OncoMyx’s multi-armed myxoma virotherapy upregulates genes associated with immune response and shows modulation of the immune response to favor anti-tumor immunity
vMYX-hIL-12/Dec produces functional protein (hIL-12) from transgenes in vivo and in a dose and time responsive in vitro and has demonstrated anti-tumor efficacy in a xenograft human lung cancer model
Quantitative systems pharmacology modeling suggests IV administration of multi-armed myxoma virotherapy to fall within known safety margins at the planned doses of oncolytic immunotherapies
April 10, 2021 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time
PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–OncoMyx Therapeutics, a privately-held oncolytic immunotherapy company, today announced the presentation of three posters at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Virtual Annual Meeting I, taking place April 10-15, 2021. The data are the first to demonstrate that OncoMyx’s multi-armed myxoma virotherapy upregulates anti-tumor immune response pathways, expresses transgenes in a dose and time-dependent manner, and produces anti-tumor efficacy in a preclinical model of cancer following intravenous (IV) or intratumoral (IT) dosing. In addition, new data show that IV administration of myxoma virus produces minimal anti-myxoma antibodies in vivo in a preclinical model and falls within known safety margins of predicted cytokine exposure using quantitative in silico modeling.
Further data were also presented building upon data presented at SITC 2019 confirming that myxoma virus is oncolytic across a board range of human cancer cell lines in vitro, is efficacious in syngeneic models following IV or IT delivery, and carries and functionally produces multiple transgenes in vivo. One of OncoMyx’s myxoma virotherapies (vMYX-hIL-12/Dec), which is multi-armed with interleukin-12 (IL-12) and decorin (Dec), upregulates interferon-α (IFN-α), and IFN-γ, and IL-12 response pathways, which are associated with anti-tumor immune response. Previous data presented at SITC 2019 showed evidence that OncoMyx’s multi-armed myxoma virotherapy modulates tumor infiltrating lymphocytes populations, including increased CD8/Treg and M1/M2 macrophage ratios, to favor anti-tumor immunity and provides combinatorial efficacy with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
“We are steadfastly building a substantial amount of data supporting the safety and efficacy of our multi-armed myxoma virotherapy as an important oncolytic immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer,” said Leslie L. Sharp, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of OncoMyx. “These data presented over the last five months show myxoma virus can be constructed to stimulate anti-tumor immunity and produce anti-tumor efficacy in a wide range of models following IV or IT administration.”
“We believe that multi-armed viruses that are capable of IV delivery are what’s necessary to unlock the power of oncolytic immunotherapy, and it’s clear that not all viruses can balance this,” said Steve Potts, Ph.D., MBA, cofounder and chief executive officer of OncoMyx. “That’s why we’ve focused on the myxoma virus. It’s truly a unique virus that inherently has all the qualities that we can leverage to create a best-in-class, systemic, targeted oncolytic immunotherapy.”
The posters will be available for viewing in the virtual poster hall on Saturday, April 10, starting at 8:30 am ET and available for download on OncoMyx’s website. Details of the presentations are as follows:
- 1919: Prediction of systemic cytokine exposure in human after IV administration of oncolytic myxoma virus, using quantitative systems pharmacology modeling
- 1920: Armed oncolytic myxoma virus demonstrates transgene production, function, and therapeutic activity xenograft models
- 1921: Armed myxoma virus demonstrates transgene expression, efficacy, and immune system modulation in syngeneic tumor models
About Myxoma Virus and Oncolytic Immunotherapy
Oncolytic viruses selectively replicate in and lyse tumor cells and provide stimulation to the immune system, representing a promising therapeutic option in development to treat cancers that do not respond well to immune checkpoint inhibitors. As a large double-stranded DNA pox virus, myxoma is ideal for multi-armed, targeted, systemic oncolytic immunotherapy. Because the natural host of myxoma is a subset of rabbits and hares, it doesn’t have to overcome preexisting human immunity. While it is not pathogenic to humans, extensive research shows myxoma can selectively infect and kill a wide variety of human cancer types in vitro and in preclinical in vivo models. OncoMyx has specifically built multi-armed myxoma viruses with immunomodulatory proteins and payloads designed to stimulate anti-tumor immunity and deliver targeted cancer therapies. For more information, visit www.oncomyx.com/platform.
About OncoMyx Therapeutics
OncoMyx Therapeutics develops oncolytic immunotherapies based on the myxoma virus platform to orchestrate an immune response to better treat cancer. Successful immuno-oncology cancer treatment generally requires combination therapy, and oncolytic viruses have the potential to be a safe and effective complement to immunotherapies. The company’s myxoma platform, exclusively licensed from Arizona State University, is poised to be a best-in-class oncolytic virus approach. For more information, visit visit www.oncomyx.com.
Contacts
Corporate Contact:
Michael G. Wood
Cofounder, COO, and CFO
mw@oncomyx.com
Media Contact:
Jessica Yingling, Ph.D.
Little Dog Communications Inc.
jessica@litldog.com
+1.858.344.8091