-PD-1 nivolumab (Opdivo, BMS) in collaboration with BMS and Adult Brain Tumor Consortium. This was the first clinical trial to evaluate the combination of CAN-2409 and nivolumab in HGG patients with the goal of enhancing anti-tumor T cell activation and expansion and the potential for better clinical outcome.

Data for this phase 1b clinical trial were presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) in Boston in November 2022. In the trial involving 35 evaluable patients, extensive biomarker analyses demonstrated that the combination of CAN-2409 and nivolumab resulted in a statistically significant expansion of activated tumor-fighting CD4+ and CD8+ T cells effector cells as well as decreased markers of exhaustion on effector cells. Proteomic analysis by OLINK revealed an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interferon-gamma, the chemokines CXCL9/10 and CXCL11, MCP-1, MCP-3, and granzyme A. Systemic immune activation was observed after the single administration of CAN-2409, prior to initiation of nivolumab (week 3 post treatment). mOS for patients with methylated MGMT promoter was 30.6 months for those who underwent gross total resection (GTR) (n=10) and 12.6 months for those who underwent sub-total resection (STR) (n=5). mOS for patients with unmethylated MGMT was 13.2 months (GTR) (n=16) and 15.9 months (STR) (n=4), respectively.

Phase 1b/2 Clinical Trial of CAN-2409 Combined with SoC in High-Grade Glioma

In our phase 1b/2 clinical trial in newly diagnosed patients with HGGs, including the difficult-to-treat glioblastoma, CAN-2409 demonstrated a statistically significant increase in patient survival when combined with current SoC over the

current SoC alone (surgery, radiation and temozolomide). The trial compared the overall survival of 48 enrolled patients treated at 4 clinical sites with CAN-2409 plus SoC against a matched controlled set of 134 patients enrolled at MGB who received only SoC. The results demonstrated that the mOS of patients receiving SoC alone was 13.5 months while patients receiving CAN-2409 plus SoC was 17.1 months (p=0.0417). Importantly, a pre-planned analysis on a subset of patients treated surgically with gross total resection (>95% of tumor removed) during surgery (18 patients compared to 44 in the control arm), demonstrated a mOS of 25.1 months in the CAN-2409 arm versus 16.3 months in the SoC group, with approximately a 50% improvement (p=0.0120). In this patient population, after three years, one in three patients was alive in the CAN-2409 arm compared to 1 in 20 patients in the SoC group. At the end of the study, three of the patients who received CAN-2409 were alive without progression after 43, 62.1 and 88.5 months. CAN-2409 was generally well tolerated, with most treatment-related adverse events being grade 1 or 2, and few reports of grade 3 or 4 events.

Opportunities for CAN-2409 in Other Cancer Indications

In addition to patients with prostate, lung, pancreatic, and brain cancer, CAN-2409 has been dosed in small early-stage exploratory clinical trials in patients with ovarian cancer, malignant pleural effusion, pediatric brain cancer and retinoblastoma, supporting the tolerability and safety profile described above.

CAN-3110 for Recurrent High-grade Glioma

Our first HSV-based product candidate, CAN-3110, is in an ongoing investigator-sponsored phase 1b clinical trial in recurrent HGG. This is an open-label, dose-escalation clinical trial in patients who have failed SoC. The primary objective of this clinical trial is to analyze the safety of CAN-3110 use in patients with recurrent HGG. No dose-limiting toxicities were observed in doses ranging from 1x106 to 1x1010 PFU in half-log increments. More than 50 patients have been treated.

Immunohistology studies showed persistent presence of HSV antigen and infiltration by CD8+ cytotoxic tumor infiltrating lymphocytes post treatment, providing support for the expected mechanism of action of CAN-3110.

