Oxford, UK, 24 November 2023 - Theolytics, a biotechnology company harnessing viruses to combat disease, presented pre-clinical data on its lead oncolytic adenovirus - THEO-260 at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) annual meeting, which was held from Friday October 20, 2023, to Tuesday, October 24, 2023, in Madrid, Spain.
ASCO Abstract
Title: Development of an oncolytic virus for the treatment of high grade serous
ovarian cancer and other stromal rich tumours
LINK to abstract
The data presented supports the progression of oncolytic adenovirus THEO-260 to first in human clinical trials. The results show THEO-260 is highly efficacious in killing cancer cells and cancer associated fibroblasts in fresh ovarian cancer patient tumour samples. Cancer associated fibroblasts in stromal rich tumours are a barrier to the effectiveness of many cancer treatments. The destruction of cancer associated fibroblasts, in addition to cancer cells, is a potentially exciting and differentiating feature of Theolytics’ virotherapy. To date, neither chemotherapy, nor immunotherapeutic approaches have been able to demonstrate a similar level of clearance of cancer associated fibroblasts pre-clinically, potentially positioning THEO-260 as a breakthrough in the oncolytic virus field.
Miriam Bazan-Peregrino, VP Translational Development at Theolytics who presented the data at ESMO 2023 said, “In pre-clinical models THEO-260 shows antitumour efficacy, with complete responses. The therapy demonstrates high selectivity and was shown to be safe in immunocompetent mouse models. The genetic and temperature stability of THEO-260 has been confirmed and is currently being GMP manufactured at high yields. Together, these data support the development of this promising new therapy, which we hope will create a step-change in the treatment of Platinum Resistant Ovarian Cancer.”
Theolytics’ CEO, Charlotte Casebourne Stock commented, "With our investors’ continued support, and runway past first clinical read-outs, we’re excited to enter this next phase of Theolytics’ development - becoming a clinical stage company next year and progressing this promising new therapy for ovarian cancer patients."
About Theolytics
Theolytics is focused on developing category changing cancer therapies in the form of oncolytic viruses. The company is pioneering a phenotypic screening approach to the discovery and development of efficacious, targeted candidates suitable for systemic intravenous delivery and optimised for a chosen patient population. Theolytics, which was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Oxford, UK, is backed by Oxford Science Enterprises and international life sciences investors Epidarex Capital, Taiho Ventures, and M Ventures.
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