Enara Bio relocates to The Oxford Science Park’s newest facility to expand R&D capabilities in the search for novel cancer immunotherapies

Oxford and London, UK – 9^th December 2020. Enara Bio, a biotechnology company leveraging its proprietary T-cell/T-cell receptor (TCR) discovery and Dark Antigen™ platforms to deliver targeted cancer immunotherapies, announces its expansion and move to the new Bellhouse Building at The Oxford Science Park. Enara Bio’s move from the Oxford BioEscalator to one of the UK's largest biomedical innovation centres is in preparation for its future growth and ambition to transform cancer care. The dedicated research facility will enable the company to accelerate the preclinical development of its lead MR1-targeting T-cell therapy program while continuing to drive the discovery of novel cancer antigens and TCRs for immunotherapy.

The move, which will see the company occupy over 5,000 sq. ft of office and laboratory space in the Bellhouse Building, is a key milestone in Enara Bio’s growth and development. The purpose-built facility will enable Enara Bio to bring together key personnel with world-leading capabilities in bioinformatics, immunopeptidomics, cell therapy process development, and immunology to discover and develop novel TCR-based immunotherapies.

Kevin Pojasek, President and CEO of Enara Bio, said:

“We are delighted to be expanding and moving into The Oxford Science Park. As pioneers of TCR-directed T-cell immunotherapies, it seems fitting that we will be the first occupier of the Bellhouse Building, the park’s latest, state-of-the-art facility. Our current growth is fuelled by the interest generated by our innovation platform and its transformative potential. The move will enable us to scale up our research and development efforts and hopefully realize this potential as we explore novel targets such as Dark Antigens™ and MR1, which hold great promise in the search for next generation cancer immunotherapies.”

Piers Scrimshaw-Wright, CEO of The Oxford Science Park, added:

“Enara Bio’s exciting work on novel immunotherapies makes it the ideal first occupier of the Bellhouse Building, named after one of the University of Oxford’s earliest entrepreneurs. Professor Brian Bellhouse formed PowderJect in 1993, and based the company at The Oxford Science Park, where Enara Bio can now continue its own pioneering research. We are delighted to welcome the company to the Park and look forward to supporting its development in the coming years.”

 About Enara Bio

Enara Bio (formerly Ervaxx) is a science-led company targeting the T-cell/cancer-cell interface (the “immune synapse”) to develop new targeted cancer immunotherapies designed to treat a broad patient population. Enara Bio is exploring the hidden depths of cancer and T-cell biology to discover and characterize novel immunotherapy targets, such as Dark Antigens™ and MR1-presented ligands. We are pioneering approaches to exploit these targets with TCR-directed T-cell immunotherapy and therapeutic vaccines. To achieve our mission, we are leveraging our differentiated Dark Antigen™ and TCR discovery platforms that integrate bioinformatics, immunopeptidomics, metabolomics and immunology in our Oxford, UK-based research lab. Enara Bio is backed by leading life science investors, including SV Health Investors. We have partnerships with world-class academic institutions, including the Francis Crick Institute, Cardiff University, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the University of Oxford, to help drive the leading edge of these new areas of science.

For more information visit: www.enarabio.com

About The Oxford Science Park

The Oxford Science Park is owned and managed by Magdalen College, Oxford. Created in 1991, the Park upholds the College’s heritage and provides one of the most influential science & technology environments in the UK. There is approaching 750,000 square feet of workspace accommodation across the Park, which is now home to 2,700 people and more than 130 businesses. These range from start-ups based in the Magdalen Centre innovation hub to major international companies and include Blue Earth Diagnostics, MiroBio, OrganOx, OxSonics Therapeutics, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, OXGENE, ProImmune, Oxford Sciences Innovation, Evox Therapeutics, Vaccitech, Exscientia, Sensyne Health and Intuitive Surgical.

In addition to being a key property investment, the Park is at the heart of Magdalen College's strategy to support discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship. It will continue to develop The Oxford Science Park as a long-term strategic asset, with ambitious plans to create an additional 500,000+ sq ft of office and laboratory space on the remaining 12 acres of land over the next 3-5 years. This additional capacity will support the growth of businesses already based on the Park, providing flexible workspace accommodation, and enabling new companies to enjoy the Park’s exceptional environment and collegiate and collaborative ethos. The Oxford Science Park is located approximately four miles south-east of Oxford city centre, just off the City’s southern ring road. It has easy access to the M40 and A34, as well as to Heathrow Airport and mainline train services. For further information, please visit: www.oxfordsp.com or follow us on twitter @OxfordSciencePK