We are particularly encouraged by the clinical course of a few patients who received a single injection with CAN-3110 as monotherapy upon recurrence of glioblastoma. One patient, originally diagnosed with multicentric glioblastoma and initially treated with SoC surgical resection followed by temozolomide and radiotherapy has been treated with CAN-3110 monotherapy, upon recurrency with development of two lesions visualized on MRI. One lesion, in the frontal region, had developed at the site of the initially resected mass. The second, larger mass was a new lesion. The patient received CAN-3110 via stereotactic administration into the injected lesion. At day 56 post-injection, there was a visible decrease in the volume of both masses. By day 112 post-injection, the volume of both masses was further reduced and the patient was able to go back to work. The patient eventually developed a third lesion, experienced a stroke secondary to a diagnostic procedure, and refused further treatment, dying approximately 15 months after entering the trial. A second patient initially diagnosed with methylated grade IV HGG located in the temporal lobe underwent 2 consecutive resections and treatment with chemoradiation for rapid progressive disease. The patient was injected with CAN-3110 (10E8 pfus), at the site of the original lesion. An MRI scan performed at day 91 showed increased enhancement at the site of injection. The patient underwent an additional resection, but, importantly, histological report showed mainly inflammatory tissue with high density of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. The patient did not have detectable disease, in absence of any additional treatment for more than 2 years and passed away as passenger of a motor vehicle accident on day 717 post CAN-3110 treatment. Another patient, originally diagnosed with grade IV astrocytoma, was treated with CAN-3110 for a recurrence following first-line therapy with subtotal resection, chemoradiation and adjuvant temozolomide. At time of recurrence, a mass was evident in the left frontal lobe. The patient was enrolled in arm B of the phase 1 clinical trial which includes treatment with Cytoxan (24 mg/kg one dose day -2) prior to CAN-3110 injection. Post-treatment scan demonstrated progressive reduction in enhancement with cavitary necrosis at the site of injection. The patient remains clinically stable as of February 2024 and has not required additional therapies in the two years post CAN-3110 treatment. We find these case reports to be encouraging because of the unusually favorable disease course experienced by these patients with recurrent HGG who had previously failed SoC treatment, in absence of concurrent therapies. Additionally, we have observed a mOS of 11.8 months in the phase 1b trial in the first 41 patients as of the cutoff date of April 20, 2023. This data was confirmed in an independent cohort of 9 patients (cohort B; mOS 12.0 months). Prolonged survival after CAN-3110 treatment was associated with HSV-1 seropositivity as well as with changes in T cell fractions and TCRβ diversity. Given the mOS of less than 6-9 months in historical clinical trials of other investigational agents in patients with recurrent HGG, who have failed SoC treatment we believe this is encouraging evidence of clinical activity. We expect to report additional data, including the potential benefits from multiple injections of CAN-3110, from the ongoing phase 1b clinical trial in the second half of 2024.

Collaborations and Other Transactions

We are a party to various license and collaboration agreements under which we license patents, patent applications and other intellectual property to and from third parties. These licenses impose various diligence and financial payment

obligations on us. We expect to continue to enter into these types of license agreements in the future. We consider the following license and collaboration agreements to be material to our business:

Periphagen. On December 9, 2019, we entered into a series of agreements, including an exclusive license agreement, a novation agreement, an equipment purchase agreement and an intellectual property assignment agreement, collectively the Periphagen Agreements, with Periphagen, whereby we acquired certain assets and licensed certain rights (including specified patent rights and know-how, or the Licensed IP Rights) of Periphagen, primarily consisting of exclusive rights to their technology platform and a portfolio of pre-clinical, development stage virus vectors, as well as certain physical property and equipment. The primary classes of assets are HSV-derived assets expressing neurotrophin-3 (or NT-3 Assets) and other HSV-derived assets (Gene Transfer Neuro-Assets). Under the license agreement, Periphagen granted us a worldwide exclusive license with the right to grant sublicenses through multiple tiers under the Licensed IP Rights to conduct research and to develop, make, have made, use, have used, offer for sale, have sold, export and import products incorporating the Licensed IP Rights in all fields of use except the treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of nononcologic skin diseases and conditions (including use as an aesthetic).

In addition, pursuant to the Periphagen Agreements, we undertook certain commitments and obligations, including the assumption of Periphagen’s outstanding loan in the principal amount of $1,000,000 with Diamyd Medical, AB. The promissory note has a contractual interest rate of 2% compounded annually, with the outstanding balance and accrued interest due upon maturity in November 2027, with no interim installments.

In consideration for the licenses under the Periphagen Agreements, we paid Periphagen $811,000 upon signing and agreed to make the following royalty and other payments:

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NT-3 Assets: a single digit percentage of net sales of NT-3 Assets, or, if applicable, a percentage of royalties received by us in the event of a license, sublicense, assignment or other transfer to a third party for commercialization (but no greater than the original royalty percentage we would be required to pay in the event we did not license, sublicense, assign or transfer NT-3 Assets);

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Gene Transfer Neuro-Assets: a single digit percentage of net sales of Gene Transfer Neuro-Assets, or, if applicable, a percentage of royalties received by us in the event of a license, sublicense, assignment or other transfer to a third party for commercialization to treat certain conditions and diseases (but no greater than the original royalty percentage we would be required to pay in the event we did not license, sublicense, assign or transfer Gene Transfer Neuro-Assets);

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Combination Products: a certain percentage (based on the weighted average sale price of NT-3 Assets, or Gene Transfer Neuro-Assets, as applicable) of net sales of combination products; and

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Disposition Income: (i) a single digit royalty rate of certain consideration we receive for the grant of a license, assignment or other intellectual property rights related to the NT-3 Assets and (ii) if we consummate a strategic collaboration with certain specified parties to treat non-oncolygic neurological conditions and diseases, either 2nd decile (if consummated within 18 months) or mid-2nd decile to mid-3rd decile (if consummated thereafter) royalty rates of certain consideration we receive for the grant of a license, assignment or other intellectual property rights related to the Gene Transfer Neuro-Assets.

