Provectus Biopharmaceuticals Announces Presentation of Multiple Protein Kinase Signaling Targets, including WNK1, for PV-10® Immunotherapy at American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2022 Annual Meeting

KNOXVILLE, TN, April 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Provectus (OTCQB: PVCT) today announced that preclinical research on systemic administration of investigational cancer immunotherapy PV-10 (rose bengal sodium) for the treatment of high-risk and refractory adult solid tumor cancers is being presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), being held April 8-13, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This PV-10 research has been led by Aru Narendran, MD, PhD and his team from the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Dr. Narendran and his colleagues previously showed that PV-10 induced cell death at pharmacologically-relevant concentrations in a panel of phenotypically-diverse adult solid tumor cell lines comprising breast, colorectal, head and neck, and testicular cancers (Tran et al. 2021 ASCO). The University of Calgary team subsequently investigated target validation and modulation of PV-10 treatment on protein kinase signaling and associated impacts on specific oncogenic pathways in these adult solid tumor cancers.

A copy of the AACR poster presentation is available on Provectus’ website at https://www.provectusbio.com/media/docs/publications/AACR2022_PV-10_Adult_Tumor_Poster.pdf.

Highlights from the 2022 AACR Presentation:

• PV-10 delivers cytotoxic activity in vitro against a panel of high-risk and refractory adult solid tumor cell lines
  • PV-10 is cytotoxic at pharmacologically-relevant concentrations across all cancer cell lines
• PV-10 treatment shows target modulation of key markers associated with apoptosis and autophagy induction
  • Western blot analyses yield time-dependent target modulation of pro-apoptotic protein markers and autophagic regulators in all cancer types
• PV-10 targets multiple protein kinase signaling pathways, including the phosphorylation of WNK lysine deficient kinase 1 (WNK1)
  • PV-10 treatment leads to consistent inhibition of WNK1 phosphorylation at the T60 site in all cancer types based on protein kinase profiling of PV-10-treated cancer cells compared to vehicle-treated cells
  • Corresponding β-catenin levels for each cancer type are also shown
• PV-10 treatment inhibits the migration of cancer cells similar to pan-WNK inhibitor WNK463 in different head and neck cancer cell lines

Dominic Rodrigues, Vice Chair of Provectus’ Board of Directors, said, “WNK1 is recognized as an inhibitor of autophagy and a promoter of cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in breast cancer, glioblastoma, and non-small cell lung cancer. WNK1 potentially regulates important oncogenic pathways, including Wnt signaling by controlling β-catenin levels. We are grateful to Dr. Narendran and his University of Calgary team for their many discoveries related to PV-10 cancer treatment, including now identifying multiple, specific, actionable drug targets.”

About PV-10

Intralesional (IL) administration of PV-10 for the treatment of solid tumor cancers can yield immunogenic cell death within hours of tumor injection, and induce tumor-specific reactivity in circulating T cells within days. This PV-10-induced functional T cell response may be enhanced and boosted in combination with immune checkpoint blockade (CB). In CB-refractory disease, PV-10 may restore disease-specific T cell function. IL PV-10 has been administered to over 450 patients with melanoma and cancers of the liver in both monotherapy and combination therapy settings. IL PV-10 is administered under visual, tactile, or ultrasound guidance to superficial malignancies, and under CT or ultrasound guidance to visceral hepatic tumors.

Systemic administration of PV-10 is undergoing preclinical study as prophylactic and therapeutic treatments for high-risk and refractory adult solid tumor cancers, and as a therapeutic treatment for relapsed and refractory blood cancers.

About Provectus

Provectus Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Provectus or the Company) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing immunotherapy medicines for different disease areas based on a class of small molecules called halogenated xanthenes. Multi-route of administration drug discovery and development programs include investigational drugs and drug targets in oncology (clinical-stage), dermatology (clinical-stage), hematology, virology, microbiology, ophthalmology (clinical-stage), and animal health. Information about the Company’s clinical trials can be found at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) registry, www.clinicaltrials.gov. For additional information about Provectus, please visit the Company’s website at www.provectusbio.com.

Trademarks

PV-10^® is registered trademark of Provectus Pharmatech, Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.A.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: The information in this press release may include “forward-looking statements,” within the meaning of U.S. securities legislation, relating to the business of Provectus and its affiliates, which are based on the opinions and estimates of Company management and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as “seek,” “anticipate,” “budget,” “plan,” “continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “may,” “will,” “project,” “predict,” “potential,” “targeting,” “intend,” “could,” “might,” “should,” “believe,” and similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook.

The safety and efficacy of the agents and/or uses under investigation have not been established. There is no guarantee that the agents will receive health authority approval or become commercially available in any country for the uses being investigated or that such agents as products will achieve any particular revenue levels.

Due to the risks, uncertainties, and assumptions inherent in forward-looking statements, readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof or as of the date specifically specified herein, and Provectus undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Risks, uncertainties, and assumptions include those discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC, including those described in Item 1A of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.

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Contact:

Provectus Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
Heather Raines, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Phone: (866) 594-5999