PITTSBURGH, PA, USA I November 10, 2022 I KaliVir Immunotherapeutics, Inc., a biotech company developing cutting-edge, multi-mechanistic oncolytic viral immunotherapy programs, today announced the presentation of data on its lead pre-clinical candidate VET3-TGI presented in a poster session at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunology of Cancer (SITC) in Boston, Massachusetts. VET3-TGI is based on KaliVir’s unique Vaccinia Enhanced Template (VET™) platform, capable of generating potent novel oncolytic vaccinia viruses with modifications to maximize viral replication and to enhance intravenous delivery and spread. VET3-TGI incorporates modifications granting the expression of CXCR3, IL-12 and a TGF-β inhibitor, allowing for efficient trafficking to the tumor, activation of anti-tumor immune responses and overcoming of local immunosuppressive activity.

Using multiple in vivo mouse tumor models, the functionality and therapeutic activity of VET3-TGI were tested and the mechanism of action and toxicity profile were explored. An approximate 1 log increase in the systemic delivery of the therapy was achieved through the expression of CXCR3, a level that was maintained in the face of pre-existing anti-viral immunity, marking VET3-TGI’s superior intravenous delivery potential. This systemic delivery resulted in between 60 to 90% complete responses in different immunocompetent mouse tumor models. Further analyses demonstrated profound changes in the immune profile within the tumor microenvironment subsequent to treatment with VET3-TGI.

“We are encouraged by the robust pre-clinical data, particularly with the verification of enhanced delivery to the tumor following IV injection, and efficacy in pre-immune mice,” said Stephen Thorne, PhD, CSO and co-founder of KaliVir. “Not only does this data demonstrate the power of KaliVir’s VET platform, it also shows that VET3-TGI, as our lead pre-clinical candidate, has the potential to effectively treat multiple different tumor types.”

About KaliVir Immunotherapeutics, Inc.

KaliVir Immunotherapeutics is a privately held biotech company developing cutting-edge, multi-mechanistic oncolytic viral immunotherapy programs. The company has developed a unique vaccinia virus-based platform, Vaccinia Enhanced Template “VET” Platform, that can generate potent novel oncolytic vaccinia viruses with modifications to maximize viral replication and to enhance intravenous delivery and spread. VET™ platform utilizes the large transgene capacity of the vaccinia virus to deliver therapeutics matched to tumor immunophenotypes to stimulate patients’ immune systems and modify the tumor microenvironment. KaliVir’s oncolytic virus candidates are designed to be safe, potent and systemically deliverable to treat cancer patients across multiple tumor types. KaliVir has separate collaborations with Roche and Astellas Pharma to design and generate novel oncolytic vaccinia viruses derived from the VET™ platform. In addition, Astellas entered into a world-wide exclusive license to develop and commercialize KaliVir’s initial lead clinical candidate VET2-L2 oncolytic vaccinia virus. KaliVir is currently advancing multiple therapeutic candidates toward the clinic. For more information, please visit www.kalivir.com.

SOURCE: KaliVir Immunotherapeutics