Thomas Heineman, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer at Oncolytics, commented, "A review of the AWARE-1 study translational data presented at this year's SABCS and previous scientific conferences demonstrates that pelareorep treatment, especially in combination with atezolizumab, results in:
an increase in CelTIL score, which correlates with improved clinical outcomes in breast cancer
increased CD8+ T cell infiltration into tumors
the generation and expansion of T cell clones, especially TILs
the upregulation of tumor PD-L1 expression
These findings confirm that pelareorep remodels the tumor microenvironment and stimulates tumor-directed immune responses, effects we believe are driven by the introduction of pelareorep's double-stranded RNA into cancer cells."