Mr. David Hyman reports

RAKOVINA THERAPEUTICS ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC PIVOT TO AI

Rakovina Therapeutics Inc. is undergoing a strategic evolution in its business model that will place the company at the forefront of artificial intelligence-driven (AI) precision medicine for cancer drug development research.

The company has entered into a collaboration agreement with Dr. Artem Cherkasov, granting Rakovina exclusive access to the proprietary Deep Docking (trademarked) AI platform for DNA-damage response targets. Dr. Cherkasov is a professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a senior scientist at the Vancouver Prostate Centre, and was appointed to the company's scientific advisory board in November, 2023.

Using the Deep Docking platform powered by advanced AI algorithms, Rakovina can quickly analyze billions of molecular structures to evaluate their potential as targeted cancer drugs. The company then validates the activity using its established R&D (research and development) infrastructure. This approach is innovative to developing new drug therapies that target DNA-damage response-related vulnerabilities that are common in many types of cancer.

"This strategic change of business for us is a significant step forward in Rakovina's mission," said executive chair Jeffrey Bacha. "The Deep Docking AI platform will rapidly screen billions of drug candidates against validated DNA-damage response targets, predicting safety, efficacy and pharmaceutical properties. We then validate their activity in our confirmatory assays and advance the most promising drug candidates through human clinical trials and pharmaceutical partnerships.

"Under the leadership of Rakovina's chief scientific officer, Dr. Mads Daugaard, we are honoured to leverage the expertise of Dr. Cherkasov and the research infrastructure already established in collaboration with UBC. We look forward to sharing additional details with our shareholders on our upcoming conference call," added Mr. Bacha.

Founded in 2021, Rakovina's mission has always been to transform and prolong the lives of individuals battling cancer. The DNA-damage response is a crucial mechanism for maintaining genomic integrity and defects in these pathways contribute to the development and progression of many cancers. Rakovina recognizes the urgency of addressing this issue and is committed to developing targeted therapies to overcome resistance to conventional treatments.

Rakovina strategic information conference call

The Rakovina leadership team and members of the scientific team will be hosting a conference call to provide additional information about the company's new strategic direction and industry insights.

Conference call details

Date:  April 3, 2024

Time:  10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. Eastern Time)

About Rakovina Therapeutics Inc.

Rakovina is focused on the development of new cancer treatments based on novel DNA-damage response technologies. The company has established a pipeline of novel DNA-damage response inhibitors with the goal of advancing one or more drug candidates into human clinical trials and obtaining marketing approval for new cancer therapeutics from Health Canada, the United States Food and Drug Administration, and similar international regulatory agencies.

Led by a seasoned team of industry experts, Rakovina is well positioned to drive innovation in the field of oncology. Mr. Bacha brings over 25 years of health care and life science experience, while Dr. Daugaard, brings decades of experience in DNA-damage responses and translational cancer research.

The company's scientific advisory board, chaired by Dr. Dennis Brown, comprises esteemed scientists and researchers in the fields of science and cancer research. The members are Dr. Cherkasov, Dr. Petra Hamerlik, Dr. Leonard Post and Dr. Wang Shen, who bring invaluable expertise to Rakovina's research and development efforts.

We seek Safe Harbor.