Oncolytics Biotech Inc T.ONC

RE:RE:RE:RE:Breast cancer treatment: perspectives on the oncolytic virus

[Noteable]

"TNBCs have the highest levels of TILs, expression of immune evasion molecules in a tumor microenvironment such as PD-L1, and the most genomic instability compared with other breast cancer subtypes, which consequently makes it an immunogenic disease. Recently, results from several clinical studies showed that immune checkpoint inhibitors alone or in combination with a backbone (chemotherapy-induced) had strong clinical activity in patients with metastatic TNBC, supporting their use in early settings. 

Hormone receptor-positive breast cancers are considered ‘cold’ tumors due to their lower levels of TILs, higher tumor mutational burden, PD-L1, and human leukocyte antigen expression compared with other breast tumor subtypes."

What ONCY's pelareorep has demonstrated to be able to effectively do is to increase the CD8+ CelTils complex in the blood,, enhance the creation of new and existing TiLs, prime the immune system and remodel the tumor microenvironment (TME) for the subsequent addition of an immune checkpoint inhibitor.   

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8640314/

In December 2023 ONCY released an update stating that“Translational data presented from the AWARE-1 study at SABCS showed that pelareorep induced the expansion of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, or TILs, in matched tumor biopsy and peripheral blood samples of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. In addition, sequencing of the T cell receptors (TCRs) showed a more prominent expansion of existing TIL clones in the blood."

“Taken together, these translational data affirm pelareorep’s ability to enhance T cell infiltration into tumors and expand TILs in the peripheral blood, which have been correlated with tumor response. We intend to incorporate these learnings into the designs of our registrational studies in metastatic breast cancer and pancreatic cancer.”

"Key objectives of the study were to confirm that pelareorep is acting as a novel immunotherapy, to evaluate potential synergy between pelareorep and checkpoint blockade, and to collect biomarker data. The primary endpoint of the translational study was overall CelTIL score (a measurement of cellularity and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes). Secondary endpoints for the study included safety and tumor and blood-based biomarkers. AWARE-1 met its primary endpoint of overall CelTIL score in 2021 (link to the PR, link to the poster). Additional biomarker data announced in 2022 showed pelareorep’s potential to improve the prognosis of breast cancer patients (link to the PR, link to the poster)."

https://oncolyticsbiotech.com/press_releases/oncolytics-biotech-and-solti-present-positive-translational-data-at-sabcs/