If we are required to pay royalties to a third party on any product covered under the Periphagen Agreements, we may credit such royalty payments against the royalties owed to Periphagen in the applicable country, up to a percentage reduction in the mid-2nd decile.

The exclusive license agreement with Periphagen (the Periphagen License Agreement) requires us to use commercially reasonable efforts to complete a human proof of concept clinical trial of an NT-3 Asset, which includes certain specified clinical milestones. If we fail to use such efforts, subject to dispute and escalation provisions in the Periphagen License Agreement, then we may submit a specified payment in lieu of satisfying such obligations. If we fail to do so, Periphagen may terminate the Periphagen License Agreement for material breach. On December 15, 2022, Periphagen notified us by letter of its claim that we have failed to use commercially reasonable efforts to complete a human proof of concept clinical trial of an NT-3 Asset under an Exclusive License Agreement dated December 9, 2019 between us and Periphagen (the “Periphagen License Agreement”). On January 13, 2023, we filed a demand for arbitration against Periphagen with the American Arbitration Association, seeking a declaration that Periphagen’s December 15 letter failed to comply with the dispute and escalation provisions in the Periphagen License Agreement. On March 10, 2023, Periphagen filed its answer and counterclaims to our demand for arbitration. In its counterclaims, Periphagen sought a declaration that we have not used commercially reasonable efforts to complete a human proof of concept clinical trial of the NT-3 Asset and a declaration that any further extension of time would not be scientifically or commercially reasonable. We denied Periphagen’s counterclaims.

On June 7, 2023, the parties entered into an amendment to the Exclusive License Agreement that resolved the dispute and resulted in termination of the arbitration. See Part I, Item 3 “Legal Proceedings”.

The Periphagen License Agreement expires on the later of December 9, 2069 or the end of the Royalty Term. Upon expiration, we will have a fully paid-up, non-exclusive license to make, use, sell, offer for sale and import any products that incorporate the Licensed IP Rights. The Royalty Term means, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, the period starting on the first commercial sale of such product in such country and concluding on the later of (i) expiration of patent coverage under the Licensed IP Rights or regulatory exclusivity for such product in such country; or (ii) the date that a certain amount of generic competition exists in such country, provided that no Royalty Term shall exceed 30 years.

The Periphagen License Agreement may be terminated (i) by us for convenience upon 90 days’ prior written notice to Periphagen, (ii) by Periphagen if we remain in breach of the Periphagen Agreement following a cure period to remedy the breach or (iii) by Periphagen if we become bankrupt, file for bankruptcy or otherwise become insolvent or are placed in receivership.

Mass General Brigham (MGB). On January 20, 2018, we entered into an exclusive option agreement (the Option Agreement) with MGB. Pursuant to the Option Agreement, we obtained the exclusive right from MGB to negotiate an exclusive worldwide, royalty-bearing license to develop and commercialize products covered by certain MGB patents, including those patents covering CAN-3110, in the field of gene therapy and vector therapy for the treatment or prevention of cancerous tumors in humans or animals, as such field is further detailed in the Option Agreement (Licensed Field). In consideration for MGB’s granting of the exclusive option, we paid MGB a non-refundable fee of $40,000.

Under the Option Agreement, we were required to use reasonable efforts to enter into a clinical trial agreement with MGB. We entered into such clinical trial agreement with MGB (MGB Clinical Trial Agreement) on June 19, 2018. Under the MGB Clinical Trial Agreement, we have committed to remitting up to $750,000 for the performance of a specified phase 1 clinical trial by MGB pursuant to a protocol summary contained in the Option Agreement.

On September 15, 2020, we exercised our option and entered into an exclusive patent license agreement with MGB (the MGB License Agreement). Under the MGB License Agreement, MGB granted to us (a) an exclusive, royalty-bearing license under certain of MGB’s patents to make, have made, use, have used, sell and have sold certain products covered by such licensed patents (the Licensed Products) and otherwise practice processes covered by such licensed patents (Licensed Processes); and (b) a non-exclusive, royalty-bearing license under certain other of MGB’s patents to make, have made, use, have used, sell and have sold Licensed Products, but not to sell or have sold Licensed Processes. The foregoing rights are sublicensable, subject to sublicensing terms set forth in the MGB License Agreement. In connection with executing the MGB License Agreement, we paid a license issue fee of $100,000. We also agreed to reimburse MGB for all reasonable fees and expenses MGB had incurred and will incur for the preparation, filing, prosecution and maintenance of the licensed patent rights, in an amount equal to $141,268.

Under the MGB License Agreement, we are required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and make available to the public Licensed Products in the Licensed Field, which efforts include certain milestones detailed in the MGB License Agreement.

