UCP1

TERN-501 significantly improved the efficacy of a GLP-1 receptor agonist by normalizing energy expenditure, resulting in greater weight loss, increased fat mass loss and relative preservation of lean massFOSTER CITY, Calif., June 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Terns” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: TERN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a portfolio of small-molecule product candidates to address serious diseases, including oncology and obesity, today announced that preclinical data supporting TERN-501, a highly selective thyroid hormone receptor beta (THR-β) receptor agonist, in combination with a GLP-1 receptor agonist for obesity will be highlighted in a poster presentation at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 84th Scientific Sessions, taking place June 21 – 24, 2024 in Orlando, FL. “While GLP-1 receptor agonists facilitate weight loss by suppressing food intake, efficacy may be limited by metabolic adaptation, a counter regulatory process that lowers energy expenditure in response to weight loss. THR-β agonism, an orthogonal mechanism to GLP-1, appears to unlock additional efficacy of GLP-1 therapies by normalizing energy expenditure during weight loss, while preserving relative lean mass,” said Emil Kuriakose, M.D., chief medical officer at Terns. “These exciting results suggest that TERN-501 may be an ideal combination partner for injectable and oral GLP-1 agonists for use in obesity and other metabolic disorders by potentially offering broader metabolic benefits beyond additional weight loss.” The poster and viewing detail are listed below: Presentation Title: TERN-501 Enhances Weight Loss Efficacy of a GLP-1R Agonist in Obese Mice via Increased Fat Mass Loss without Additional Loss of Lean MassAbstract Number: 760Presentation Date and Time: Sunday, June 23, 2024 from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. ETSession: Clinical Therapeutics—Incretin-Based TherapiesPresenter: Christopher Jones The presentation reports results from a preclinical study in mice fed a high fat diet for 24 weeks prior to study start. Obese mice were treated once daily with vehicle, TERN-501, semaglutide, TERN-501+semaglutide, or tirzepatide for six weeks. The combination of TERN-501+ semaglutide significantly enhanced weight loss compared to semaglutide alone. Additionally, the TERN-501+semaglutide combination showed proportionally greater loss of fat mass relative to lean mass compared to semaglutide alone, indicating improved quality of weight loss. The study also explored metabolic adaptation, a counter regulatory process that decreases energy expenditure and limits the magnitude and sustainability of weight loss. Mice treated with semaglutide and tirzepatide showed significant weight loss that was associated with decreases in energy expenditure. When TERN-501 was combined with semaglutide, weight loss-induced lowering of energy expenditure was prevented and increases in the thermogenesis marker, UCP-1, were observed in subcutaneous adipose tissue. TERN-501 has potential to attenuate metabolic adaptation and normalize energy expenditure, which may enhance the weight loss efficacy of GLP-1 therapies. The full poster is available on Terns’ scientific publications website. In addition, Terns announced that management will participate in a fireside chat at the Piper Sandler Virtual Obesity Day on June 26, 2024 at 12:30pm ET. The Piper Sandler event webcast link is available from Piper Sandler and will require registration. About TERN-501 TERN-501 is a THR-β agonist with high metabolic stability, enhanced liver distribution and greater selectivity for THR-β compared to other THR-β agonists in development. The Phase 2a DUET trial (NCT05415722) produced positive top-line data in August 2023; showing compelling MRI-PDFF reductions and best-in-class safety and tolerability profile with TERN-501 in MASH. Terns has deprioritized development for MASH given the current regulatory and clinical development requirements for the indication. Terns continues to evaluate opportunities for TERN-501, including in other metabolic diseases, with a focus towards combination regimens for obesity. About Terns Pharmaceuticals Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a portfolio of small molecule product candidates to address serious diseases, including oncology and obesity. Terns’ pipeline contains three clinical stage development programs including an allosteric BCR-ABL inhibitor, a small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, a THR-β agonist, and a preclinical GIPR modulator discovery effort, prioritizing a GIPR antagonist nomination candidate. For more information, please visit: www.ternspharma.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements about the Company within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including those related to expectations, timing and potential results of the clinical trials and other development activities of the Company and its partners; the potential indications to be targeted by the Company with its small molecule product candidates; the therapeutic potential of the Company’s small molecule product candidates, including when used in combination with another product or product candidate; the potential for the mechanisms of action of the Company’s product candidates to be therapeutic targets for their targeted indications; the potential utility and progress of the Company’s product candidates in their targeted indications, including the clinical utility of the data from and the endpoints used in the Company’s clinical trials; the Company’s clinical development plans and activities, the Company’s expectations regarding the profile of its product candidates, including efficacy, tolerability, safety, metabolic stability and pharmacokinetic profile and potential differentiation as compared to other products or product candidates; and the Company’s plans for and ability to continue to execute on its current development strategy, including potential combinations involving multiple product candidates. