Oncovita and Institut Pasteur Launch Joint Cancer Immunotherapy and Vaccinology Lab
On May 29, 2024, Paris saw the inauguration of a new collaborative venture between Oncovita and the Institut Pasteur, focusing on innovative immunotherapeutic vaccines for cancer and prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases. This joint laboratory aims to design and develop vaccine candidates, bringing them to the proof-of-concept stage in humans.
Over the past several years, Oncovita and the Institut Pasteur have collaborated to create and develop new vaccines using MeasovirR technology, which leverages the measles vaccine virus. Oncovita’s leading candidate, MVdeltaC, is an immunotherapeutic treatment targeting solid tumors. This candidate has shown exceptional immunogenic oncolysis properties in various tumor models, such as mesothelioma, bladder cancer, and neuroblastoma. Efforts are ongoing to produce MVdeltaC according to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards to prepare for the first clinical trials. Additionally, other vaccine candidates are in preclinical evaluation stages, targeting HPV-induced cancers and other infectious diseases.
The joint laboratory will also explore research on viral defective interfering RNAs (DI-RNAs) created by modified recombinant measles viruses. Laboratory director Dr. Anastasia Komarova has demonstrated that modified measles platform viruses generate substantial amounts of these DI-RNAs, potentially leading to a new generation of therapeutic candidates.
Isabelle Buckle, Director of Research Applications and Industrial Relations at the Institut Pasteur, emphasized that this joint laboratory strengthens and sustains the existing collaboration with Oncovita. She noted that this collaboration has already yielded significant innovations and serves as an excellent model for "de-risking" scientific developments to bring solutions to patients. The involvement of Dr. Jean-François Le Bigot, founder of Citoxlab group and now Chairman of Oncovita, further underscores the ambitious strategy of this initiative.
Dr. Jean-François Le Bigot pointed out that the co-financed and co-directed laboratory provides access to France's leading potential in vaccinology research, both therapeutic and prophylactic. The promising applications in oncology are highlighted by the recent registration of two oncolytic virus-based products in the USA and Japan by pharmaceutical companies.
Professor Frédéric Tangy, Scientific Director of Oncovita and Co-Director of the joint laboratory, and the originator of the MeasovirR technology, regarded this as a new therapeutic class maturing in oncology. He stressed the importance of exploring synergies between oncolytic viruses and other treatments, like check-point inhibitors, to significantly enhance therapeutic efficacy and reduce toxicity, a critical factor in therapeutic protocols.
About Oncovita
Oncovita is a biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapeutic and prophylactic vaccines against various cancers and contagious diseases. Utilizing its proprietary MeasovirR technology platform, Oncovita modifies the genome of the measles vaccine virus to generate high-apoptotic immunogenic vaccine candidates. The company's mission encompasses taking its candidates from preclinical stages to clinical proof-of-concept.
In late 2023, Oncovita won the 'Innovations in Biotherapies and Bioproduction' call for projects under the France 2030 Health Innovation Plan, securing €4.5 million in funding from the France 2030 investment plan, managed by Bpifrance. Additionally, Oncovita raised €3.5 million from private investors, bringing the total funding to €8 million. This funding will support the development of the MVdeltaC immunotherapeutic vaccine for oncology applications.
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