Under the MGB License Agreement, prior to the first commercial sale of the Licensed Products, we are required to pay MGB an annual license fee beginning on the fourth anniversary of the effective date. Following the first commercial sale of the Licensed Products, we are required to pay MGB an annual minimum royalty, which amount may be credited against earned royalties starting in the fourth year following the first commercial sale.

In addition to such annual license fee and royalty obligations, the MGB License Agreement contains cumulative milestone payments for up to a maximum amount of $39,000,000, upon the achievement of various clinical, commercial and sales milestones of clinical and commercial development and sales, certain of which milestones apply to development and sale of any Licensed Product as a monotherapy and certain of which milestones apply to development and sale of any Licensed Product in combination with another therapy modality for the treatment of solid tumors.

We are required to pay royalties to MGB upon first commercial sale of the Licensed Products, which are paid at an increasing rate as net sales increase, ranging from low single digits to high single digits. We also agreed to pay a single digit royalty rate on net sales of any products developed using certain MGB know-how but which is not covered by the licensed patent rights, or derived products.

We may reduce our royalty obligations to MGB on any product (but not derived products) by an agreed-upon percentage if we are required to pay a royalty to a third party to avoid patent infringement claims in respect of our development and commercialization of Licensed Products. The royalty rate paid to MGB may not fall below a pre-specified percentage for the sale of any product and another percentage for the sale of any derived product.

Our obligation to pay royalties to MGB expires on a country-by-country basis on the latest of (i) the date upon which there ceases to be a valid claim of patent rights as further detailed in the MGB License Agreement in such country, (ii) expiration of statutory or regulatory exclusivity in such country and (iii) 10 years after the first commercial sale.

The MGB License Agreement also requires us to pay a percentage of any non-royalty income attributable to the sublicense, including (i) 2nd decile rates if such sublicense occurs prior to dosing the first patient in a phase 2 trial, (ii) 1st decile rates if such sublicense occurs after dosing the first patient in a phase 2 trial but before approval of a BLA by the FDA (or the equivalent approval and regulatory body in another major market country) and (iii) single digit rates if such sublicense occurs after approval of a BLA by the FDA (or the equivalent approval and regulatory body in another major market country).

The MGB License Agreement expires on the latest of (i) the 10th anniversary of the first commercial sale in the last country which has a commercial sale, (ii) the date on which all relevant issued patents and filed patent applications have expired or been abandoned and (iii) upon the expiration of market exclusivity on the applicable product.

The MGB License Agreement may be terminated by MGB (i) if we fail to pay any amounts owed under the terms of the agreement within a specified cure period, (ii) if we fail to maintain insurance in accordance with the MGB License Agreement, (iii) if we file for bankruptcy, or (iv) if we remain in default of the MGB License Agreement for non-financial reasons following a specified cure period to remedy the breach. The MGB License Agreement may be terminated by us for convenience upon 90 days’ prior written notice.

Ventagen. On March 1, 2014, we entered into an exclusive license agreement (the Ventagen Agreement), with Ventagen, LLC (Ventagen). The Ventagen Agreement provides Ventagen an exclusive license, with rights to grant sublicenses (subject to certain terms and conditions) under any worldwide patent rights and know-how owned or controlled by us during the term of the Ventagen Agreement which cover applicable technology utilizing the delivery method of the herpes derived TK protein to tumors or other tissues via a viral vector (as further specified therein), to research, use, have used, import, have imported, export, have exported, offer for sale, have sold, sell, distribute and market certain products for the prevention or treatment of cancer in humans and any use in animals (or the Field of Use) (Licensed Products), for commercial sale and distribution within Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia and Bolivia (or the Territory).

Under the Ventagen Agreement, Ventagen agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize Licensed Products in the Territory in the Field of Use.

Ventagen agreed to pay us $1,000,000 for research and development, which we received in 2014 and 2015, and agreed to pay us a fixed future milestone payment of $2,500,000 upon Ventagen’s achievement of a specified amount of sales of a Licensed Product, which is subject to certain reductions for our direct cost over a specified threshold.

Ventagen also agreed to purchase all of its clinical and commercial supply of Licensed Products from us required for clinical or commercial purposes at a price of cost plus a specified increase of the wholesale price of the Licensed Products, subject to a minimum and maximum price, through the end of the Royalty Term, which is defined as the period commencing on the effective date of the Ventagen Agreement and ending on a country-by-country basis on the later of (i) the last expiration date of the patent rights covering a Licensed Product, (ii) twelve years from the receipt of marketing authorization of the Licensed Product in the applicable country, or (iii) the date a generic version of a Licensed Product that is manufactured, owned or controlled by a third party is granted a market authorization. If we are unable or unwilling to manufacture supply under the terms of the Ventagen Agreement, Ventagen has the right to manufacture its own supply and will be required to pay to us a fixed fee per dose sold by Ventagen, its affiliates, agents, sublicensee or end users. We have also agreed to provide certain services to Ventagen related to Ventagen’s development plan.

