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Stephen Thorne, Co-Founder and CSOTo take the effectiveness of oncolytic viruses a notch higher, many innovative biopharmaceutical companies are genetically modifying the viruses and enhancing the capabilities of precisely targeting cancer cells in patients. Bearing the torch in this endeavor is KaliVir Immunotherapeutics—a biopharmaceutical company that is revolutionizing viral immunotherapy by creating oncolytic viruses that can kill cancer cells while significantly minimizing damage to healthy cells.
The roots of this fast-rising name in the industry can be traced back to Stephen Thorne (a maven in viral immunotherapeutics) and Helena Chaye (a business expert with extensive knowledge in the biotechnology sector). The symbiosis of their expertise became the foundation of KaliVir, through which they began developing systemically deliverable oncolytic virus immunotherapies. “Our oncolytic virus immunotherapies combine the natural ability of viruses to kill cancer cells with proprietary mechanisms to stimulate anti-tumor immunity, modify tumor environment, and maximize targeted killing across all tumor types,” says Helena Chaye, CEO of KaliVir.
Among the company’s robust immunotherapy offerings, the one that stands out most is the vaccinia enhanced template (VET) platform— based on a potent oncolytic virus with multiple proprietary genetic modifications that enable the creation of multiple versions of the virus based on distinctive requirements.
Interestingly, the immunotherapeutic capabilities offered by the VET are further complemented by the KaliVir team’s extensive expertise in the industry. The company’s leadership, especially, possesses decades of experience in preclinical and translational development of novel cancer immunotherapies, including immune cell-based therapies, oncolytic viral therapies, and gene therapies. Even the rest of the workforce comes from a robust biopharmaceutical background, strengthening KaliVir’s foothold at the pinnacle of the industry.
With strong leadership at the helm and a motivated workforce driving KaliVir, the company is certainly making waves in the biopharmaceutical space. Even now, it is developing new product candidates in conjunction with renowned pharma partners. Although KaliVir’s product candidates created through VET are in the early stages of pre-clinical studies, the company expects to bring them to clinical development stage next year. “For the later stages of development, we will collaborate with a pharmaceutical partner and streamline the commercialization process,” notes Helena. What’s more? While focusing on the pre-clinical stages of its candidates, the company will bolster its efforts to get its products into clinics to deliver more personalized oncolytic virus therapies for cancer patients. “Our mission is to ensure a healthier tomorrow by helping destroy every cancer cell in patients with our viruses and ultimately finding a safer and sustainable cure for cancer,” conclude Helena and Stephen with conviction.
Our oncolytic virus immunotherapies combine the natural ability of viruses to kill cancer cells with proprietary mechanisms to stimulate anti-tumor immunity, modify tumor environment, and maximize targeted killing across all tumor types
Company
KaliVir Immunotherapeutics
Management
Stephen Thorne, Co-Founder and CSO
Description
KaliVir Immunotherapeutics was founded in 2019 to pioneer a unique and novel approach to cancer treatment that engages a virus’ natural ability to replicate in and kill cancer cells. This modality is known as oncolytic viral immunotherapy. KaliVir’s cutting-edge, next generation oncolytic viral immunotherapy programs combine technologies developed in-house and licensed from University of Pittsburgh’s world-class oncolytic virus and immunotherapy research programs.
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PITTSBURGH: KaliVir Immunotherapeutics, Inc., a biotech company developing cutting-edge, multi-mechanistic oncolytic viral immunotherapy programs, today announced clearance of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a Phase 1 clinical study of ASP1012 in participants with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors.
Discovered and developed by Kalivir and licensed to Astellas Pharma Inc. in December 2020, ASP1012 (formerly named VET2-L2) is a systemic oncolytic vaccinia virus therapy in which the virus is delivered intravenously and expresses Leptin-IL2 fusion protein as a therapeutic payload. The trial is expected to begin in Q1 2024.
“ASP1012 was the first candidate built from our unique Vaccinia Enhanced Template (VET™) platform and we are thrilled to reach this important milestone,” said Steve Thorne, Ph.D, Chief Scientific Officer and founder of Kalivir. “Our partnership with Astellas underscores our mission to bring critical cancer therapies to patients and we look forward to continued collaborations.”
“Immuno-oncology is a core focus of the Astellas R&D strategy and enriching our pipeline with the oncolytic virus ASP1012 is a testament to our commitment to provide new options to treat cancers where there are no effective treatment options,” said Peter Sandor, M.D., MBA, Senior Vice President and Primary Focus Lead, Immuno-Oncology, Astellas. “The combination of KaliVir’s expertise in oncolytic viruses and Astellas’ drug development capabilities has been a great partnership and it’s exciting to see the collaboration move forward in this way, bringing us one step closer to developing an immuno-oncology therapy for patients.”