Virion Therapeutics Presents Promising Preclinical Cancer Data When Using a Novel Genetically Encoded Checkpoint Modifier-Based Immunotherapy

Virion Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech company focused on the development of novel, adaptable, and accessible CD8⁺ T cell-based technologies focused on cancers and infectious diseases, presented data today of a genetically encoded checkpoint modifier-based immunotherapy, which enhances CD8⁺ T cell activation, in a fast-growing preclinical tumor model at the ESMO Target Anti cancer Therapies Congress in Paris France.

Top line results, following a single intramuscular injection of this novel immunotherapy include:

• Enhanced immune responses (10- to 15-fold) to oncogenic antigens
• At study completion, 100% survival (n=30/30), 100% initial tumor clearance (n=30/30), and 93% of animals were tumor free (n=28/30)
  • In contrast, all mice treated with a control vaccine experienced rapid tumor growth and death by Day 30 (n=20)
• These results were durable and reproducible across multiple treatment groups and studies

“Glycoprotein D (gD), when genetically expressed as a fusion protein with antigen(s) of choice, enhances, broadens, and prolongs CD8⁺ T cell responses.  In this preclinical model of fast-growing HPV-16-associated tumors, a gD-based immunotherapy against HPV-16 provided incredibly strong protection against tumor growth and death,” said Hildegund Ertl, MD, Professor, Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, at The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia PA and Scientific Co-Founder of Virion Therapeutics. “Targeting different checkpoints of early T cell activation represents a novel approach to overcoming T cell impairments during tumor progression and these data further support its potential application, alone or in combination with other checkpoint inhibitors, for a wide range of cancers.”

“These preclinical oncology data demonstrated treatment responses which were profound, durable, and reproducible – and show clear differentiation to any other immunotherapy or vaccine in development. We are excited to be advancing our checkpoint modifier pipeline, not only with IND-enabling activities for our oncology program, but also, VRON-0200, for chronic HBV, which is heading to the clinic this summer,” said Andrew Luber, Pharm.D., President, and chief executive officer of Virion.