The Ventagen Agreement expires on the date of the expiration of the final Royalty Term in all countries in the Territory. The Ventagen Agreement may be terminated (i) by Ventagen at will upon 30 days’ prior written notice to us, (ii) by us subject to a specified notice period if Ventagen files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent or (iii) by us if Ventagen remains in material breach of the Ventagen Agreement following notice and a cure period to remedy the breach. Ventagen retains an irrevocable, perpetual, paid up, royalty-free license, with rights of sublicense to use, have used, lease, import and export, offer to sell, sell, have sold, product, distribute and market Licensed Products in each country in the Territory after the expiration of the Royalty Term in such country.

Certain of our current stockholders own 49.5% of the voting stock of Ventagen, but we do not hold any management position or run the day-to-day operations of Ventagen. See “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions.”

Competition

The development and commercialization of new product candidates is highly competitive. We face competition from major pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies among others with respect to CAN-2409 and CAN-3110 and will face similar competition with respect to any product candidates that we may seek to develop or commercialize in the future. We compete in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other related markets that develop immuno-oncology therapies for the treatment of cancer. There are other companies working to develop viral immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer including divisions of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies of various sizes. The large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that have commercialized and/or are

developing immuno-oncology treatments for cancer include AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, Merck & Co., Novartis, Pfizer and Genentech.

Some of the products and therapies developed by our competitors are based on scientific approaches that are the same as or similar to our approach, including with respect to the use of viral immunotherapy with adenovirus and HSV. Other competitive products and therapies are based on entirely different approaches. We are aware that Replimune Group, Inc., Amgen Inc., Astellas Pharma, Inc, Istari Oncology Inc, Orca Therapeutics, B.V., CG Oncology, Inc, ImmVira Co., Ltd., IconOVir Bio, Inc., and FerGene, Inc., among others, are developing viral immunotherapies that may have utility for the treatment of indications that we are targeting. Potential competitors also include academic institutions, government agencies and other public and private research organizations that conduct research, seek patent protection and establish collaborative arrangements for research, development, manufacturing and commercialization.

Many of the companies we compete against or may compete against in the future have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved drugs than we do. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in the concentration of even more resources among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, in establishing clinical trial sites and enrolling subjects for our clinical trials and in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs.

We could see a reduction or elimination of our commercial opportunity if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, or are more convenient or are less expensive than any products that we or our collaborators may develop. Our competitors also may obtain FDA or foreign regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market. The key competitive factors affecting the success of all our product candidates, if approved, are likely to be their efficacy, safety, convenience and price, if required, the level of biosimilar or generic competition and the availability of reimbursement from government and other third-party payors.

Commercialization

We intend to retain significant development and commercial rights to our product candidates and, if marketing approval is obtained, to commercialize our product candidates on our own, or potentially with a partner, in the United States and other regions. We currently have no sales, marketing or commercial product distribution capabilities and have no experience as a company commercializing products. We intend to build the necessary infrastructure and capabilities over time for the United States, and potentially other regions, following further advancement of our product candidates. Clinical data, the size of the addressable patient population, the size of the commercial infrastructure and manufacturing needs, and partnering opportunities may all influence or alter our commercialization plans.

Manufacturing

We have established an operations leadership team with extensive experience in manufacturing biologics based on viruses, including viral immunotherapy products and gene therapy products, and in the construction, validation, approval and operation of facilities designed to manufacture biologics. We have secured a third-party contract manufacturing organization for clinical and commercial-scale manufacturing of our CAN-2409 and CAN-3110 product candidates.

Intellectual Property

We believe that approval of our CAN-2409 and CAN-3110 product candidates under a BLA may result in 12 years of data exclusivity in the United States under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (collectively the ACA), 10 years of market exclusivity in Europe and significant durations in other markets, which would be complementary to any relevant patent exclusivity.

With regard to patent exclusivities, we have or are pursuing patent protection for our CAN-2409 and CAN-3110 product candidates and our enLIGHTENTM Discovery Platform. With regard to our CAN-2409 product candidate, we own a United States patent and a pending patent application that relate to a method of use of CAN-2409 in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor. The issued patent and the pending application, if issued, are expected to expire in 2034. With regard to our CAN-3110 product candidate, we have rights to issued composition of matter patents in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, Europe, and Japan and patent applications pending in Australia, Europe, and Korea that relate to CAN-3110. The issued patents and the pending applications, if issued, are expected to expire in 2036. This patent family is exclusively licensed to us from MGB. In addition, we have entered into an option agreement with MGB to a pending U.S. provisional patent application that relates to the use of biomarkers for the selection of cancer patients for treatment with CAN-3110 and for the management of treatment regimens in cancer patients receiving CAN-3110. The term of patents claiming priority to the provisional patent application, if issued, are expected to expire in 2044.

