Eterna Therapeutics Completes Strategic Financial Restructuring with the Aim to Accelerate its Developmental Activities and Long-Term Success

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eterna Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ERNA) (“Eterna” or the “Company”) today announced the successful completion of a comprehensive financial restructuring of the Company with the aim to accelerate its developmental activities and long-term success. This restructuring includes reduction of its liabilities by discontinuing a longstanding lease, reducing the debt on its balance sheet and a new round of financing through a private investment in public equity (PIPE) investment.

As a part of this financial restructuring, the Company has significantly reduced its liability by discontinuing a longstanding lease, resulting in an estimated $72 million in savings and a reduction of approximately $700,000 in monthly cash outflow. With shareholder approval at the October 29, 2024, annual meeting, the Company also completed a series of transactions that significantly reduced its balance sheet debt. The company has additionally secured a new round of $5 million in financing through a PIPE investment.

“This financial restructuring clears a path for Eterna to execute our strategic mission to develop innovative off the-shelf cellular therapies internally and in collaboration with our academic partners with more focus and greater financial agility,” says Sanjeev Luther, President and CEO of Eterna Therapeutics.

Eterna continues to advance its lead therapeutic candidate ERNA-101, an induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs) product designed to deliver IL-7/IL-15 selectively to tumors with an initial focus on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and platinum-resistant, TP53-mutant ovarian cancer. With these ongoing initiatives and a stronger financial position, Eterna believes it’s well-positioned for IND-enabling studies and targets IND submissions by 2026.

About Eterna Therapeutics Inc.

Eterna Therapeutics is a publicly traded, preclinical-stage company focused on using cutting-edge tools to deliver highly innovative, effective, and safe off-the-shelf cell therapies for the treatment of advanced solid tumors, with an initial emphasis on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and platinum-resistant, TP53-mutant ovarian cancer. The company is currently focused on advancing its lead product ERNA-101, an induced allogenic mesenchymal stem cell (iMSC) product, designed to selectively deliver the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-7 and IL-15 to the tumor microenvironment (TME) in order to drive significant anti-tumor immunity. ERNA-101 is built on the company's in-licensed core technology, which utilizes a best-in-class approach to engineer allogenic iPSCs to express genes of interest and to efficiently differentiate these cells into iMSCs. For more information, please visit https://www.eternatx.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements, in some cases, can be identified by terms such as "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "design," "intend," "expect," "could," "plan," "potential," "predict," "seek," "should," "would," "contemplate," "project," "target," "objective," or the negative version of these words and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Eterna's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this press release, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties related to: Eterna's ability to raise capital when and as needed to advance its product candidate, execute its business strategy and continue as a going concern; the performance ability of Eterna's in-licensed core technology; the outcome of collaborations with third-parties; and the evolution of Eterna's business model into a preclinical-stage company focused on the treatment of advanced solid tumors, rare diseases. Forward-looking statements are based upon Eterna's current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. For a detailed description of Eterna's risks and uncertainties, you are encouraged to review its documents filed with the SEC including its recent filings on Form 8-K, Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they were made. Eterna does not undertake any obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date hereof, except as required by applicable law.

Investor Relations Contact:
investors@eternatx.com