4D Pharma Announces Publication of Data Highlighting Immuno-Stimulatory Properties of MRx0518

- 4D pharma plc (AIM: DDDD), a pharmaceutical company leading the development of Live Biotherapeutics, today announces the publication of a paper outlining the mechanism and strong immuno-stimulatory effects of MRx0518.   The paper 'The flagellin of candidate live biotherapeutic Enterococcus gallinarum MRx0518 is a potent immunostimulant' (Lauté-Caly et al) is published in the Nature Publishing Group journal Scientific Reports.   4D researchers demonstrated that MRx0518 stimulates both the innate and adaptive immune systems and identified the bacterial flagellin (a specific component of the MRx0518 bacterium) that interacts with the host TLR5 receptors as a mediator of this process.  The TLR5 pathway is known to be associated with the body's response to cancer. Dr Alex Stevenson, 4D's Chief Scientific Officer, commented: "This publication exemplifies our commitment to conducting leading microbiome research and further highlights the importance of a strain-level understanding of function and mechanism in selecting live biotherapeutic candidates for clinical development." 4D is conducting a number of clinical trials with MRx0518 across a range of settings in 2019. The first of which, a combination study with Keytruda® in collaboration with Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ., USA, and conducted at MD Anderson Cancer Centre, is open for recruitment. Please find a copy of the paper here: http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-36926-8 About 4D  Founded in February 2014, 4D is a world leader in the development of live biotherapeutics, a novel and emerging class of drugs, defined by the FDA as biological products that contain a live organism, such as a bacteria, that is applicable to the prevention, treatment or cure of a disease.  4D has developed a proprietary platform that rationally identifies novel bacteria based on a deep understanding of function and mechanism.  All of 4D's live biotherapeutic products are orally delivered single strains of bacteria that are naturally found in the healthy human gut.  4D has a phase II study in Irritable Bowel Syndrome and a phase I study in solid tumours open in addition to programmes covering disease areas such as asthma and CNS disease.  The Company plans to commence three additional clinical studies in 2019. For more information, refer to https://www.4dpharmaplc.com/. About MRx0518  The microbiome has been implicated in cancer treatment and response in a range of clinical settings.  The microbiome profile of patients has been demonstrated to drive response to anti-PD-1 therapy in both melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer.  MRx0518 has demonstrated robust efficacy as an immuno-stimulant and anti-tumour agent in multiple tumour models such as breast cancer, renal cell carcinoma and lung cancer. The company is investigating MRx0518 across a range of clinical cancer settings in 2019. For further information please contact: 4D     Duncan Peyton, Chief Executive Officer, +44(0)113-895-0130Fay Weston, Head of Investor Relations, +44(0)799-038-1713