Capricor Therapeutics Announces Strategic Plan for Exosome Platform Technology Products Expansion

Company Appoints Stephen Gould, Ph.D. as Executive Consultant for its Exosomes Program

LOS ANGELES, March 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CAPR) a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of first-in-class biological therapeutics for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and other rare disorders, today announced the expansion of its strategic plan to further develop the company’s exosome platform technologies. In conjunction with these efforts, Stephen Gould, Ph.D. has been appointed as Executive Consultant to guide Capricor’s development of exosome-based vaccines and exosome-based therapeutics.  Dr. Gould, a Professor of Biological Chemistry at Johns Hopkins University, is an internationally recognized exosome expert who brings an unparalleled understanding of exosome engineering to Capricor’s exosome-based research and development programs.

“One of the reasons the exosomes are potentially so useful and transformative is their ability to speak the language of a cell. We are excited by the commitment of Dr. Gould to help us explore the potential of exosome-based vaccines to help prevent human diseases and exosome-based therapeutics in treating human diseases. We look forward to announcing more updates shortly which will further outline some of our near-term goals within our exosomes program,” said Linda Marbán, Ph.D., Capricor’s president and chief executive officer.

Dr. Gould stated, “Exosomes are the body’s natural way of sending complex signals between cells and tissues. As a result, exosome-based vaccines have the potential to elicit more effective immune reactions against infectious agents and cancers, while exosome-based therapeutics have the potential to stabilize drugs and deliver them to their intended site of action. In addition, Capricor’s extensive expertise in cell culture and exosome purification provide it with numerous advantages for the scale-up and processing of exosome-based products, and together we will work to apply that ability to the production of viral vaccines, vesicle-mediated protein therapies, and treatment of inherited diseases. It’s a pleasure to be working with the talented Capricor team as we work together to develop exosome-based vaccines and drugs.”

Capricor has presented strong preclinical data using its proprietary cardiosphere-derived cell (CDC)-exosomes in many animal models. More specifically, Capricor has utilized this technology in pre-clinical studies of inflammation and intense immune activation such as DMD, sepsis, Graft- versus-host disease (GVHD) and trauma. While Capricor’s CDC-derived exosomes have strong clinical potential, Capricor is committed to developing precision-engineered exosomes that carry defined sets of effector molecules which exert their effects through defined mechanisms of action.

About Stephen J. Gould

Stephen J. Gould, Ph.D. is a Professor of Biological Chemistry at Johns Hopkins University where he directs a research laboratory dedicated to understanding the biology of exosomes, especially in the context of human disease, while also serving as Director of Johns Hopkins University’s Graduate Program in Biological Chemistry. Dr. Gould is co-Founder and acting President of the American Society for Exosomes and Microvesicles (ASEMV), CSO of TAVEC Pharma, and consultant to numerous biotech and pharma companies. Dr. Gould’s team was the first to reveal the mechanistic link between exosome biogenesis and virus budding, the first to identify mechanisms of exosome engineering, and the first to develop an exosome-based cancer therapeutic.  Dr. Gould has published numerous research articles, invited reviews, and several book chapters, received numerous public and private research grants, organized numerous scientific conferences, and served on an array of NIH and other grant review panels.

About Capricor Therapeutics

Capricor Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAPR) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class biological therapeutics for the treatment of rare disorders. Capricor’s lead candidate, CAP-1002, is an allogeneic cell therapy that is currently in clinical development for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Capricor has also established itself as one of the companies investigating the field of extracellular vesicles and is exploring the potential of exosome-based candidates to treat a variety of disorders. For more information, visit www.capricor.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release regarding the efficacy, safety, and intended utilization of Capricor's product candidates; the initiation, conduct, size, timing and results of discovery efforts and clinical trials; the pace of enrollment of clinical trials; plans regarding regulatory filings, future research and clinical trials; regulatory developments involving products, including the ability to obtain regulatory approvals or otherwise bring products to market; plans regarding current and future collaborative activities and the ownership of commercial rights; scope, duration, validity and enforceability of intellectual property rights; future royalty streams, revenue projections; expectations with respect to the expected use of proceeds from the recently completed offerings and the anticipated effects of the offerings, and any other statements about Capricor's management team's future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words "believes," "plans," "could," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates," "should," "target," "will," "would" and similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. More information about these and other risks that may impact Capricor's business is set forth in Capricor's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 29, 2019, and as amended by its Amendment No. 1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 1, 2019, in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2019, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 8, 2019, and in its Registration Statement on Form S-1 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 5, 2019 and the prospectus contained therein, together with any amendments and supplements thereto. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Capricor as of the date hereof, and Capricor assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

CAP-1002 is an Investigational New Drug and is not approved for any indications. None of Capricor’s exosome-based candidates have been approved for clinical investigation.

For more information, please contact:

Investor Contact:
Joyce Allaire - Managing Director
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
jallaire@lifesciadvisors.com
(617) 435-6602

Company Contact:
AJ Bergmann, Chief Financial Officer 
+1-310-358-3200
abergmann@capricor.com 

Released March 17, 2020