On November 5, 2021 Calidi Biotherapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company at the forefront of stem cell-based delivery of oncolytic viruses, reported that its physician advisor, Maciej S. Lesniak, MD, Department Chair of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, will present at the upcoming International Oncolytic Virotherapy Conference (IOVC), which will be held in hybrid format November 5 through November 7, 2021, as both a virtual event and an in-person meeting in Sedona, AZ (Press release, Calidi Biotherapeutics, NOV 5, 2021, View Source [SID1234594661]).
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Dr. Lesniak’s presentation: "Neural Stem Cell Delivery of Oncolytic Virotherapy for Glioma," will focus on the use of stem cells for virotherapy of cancer, featuring clinical findings from a first-in-human, open-label, Phase 1, dose-escalation trial demonstrating strong safety and efficacy signals for the NSC-CRAd-S-pk7 product, which Calidi refers to as NeuroNova (NNV), in patients with newly diagnosed high-grade glioma. Results from the clinical trial are published in The Lancet Oncology (June 29, 2021).
"Malignant glioma has been historically associated with dismal survival rates due to a lack of effective treatment," said Maciej S. Lesniak, MD, Department Chair of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. "I’m eager to share the promising results of our recently completed Phase 1 trial examining the safety and activity of NeuroNova in patients with advanced glioma."
In June 2021, Calidi reached an exclusive license agreement with Dr. Lesniak’s team at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University—designating exclusive commercialization rights to Northwestern’s investigational new drug (IND) application and data generated from the clinical trial, as well as commercial development rights for stem-cell based products loaded with adenovirus. NNV is composed of an immortalized neural stem cell (NSC) line loaded with an engineered oncolytic adenovirus.
"Calidi’s continued collaboration with Dr. Lesniak has been critical to the development and clinical success of our NeuroNova platform," said Allan J. Camaisa, Chairman and CEO of Calidi Biotherapeutics.
Scheduled for Sunday, November 7, Dr. Lesniak’s presentation will occur during Scientific Session 9: Clinical Trials 3 of the IOVC. Hosted by the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper), the conference spans three days, with presentations from credentialed professionals in the following categories: Novel Payloads and Mechanisms of Action, Novel Combinations and Mechanisms of Action, Novel Platforms, and Clinical Trials. A full program schedule and complete list of invited speakers are available at asgct.org/events/iovc.