10:36 AM EST, 11/06/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Medicenna Therapeutics ( MDNAF ) said Thursday its lead candidate MDNA-11 is being tested with two major immunotherapies in an Italian clinical trial.

The trial, Neo-Cyt, involves patients with high-risk, surgically resectable Stage III cutaneous melanoma and is sponsored by the non-profit Melanoma Foundation at the National Cancer Institute's G. Pascale Foundation in Naples, Italy. Medicenna will supply study drugs. These earlier-stage melanoma patients have immune systems that are more amenable to immunotherapy and may be more likely to benefit from MDNA11 treatment, a statement said.

According to the study's lead investigator, Paolo Ascierto,"Treating patients undergoing curative surgery while the tumor is still present can generate deeper and more durable immune responses. Advancing into the neoadjuvant setting represents a logical next-step in clinical development of any promising immunotherapy by treating earlier-stage, high-risk patients."

"We've already seen deep durable responses with MDNA11 in heavily pretreated patients with advanced metastatic cancers and profoundly compromised immune systems in the on-going ABILITY-1 trial. NEO-CYT is our next chapter - testing MDNA11 where the immune system is whole, the tumor can educate cancer fighting immune cells, and pathologic response gives a fast, rigorous signal of activity within weeks," said chief executive Fahar Merchant.

Medicenna also confirmed that it has sufficient cash to last into at least the middle of next year.

Medicenna shares are up $0.01, to $1.63, on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

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