On February 19, 2025 Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCY) (TSX: ONC), a leading clinical-stage company specializing in immunotherapy for oncology, reported to make good progress in 2025 with key regulatory and clinical advancements, reinforcing pelareorep’s potential in hard-to-treat cancers (Press release, Oncolytics Biotech, FEB 19, 2025, View Source [SID1234650391]). Oncolytics is pleased to highlight two significant developments for its immunotherapy, pelareorep: the safety and regulatory clearance to advance enrollment in its pancreatic cancer study and the recent presentation of new efficacy and safety data at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in late January.

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"We’re hitting critical milestones that validate our progress and set the stage for what we believe will be an exciting year," said Wayne Pisano, Interim CEO and Chair of Oncolytics’ Board of Directors. "With positive feedback from regulators in place, we’re advancing our pancreatic cancer study toward full enrollment, and our ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) GI presentations highlighted pelareorep’s strong safety and efficacy results in two hard-to-treat cancers. We remain focused on bringing new treatment options to patients while creating value for shareholders as we move forward in 2025."

German Regulatory Agency Gives Green Light for Pancreatic Cancer Study to Continue as Planned

Approval to Fully Enroll the Cohort Secured: Germany’s Paul-Ehrlich-Institute (PEI) has given Oncolytics the go-ahead to continue enrolling patients in its pancreatic cancer trial (GOBLET Cohort 5) after a positive safety review.
What This Means: Pelareorep, in combination with modified FOLFIRINOX with and without atezolizumab, is now progressing toward full enrollment, with 30 patients set to participate in Stage 1 across the two treatment arms.
Next Steps: Oncolytics will continue to collect safety data, and an initial efficacy readout is expected later this year.
ASCO GI 2025 Data Confirms Pelareorep’s Potential in Pancreatic and Anal Cancers

At ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) GI 2025, Oncolytics presented new clinical results demonstrating pelareorep’s potential in two challenging cancer types:

Anal Cancer: Patients receiving pelareorep + atezolizumab continue to show stronger responses than expected based on published studies with checkpoint inhibitors alone.
Pancreatic Cancer: Pelareorep previously demonstrated a strong efficacy signal when administered with gemcitabine, nab-paclitaxel, and atezolizumab. The most recent data supports a favorable safety profile when combining pelareorep with a different chemotherapy regimen (modified FOLFIRINOX) with and without the checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab, potentially expanding its treatment applications.
Why This Matters: These findings further de-risk pelareorep’s development and could pave the way for larger registration-enabling clinical trials in these indications.

Looking Ahead: More Catalysts in 2025

Oncolytics is entering a pivotal year with multiple upcoming milestones, including:

Additional data readouts from ongoing trials in gastrointestinal cancers, including translational results that further characterize pelareorep’s mechanism of action.
Interactions with Regulatory Agencies that could accelerate future trials and move pelareorep closer to potential registration-enabling studies in breast cancer and gastrointestinal cancers.
"We’re seeing clinical validation across multiple studies," added Pisano. "With encouraging regulatory interactions in hand and data readouts ahead, 2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Oncolytics and our investors. As we have shown in GOBLET, BRACELET-1, and numerous previous studies, pelareorep has a favorable safety profile and efficacy signals across multiple indications with a high unmet need. We are excited about the potential for moving to a registration-enabling study in breast cancer and advancing our clinical program in gastrointestinal cancers."

About GOBLET

The GOBLET (Gastrointestinal tumOrs exploring the treatment comBinations with the oncolytic reovirus peLarEorep and anTi-PD-L1) study is a phase 1/2 multiple indication study in advanced or metastatic gastrointestinal tumors. The study is being conducted at 17 centers in Germany and is being managed by AIO-Studien-gGmbH. The co-primary endpoints of the study are objective response rate (ORR) and/or disease control rate and safety. Key secondary and exploratory endpoints include additional efficacy assessments and evaluation of potential biomarkers. Favorable safety and positive clinical efficacy signals have been seen in the pancreatic and anal cancer cohorts.

About GOBLET Cohort 5

The modified FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX) cohort of the Phase 1/2 GOBLET study is designed to evaluate newly diagnosed metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients treated with pelareorep + mFOLFIRINOX with or without atezolizumab. A three-patient safety run-in was incorporated to evaluate the safety and tolerability of each treatment arm: pelareorep + mFOLFIRINOX + atezolizumab and pelareorep + mFOLFIRINOX. A total of fifteen evaluable patients will be randomized to each arm in Stage 1 of this Simon two-stage study. The co-primary endpoints are objective response rate and safety. If Stage 1 success criteria are met, one or both treatment arms may be expanded to Stage 2, in which 17 additional evaluable patients per arm will be enrolled. Blood and tumor samples will also be collected for translational evaluations.

On February 19, 2025 Epitopea, a transatlantic cancer immunotherapeutics company developing accessible, off-the-shelf RNA-based immunotherapies, reported a license and research collaboration agreement with MSD (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA) to identify CryptigenTM tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) in an undisclosed solid tumor (Press release, Epitopea, FEB 19, 2025, View Source [SID1234650375]). CryptigenTM TSAs are shared, non-mutated, aberrantly expressed antigens that are derived from what were thought to be non-coding regions of the genome or "junk DNA".

