BioInvent and Transgene collaborate on next generation oncolytic viruses encoding an anti-CTLA-4 antibody to treat solid tumors

BioInvent and Transgene collaborate on next generation oncolytic viruses encoding an anti-CTLA-4 antibody to treat solid tumors


Strasbourg, France, and Lund, Sweden, – December 6, 2017 – Transgene (Euronext Paris: TNG), a company that designs and develops viral-based immunotherapies, and BioInvent International AB (OMXS: BINV), focused on the discovery and development of novel and first-in-class immuno-regulatory antibodies to treat cancer and have entered a collaboration to co-develop next generation oncolytic virus (OV) candidates encoding an anti-CTLA-4 antibody sequence - potentially with additional transgenes - capable of treating multiple solid tumors.

Under the terms of the agreement Transgene will contribute both its OV design and engineering expertise as well as its proprietary engineered Vaccinia virus, derived from its Invir.IOTM platform. These oncolytic viruses are designed to directly and selectively destroy cancer cells by the intracellular replication of the virus in the cancer cell (oncolysis). Oncolysis is important as it induces an immune response against tumors (immunogenic lysis). In addition, the replication of the virus allows the expression of the genes carried by the oncolytic viral genome including therapeutic “weapons” that have been specifically designed to attack the tumor.
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