With regard to our enLIGHTENTM Discovery Platform, we have exclusively in-licensed from Periphagen a patent family that includes composition of matter patents in the United States, Europe, and China and pending applications in the United States and China that relate to an HSV vector used in our enLIGHTENTM Discovery Platform. The issued patents and the pending applications, if issued, are expected to expire in 2037. In addition, we own a pending international patent application filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty with composition of matter claims that also relate to an HSV vector and candidate payloads used in our enLIGHTENTM Discovery Platform and methods of use. The term of patents claiming priority to the international patent application, if issued, are expected to expire in 2043. We also own a pending U.S. provisional patent application that relates to methods of treating certain cancer patients using our HSV vector. The term of patents claiming priority to the provisional patent application, if issued, are expected to expire in 2044.

Government Regulation

In the United States, biological products are subject to regulation under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and licensure under the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act), and other federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations. The FD&C Act and corresponding regulations govern, among other things, the research, development, clinical trial, testing, manufacturing, quality control, approval, safety, efficacy, labeling, packaging, storage, record keeping, distribution, reporting, marketing, promotion, export and import, advertising, post-approval monitoring, and post-approval reporting involving biological products. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources and we may not be able to obtain the required regulatory approvals.

Further, even if we obtain the required regulatory approvals for our products, pharmaceutical companies are subject to myriad federal, state, and foreign healthcare laws, rules, and regulations governing all aspects of our operations, including, but not limited to, our relationships with healthcare professionals, healthcare institutions, distributors of our products, and sales and marketing personnel; governmental and other third-party payor coverage and reimbursement of our products; and data privacy and security. Such laws, rules, and regulations are complex, continuously evolving, and, in many cases, have not been subject to extensive interpretation by applicable regulatory agencies or the courts. We are required to invest significant time and financial resources in policies, procedures, processes, and systems to ensure compliance with these laws, rules, and regulations, and our failure to do so may result in the imposition of substantial monetary or other penalties by federal or state regulatory agencies, give rise to reputational harm, or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

United States Biological Products Development Process

The process required by the FDA before a biological product candidate may be licensed for marketing in the United States generally involves the following:

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completion of nonclinical laboratory tests and animal studies performed in accordance with FDA’s good laboratory practices (GLPs) requirements and applicable requirements for the humane use of laboratory animals or other applicable regulations;

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submission to the FDA of an application for an investigational new drug application (IND) which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin;

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approval of the protocol and related documentation by an IRB or ethics committee at each clinical trial site before each trial may be initiated;

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performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials according to good clinical practices (GCPs) requirements and any additional requirements for the protection of human research subjects and their health information, to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed biological product candidate for its intended use;

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preparation of and submission to the FDA of a BLA for marketing approval that includes sufficient evidence of establishing the safety, purity, and potency of the proposed biological product for its intended indication, including from results of nonclinical testing and clinical trials;

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a determination by the FDA within 60 days of its receipt of a BLA to accept and file the application;

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satisfactory completion of an FDA pre-license inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities where the biological product is produced to assess compliance with current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs) to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the biological product’s identity, strength, quality and purity;

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satisfactory completion of an FDA advisory committee review, if applicable;

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potential FDA audit of the nonclinical study and clinical trial sites that generated the data in support of the BLA in accordance with any applicable expedited programs or designations;

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payment of user fees for FDA review of the BLA (unless a fee waiver applies); and

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FDA review and approval, or licensure, of the BLA to permit commercial marketing of the product for specific indications for use in the United States.

Pre-clinical Studies and the IND Process

Before testing any biological product candidate in humans, the product candidate enters the preclinical testing stage. Preclinical tests, also referred to as nonclinical studies, include laboratory evaluations of the product’s biological characteristics, chemistry, toxicity and formulation, as well as animal studies to assess the potential safety and activity of the product candidate. The conduct of the preclinical tests must comply with federal regulations and requirements including GLPs.