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding the Company’s strategy, future financial condition, future operations, future trial results, projected costs, prospects, plans, objectives of management and expected market growth, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “design,” “due,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “plan,” “positioned,” “potential,” “predict,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and other similar expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events and future trends, or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. The Company has based these forward-looking statements largely on its current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about future events and financial trends that it believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results and the implementation of the Company’s plans to vary materially, including the risks associated with the initiation, cost, timing, progress, results and utility of the Company’s current and future research and development activities and preclinical studies and clinical trials. These risks are not exhaustive. For a detailed discussion of the risk factors that could affect the Company’s actual results, please refer to the risk factors identified in the Company’s SEC reports, including but not limited to its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason. Contacts for Terns InvestorsJustin Nginvestors@ternspharma.com MediaJenna UrbanBerry & Company Public Relationsmedia@ternspharma.com

Turning down the thermostat seems to make it harder for cancer cells to grow, according to a new study in mice. The study found that chilly temperatures activate heat-producing brown fat that consumes the sugars the tumors need to thrive. Similar metabolic mechanisms were found in a cancer patient exposed to a lowered room temperature. Turning down the thermostat seems to make it harder for cancer cells to grow, according to a study in mice by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The study, published in the journal Nature, found that chilly temperatures activate heat-producing brown fat that consumes the sugars the tumors need to thrive. Similar metabolic mechanisms were found in a cancer patient exposed to a lowered room temperature. "We found that cold-activated brown adipose tissue competes against tumors for glucose and can help inhibit tumor growth in mice," says Professor Yihai Cao at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, and corresponding author. "Our findings suggest that cold exposure could be a promising novel approach to cancer therapy, although this needs to be validated in larger clinical studies." The study compared tumor growth and survival rates in mice with various types of cancer, including colorectal, breast and pancreatic cancers, when exposed to cold versus warm living conditions. Mice acclimatized to temperatures of 4 degrees Celsius had significantly slower tumor growth and lived nearly twice as long compared with mice in rooms of 30 degrees Celsius. To find out why that is, the researchers analyzed markers in the tissue to study cellular reactions and used imaging tests to examine glucose metabolism. Cancer cells typically need large amounts of glucose, or sugar, to grow. They found that cold temperatures triggered significant glucose uptake in brown adipose tissue, also known as brown fat, a type of fat that is responsible for keep the body warm during cold conditions. At the same time, the glucose signals were barely detectable in the tumor cells. When the researchers removed either the brown fat or a protein crucial for its metabolism called UCP1, the beneficial effect of the cold exposure was essentially wiped out and the tumors grew at a pace on par with those that were exposed to higher temperatures. Similarly, feeding tumor-bearing mice with a high sugar drink also obliterated the effect of cold temperatures and restored tumor growth. "Interestingly, high sugar drinks seem to cancel out the effect of cold temperatures on cancer cells, suggesting that limiting glucose supply is probably one of the most important methods for tumor suppression," Yihai Cao says. To study the human relevance of the findings, the researchers recruited six healthy volunteers and one patient with cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Using positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, the researchers identified a significant amount of brown fat activated in the neck, spine and chest area of healthy adults wearing shorts and T-shirts while being exposed to a slightly chilly room temperature of 16 degrees Celsius for up to six hours per day for two weeks. The patient with cancer wore light clothing while spending time in rooms of 22 degrees Celsius for a week and then in rooms of 28 degrees Celsius for four days. Prior research has shown that even though there are significant individual differences, 28 degrees Celsius is generally considered a comfortable environmental temperature (the thermoneutral temperature) for most inactive humans. The imaging scans picked up increased brown fat and lowered tumor glucose uptake during the lower versus the higher temperature. "These temperatures are considered tolerable by most people," Yihai Cao says. "We are therefore optimistic that cold therapy and activation of brown adipose tissue with other approaches such as drugs could represent another tool in the toolbox for treating cancer." The study was funded by the European Research Council, the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Cancer Society, the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund, the Strategic research area in stem cells and regenerative medicine at Karolinska Institutet, the Torsten Söderberg Foundation, the Maud and Birger Gustavsson Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.