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Under the terms of the agreement, Epitopea will deploy its proprietary CryptoMapTM platform to identify and provide novel, immunogenic CryptigenTM TSAs for a prespecified tumor type. MSD will have the exclusive right to develop and commercialize therapeutics derived from the collaboration. In return Epitopea will receive an undisclosed upfront payment and is eligible for milestone payments with the potential to total up to $300 million per product.

"Epitopea has been at the forefront of identifying CryptigenTM TSAs, whose intratumor shared nature across patients has made them ideal targets for the development of off-the-shelf immunotherapies," commented Alan C. Rigby, Epitopea’s CEO. "At Epitopea we continue to accelerate the development of our preclinical pipeline as we transition to a clinical-stage company on the ‘heels’ of our recent, oversubscribed, pre-Series A financing. We believe that this strategic collaborative relationship with MSD, a leader in immunotherapy therapeutic development, provides us with an additional opportunity to validate the potential impact of these differentiated tumor specific antigens. We are thrilled to collaborate with MSD as our teams collectively look to impact the lives of patients with cancer by helping to improve outcomes."

"Despite the remarkable progress made in cancer treatment over the past decade, more therapeutic options are needed," said George Addona, senior vice president, discovery, preclinical development and translational medicine, Merck Research Laboratories. "We continue to explore new ways to build upon our strong foundation in immuno-oncology and look forward to collaborating with the Epitopea team."

"Having supported the company since its formation, we are thrilled that Epitopea’s next-generation antigen discovery platform will be leveraged in this license and research collaboration agreement with MSD, a leading biopharmaceutical company in the immuno-oncology space. This partnership provides strong validation for Epitopea’s unique capabilities and the potential to help develop breakthrough immunotherapies for cancer patients with the highest unmet need," added Michael Anstey, Partner at Cambridge Innovation Capital.

On February 19, 2025 Boehringer Ingelheim reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Priority Review to its new drug application for zongertinib (BI 1810631) for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have HER2 (ERBB2) mutations and who have received prior systemic therapy (Press release, Boehringer Ingelheim, FEB 19, 2025, View Source [SID1234650392]). The FDA grants Priority Review to applications for drugs that would offer significant improvements in the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of serious conditions, with action expected within six months compared to 10 months under standard review. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date is in the third quarter of 2025.

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"We believe zongertinib has the potential to transform the care of previously treated patients with HER2 (ERBB2)-mutant advanced non-small cell lung cancer and are hopeful about the continued research in other tumor types and lines of therapy," said Shashank Deshpande, Member of the Board of Managing Directors and Head of Human Pharma at Boehringer Ingelheim. "Priority Review illustrates the urgent need in this patient population and the possibility for zongertinib to be a groundbreaking innovation for patients with limited treatment options."

The application was based on results from the positive Phase Ib Beamion LUNG-1 trial. Data from Cohort 1 (N=75) of the study demonstrated an objective response rate (ORR) of 71% with six-month progression-free survival (PFS) and duration of response (DoR) rates of 69% and 73%, respectively, in patients with mutations in the HER2 tyrosine kinase domain.

Zongertinib had a safety profile with a low incidence of dose reductions (5%) and treatment discontinuations (3%). The majority of treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) with zongertinib were mild in nature with diarrhea and rash being the most common all grade TRAEs, at 51% and 27% respectively. No new safety signals were observed. Grade 3 or higher TRAEs occurred in one patient treated with zongertinib. No treatment-related interstitial lung disease (ILD) cases were reported.

"Personalized medicine has revolutionized cancer treatment," said GO2 for Lung Cancer’s Chief Scientific Officer, Courtney Granville. "Early screening and biomarker testing for mutations provide critical information to guide targeted therapies in personalized medicine. This filing acceptance represents a significant step toward offering another option for individuals with a HER2 (ERBB2) diagnosis, bringing hope and direction to cancer patients."

Zongertinib was previously granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation and Fast Track Designation by the FDA. The FDA’s Breakthrough Therapy designation is intended to expedite the development and review of a medicine that is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease, and preliminary clinical evidence indicates the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over available treatments. The FDA’s Fast Track program is designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need. In addition to the FDA designations, Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency recently granted Orphan Drug Designation to zongertinib.

About the Beamion clinical trial program
Beamion LUNG-1 (NCT04886804) is an open-label, Phase I dose escalation trial, with dose confirmation and expansion, of zongertinib as monotherapy in people with unresectable or metastatic solid tumors with HER2 (ERBB2) alterations. Beamion LUNG-2 is a Phase III, open label, randomized, active-controlled study that is enrolling patients with unresectable or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring HER2 (ERBB2) tyrosine kinase domain mutations to evaluate zongertinib compared with standard of care.

About zongertinib
Zongertinib (also known as BI 1810631) is an investigational, irreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that selectively inhibits HER2 (ERBB2) while sparing EGFR, thereby limiting associated toxicities. This orally administered, targeted treatment is being developed for HER2 (ERRB2)-mutant advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and additional clinical studies with zongertinib are ongoing in solid tumors with HER2 alterations.