Prior to commencing an initial clinical trial in humans with a product candidate in the United States, an IND must be submitted to the FDA and the FDA must allow the IND to proceed. An IND is an exemption from the FD&C Act that allows an unapproved product candidate to be shipped in interstate commerce for use in an investigational clinical trial and a request for FDA allowance that such investigational product may be administered to humans in connection with such trial. Such authorization must be secured prior to interstate shipment and administration. In support of a request for an IND, the clinical trial sponsor must submit the results of the preclinical tests, together with manufacturing information, analytical data, any available clinical data or literature and a proposed clinical protocol to the FDA as part of the IND. An IND must become effective before human clinical trials may begin. Once submitted, the IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA places the IND on a full or partial clinical hold within that 30-day time period. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trial or part of the study can begin. Submission of an IND therefore may or may not result in FDA authorization to begin a clinical trial. The FDA also may impose clinical holds on a sponsor’s IND at any time before or during clinical trials due to, among other considerations, unreasonable or significant safety concerns, inability to assess safety concerns, lack of qualified investigators, a misleading or materially incomplete investigator brochure, study design deficiencies, interference with the conduct or completion of a study designed to be adequate and well-controlled for the same or another investigational product, insufficient quantities of investigational product, lack of effectiveness, or non-compliance. If the FDA imposes a clinical hold, studies may not recommence without FDA authorization and then only under terms authorized by the FDA.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials involve the administration of the biological product candidate to healthy volunteers or patients under the supervision of qualified investigators, generally physicians not employed by or under control of the trial sponsor. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the clinical trial, dosing procedures, subject selection and exclusion criteria, and the parameters and criteria to be used to monitor subject safety, including stopping rules that assure a clinical trial will be stopped if certain adverse events should occur. Each protocol and any amendments to the protocol must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND. Clinical trials must be conducted and monitored in accordance with the FDA’s regulations comprising the GCP requirements, including the requirement that all research subjects provide informed consent. An IRB representing each institution participating in the clinical trial must review and approve the plan for any clinical trial before it commences at that institution, and the IRB must conduct continuing review and reapprove the trial at least annually. The IRB must review and approve, among other things, the trial protocol and informed consent information to be provided to trial subjects. An IRB must operate in compliance with FDA regulations. An IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its institution, or an institution it represents, if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the product candidate has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients.

Some trials are overseen by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the trial sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board or committee (DSMB). This group provides authorization as to whether or not a trial may move forward at designated check points based on access that only the group maintains to available data from the trial and may recommend halting the clinical trial if it determines that there is an unacceptable safety risk for subjects or other grounds, such as no demonstration of efficacy.

Certain information about certain clinical trials must also be submitted within specific timeframes to the NIH for public dissemination on its ClinicalTrials.gov website.

Clinical trials typically are conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined:

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Phase 1. The biological product candidate is initially introduced into healthy human subjects and tested for safety. In the case of some products for severe or life-threatening diseases, especially when the product may be too inherently toxic to ethically administer to healthy volunteers, the initial human testing is often conducted

in patients. These studies are designed to test the safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism and distribution of the biological product candidate in humans, the side effects associated with increasing doses, and, if possible, to gain early evidence of effectiveness.

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Phase 2. The biological product candidate is evaluated in a limited patient population with a specific disease or condition to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of the product for specific targeted diseases and to determine dosage tolerance, optimal dosage and dosing schedule. Multiple phase 2 clinical trials may be conducted to obtain information prior to beginning larger and more expensive phase 3 clinical trials.

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Phase 3. The biological product candidate is administered to an expanded patient population to further evaluate dosage, clinical efficacy, potency, and safety, generally at multiple geographically dispersed clinical trial sites. These clinical trials are intended to establish the overall risk/benefit ratio of the product candidate and provide an adequate basis for approval and product labeling.

In March 2022, the FDA released a final guidance entitled “Expansion Cohorts: Use in First-In-Human Clinical Trials to Expedite Development of Oncology Drugs and Biologics,” which outlines how developers can utilize an adaptive trial design commonly referred to as a seamless trial design in early stages of oncology biological product development (i.e., the first-in-human clinical trial) to compress the traditional three phases of trials into one continuous trial called an expansion cohort trial. Information to support the design of individual expansion cohorts are included in IND applications and assessed by FDA. Expansion cohort trials can potentially bring efficiency to biological product development and reduce developmental costs and time.

In some cases, the FDA may require, or companies may voluntarily pursue, additional clinical trials after a product is approved to gain more information about the product. These post-approval clinical trials, sometimes referred to as phase 4 clinical trials, may also be made a condition to approval of the BLA. Failure to exhibit due diligence with regard to conducting required phase 4 clinical trials could result in withdrawal of approval for products.

Concurrent with clinical trials, companies usually complete additional animal studies and also develop additional information about the chemistry and physical characteristics of the biological product as well as finalize a process for manufacturing the product in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. To help reduce the risk of the introduction of adventitious agents with use of biological products, the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act), emphasizes the importance of manufacturing control for products whose attributes cannot be precisely defined. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product candidate and, among other things, the sponsor must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality, potency and purity of the final biological product. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the biological product candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.

Both the FDA and the EMA provide expedited pathways for the development of biological product candidates for the treatment of rare diseases, particularly life-threatening diseases with high unmet medical need. Such biological product candidates may be eligible to proceed to registration following an early phase single clinical trial in a limited patient population which may be deemed a pivotal or registrational trial following review of the trial’s design, primary endpoints and results by the applicable regulatory agencies. Determination of the requirements to be deemed a pivotal or registrational trial is subject to the applicable regulatory authority’s scientific judgement and these requirements may differ in the United States and the European Union.

