GlobeNewswire Inc | Dec 13, 2021 07:00AM EST

December 13, 2021

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Dec. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gritstone bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: GRTS), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing the next generation of cancer and infectious disease immunotherapies, today announced that the company has been added to the NASDAQ Biotech Index (Nasdaq: NBI), effective prior to market open on Monday, December 20, 2021.

The NASDAQ Biotechnology Index is designed to track the performance of a set of securities listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq) that are classified as either biotechnology or pharmaceutical according to the Industry Classification Benchmark (ICB). The NASDAQ Biotechnology Index is calculated under a modified capitalization-weighted methodology. Companies in the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index must meet eligibility requirements, including minimum market capitalization, average daily trading volume and seasoning as a public company, among other criteria. Nasdaq selects constituents once annually in December.

For more information about the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index, please visit https://indexes.nasdaqomx.com/Index/Overview/NBI.

About Gritstone Gritstone bio, Inc.(Nasdaq: GRTS), a clinical-stage biotechnology company, is developing the next generation of immunotherapies against multiple cancer types and infectious diseases. Gritstone develops its products by leveraging two key pillarsfirst, a proprietary machine learning-based platform, Gritstone EDGE, which is designed to predict antigens that are presented on the surface of cells, such as tumor or virally-infected cells, that can be seen by the immune system; and, second, the ability to develop and manufacture potent immunotherapies utilizing these antigens to potentially drive the patients immune system to specifically attack and destroy disease-causing cells. The companys lead oncology programs include an individualized neoantigen-based immunotherapy, GRANITE, and an off-the-shelf shared neoantigen-based immunotherapy, SLATE, which are being evaluated in clinical studies. Within its infectious disease pipeline, Gritstone is advancing CORAL, a COVID-19 program to develop a second-generation vaccine, with support from departments within theNational Institutes of Health(NIH), theBill & Melinda Gates Foundation, theCoalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations(CEPI) and through a license agreement withLa Jolla Institute for Immunology(LJI). Additionally, the company has a global collaboration for the development of a therapeutic HIV vaccine with Gilead Sciences.For more information, please visit gritstone.com.

Gritstone Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements related to the potential of Gritstones therapeutic programs; the advancements in the companys ongoing clinical trials; the timing of data announcements related to ongoing clinical trials and the initiation of future clinical trials. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause Gritstones research and clinical development programs, future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainties inherent in the drug development process, including Gritstones programs early stage of development, the process of designing and conducting preclinical and clinical trials, the regulatory approval processes, the timing of regulatory filings, the challenges associated with manufacturing drug products, Gritstones ability to successfully establish, protect and defend its intellectual property and other matters that could affect the sufficiency of existing cash to fund operations. Gritstone undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of the company in general, see Gritstones most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 3, 2021 and any current and periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Gritstone ContactsMedia:Dan Budwick1AB(973) 271-6085dan@1abmedia.com

Investors:Tim McCarthyLifeSci Advisorstim@lifesciadvisors.com