About non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
Lung cancer claims more lives than any other cancer type and the incidence is set to increase to over 3 million cases worldwide by 2040.ii NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer.iii Due to a lack of symptoms and misdiagnoses,iv most patients diagnosed with NSCLC present at stage III or IV, where the disease has metastasized locally or to other organs.v Fewer than 3 in 10 patients are alive five years after a diagnosis of HER2 (ERBB2)-mutant advanced NSCLC.vi People living with advanced NSCLC can experience a detrimental physical, psychological, and emotional impact on their daily lives. There remains a high unmet need for additional treatment options for people living with advanced NSCLC. HER2 (ERBB2) mutations occur in approximately 2–4% of NSCLC cases and are associated with a poor prognosis and higher incidence of brain metastases.vii,viii Mutations in HER2 (ERBB2) can lead to overexpression and overactivation, which can in turn result in uncontrolled cell production, inhibition of cell death and promotion of tumor growth and spread.

On February 19, 2025 Genmab A/S (Nasdaq: GMAB) reported that its Chief Financial Officer Anthony Pagano and Chief Development Officer Judith Klimovsky will participate in a fireside chat at the 45th Annual TD Cowen Health Care Conference in Boston, Massachusetts at 1:50 PM EST (7:50 PM CET) on March 3, 2025 (Press release, Genmab, FEB 19, 2025, View Source [SID1234650376]). A webcast of the fireside chat will be available on Genmab’s website at View Source

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On February 19, 2025 Pusan national university reported that Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent types of cancer and has a high mortality rate globally (Press release, Pusan National University, FEB 19, 2025, View Source [SID1234650393]). Oral administration of anticancer drugs that pass through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract into the colorectum is a common strategy to deliver drugs in CRC treatment. However, this approach presents distinct challenges: most of these drugs lack target-specificity, leading to off-target side effects; these drugs get easily adsorbed onto the microvilli structure of the small intestinal epithelium, resulting in premature drug loss; and systemic drug absorption reduces CRC-targeted drug delivery. These challenges result in insufficient drug accumulation in the tumor cells and reduce the therapeutic efficiency of CRC treatment. Therefore, an innovative drug delivery strategy is urgently needed to ensure localized, precise CRC therapy.

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To address these challenges, a team of researchers led by Prof. Jin-Wook Yoo from Pusan National University, Republic of Korea, developed a unique drug delivery strategy for CRC therapy. In their exciting work, they proposed a drug delivery strategy by enclosing CRC cell-activated nanoconjugates (CTNCs) inside an alginate (Alg) matrix for highly specific and localized drug release. Prof. Yoo explains, "The main aim of this study is to develop CTNCs-in-alginate (Alg/ CTNCs) by synthesizing a hyaluronic acid (HA)-Poly (D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)-irinotecan (IRI) copolymer (HPI), followed by self-assembly for nanoconjugate formation and incorporation into an alginate matrix for highly CRC-specific oral drug delivery that bypasses the systemic circulation". This paper was made available online on 3rd January 2025 and to be published in Volume 505 of the Chemical Engineering Journal on 1st February 2025.

The alginate matrix transitions from a solution-like form to a gel-like form when exposed to the harsh acidic environment of the stomach and intestine, and shields the nanoconjugates, thus suppressing premature drug loss. Upon exposure to the basic pH in the colorectum, it converts back to the solution-like form, and deshields the nanoconjugates, thus delivering the CTNCs to the target tumor cells. The deshielded CTNCs readily interact with the CD44 receptor on the tumor cells via the HA ligand of CTNCs. Once the CTNCs are selectively internalized by CRC cells, the intracellular esterase of the tumor cells cleaves irinotecan from the HPI copolymer, ensuring highly target-specific drug release in vitro and in vivo. Prof. Yoo further explains their results, "The sol-gel transition in the stomach aids in shielding the CTNCs from unwanted interactions with the small intestine epithelium, resulting in facilitated passage and minimized IRI loss before reaching the colorectum. Additionally, completely deshielded CTNCs can be selectively internalized by CRC cells, followed by cancer esterase-triggered drug release within CRC cells, resulting in potent local anticancer effects without systemic side effects".

This study presents the successful development of a potential orally administrable drug delivery system that can bypass systemic circulation and precisely target CRC by leveraging the sol-gel-sol transition of alginate in the GI tract. "These findings highlight the potential of reversible shielding/deshielding and target cell-activated drug releasing strategies for the highly selective oral delivery of various therapeutics, such as small molecules, antibodies, and nucleic acid-based drugs, to disease sites in the colorectum", Prof. Yoo adds. The proposed drug delivery strategy can also be extended to treat other colorectum-specific diseases, such as ulcerative colitis.

Reference
Title of original paper: On-site sol-gel-sol transition of alginate enables reversible shielding/ deshielding of tumor cell-activated nanoconjugates for precise local colorectal cancer therapy
Journal: Chemical Engineering Journal
DOI: View Source