During all phases of clinical development, regulatory agencies require a sponsor assure extensive monitoring and auditing of all clinical activities, clinical data, and clinical trial investigators. Annual progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials, particularly the safety information, must be submitted to the FDA. Written IND safety reports must be promptly submitted to the FDA and the investigators for serious and unexpected adverse events associated with the use of the study drug, and in some cases, any findings from other studies of the same drug, tests in laboratory animals or in vitro testing that suggest a significant risk for human subjects, or any clinically important increase in the rate of a serious suspected adverse reaction over that listed in the protocol or investigator brochure. The sponsor must submit an IND safety report within 15 calendar days after the sponsor determines that the information qualifies for reporting. The sponsor also must notify the FDA of any unexpected fatal or life-threatening suspected adverse reaction within seven calendar days after the sponsor’s initial receipt of the information.

Regulatory authorities, the IRB or the sponsor may suspend a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the subjects are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk or that the trial is unlikely to meet its stated objectives. Some trials also include oversight by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical trial sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board, which provides authorization for whether or not a trial may move forward at designated check points based on access to certain data from the trial and may halt the clinical trial if it determines that there is an unacceptable safety risk for subjects or other grounds, such as no demonstration of efficacy.

U.S. Review and Approval Processes

Assuming successful completion of all required testing in accordance with all applicable regulatory requirements, the results of product development, nonclinical studies and clinical trials are submitted to the FDA as part of a BLA requesting approval to market the product for one or more indications. The BLA must include results of product development, laboratory and animal studies, human clinical trials, information on the manufacture and composition of the product, proposed labeling and other relevant information. The testing and approval processes require substantial time and effort and there can be no assurance that the FDA will accept the BLA for filing and, even if filed, that any approval will be granted on a timely basis, if at all.

Within 60 days following submission of the application, the FDA reviews the BLA submission to determine if it is substantially complete before the FDA accepts it for filing and full review. The FDA may refuse to file any BLA that it deems incomplete or not properly reviewable at the time of submission and may request additional information in a Complete Response letter. In this event, the BLA must be resubmitted with the additional information. The resubmitted application also is subject to review to determine if it is substantially complete before the FDA accepts it for filing. In most cases, the submission of a BLA is subject to a substantial application user fee, although the fee may be waived under certain circumstances. Under the performance goals and policies implemented by the FDA under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) for original BLAs, the FDA targets ten months from the filing date in which to complete its initial review of a standard application and respond to the applicant, and six months from the filing date for an application with priority review. The FDA does not always meet its PDUFA goal dates, and the review process is often significantly extended by FDA requests for additional information or clarification and in some cases, convening of an Advisory Committee. This review typically takes twelve months from the date the BLA is submitted to the FDA because the FDA has approximately two months to make a “filing” decision. The review process and the PDUFA goal date may be extended by three months if the FDA requests or the BLA sponsor otherwise provides additional information or clarification regarding information already provided in the submission within the last three months before the PDUFA goal date.

Once the submission is accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in-depth substantive review of the BLA. The FDA reviews the BLA to determine, among other things, whether the proposed product is safe, pure and potent for its intended use and whether the product is being manufactured in accordance with cGMP to ensure its continued safety, purity and purity. The FDA may refer applications for novel biological products or biological products that present difficult or novel questions of safety or efficacy to an advisory committee, typically a panel that includes clinicians and other experts, for review, evaluation and a recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions. During the biological product approval process, the FDA also will determine whether a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) is necessary to assure the safe use of the biological product. If the FDA concludes a REMS is needed, the sponsor of the BLA must submit a proposed REMS; the FDA will not approve the BLA without a REMS, if required.

Before approving a BLA, the FDA typically will inspect the facilities at which the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve the product unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. Additionally, before approving a BLA, the FDA will typically inspect one or more clinical sites to assure that the clinical trials were conducted in compliance with IND trial requirements and GCP requirements. To assure cGMP and GCP compliance, an applicant must incur significant expenditure of time, money and effort in the areas of training, record keeping, production and quality control.

Under the Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA) a BLA or supplement to a BLA for a novel product (e.g., new active ingredient, new indication, etc.) must contain data to assess the safety and effectiveness of the biological product for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product is safe and effective. The FDA may grant deferrals for submission of data or full or partial waivers. Unless otherwise required by regulation, PREA does not apply to any biological product for an indication for which orphan designation has been granted.

CADL US Equity

CADL · 10-K · period ended 2023-12-31

Item 1. Business.

CADL US Equity☆

CADL · 10-K · period ended 2023-12-31

Item 1. Business.

CADL US Equity