On May 5, 2016 Oncolytics Biotech Inc. ("Oncolytics" or the "Company") (TSX: ONC) (OTCQX: ONCYF) (FRA: ONY) reported a poster presentation by researchers, covering preclinical work in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck ("SCCHN"), is being made at the 2016 American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy ("ASGCT") annual meeting being held from May 4th to 7th, 2016 in Washington, DC (Filing, 6-K, Oncolytics Biotech, MAY 5, 2016, View Source [SID:1234512053]).

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"Preclinical work continues to play an important role in REOLYSIN’s further development," said Dr. Brad Thompson, President and CEO of Oncolytics. "We are evaluating REOLYSIN in combination with both established and emerging treatment options in a range of indications in order to determine which pairings merit clinical testing."

The abstract/poster is titled "The Potency of a Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor and REOLYSIN in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma," and was authored by Old, et al. The authors used the first FDA approved histone deacetylase inhibitor ("HDACi"), vorinostat (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid) ("SAHA"), in combination with REOLYSIN in vitro and in vivo. They had previously found a synergistic combination of SAHA and REOLYSIN in a nude mouse model. Preclinical models using oncolytics are often conducted in immunocompromised mice, negating the significant impact of the immune system. The data demonstrates that combination of reovirus plus SAHA therapy has significant activity in the treatment of SCCHN, even in an immunocompetent model and that immune system rebound likely plays a significant role in the long-term anti-tumor response.