The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently issued Pittsburgh-based KaliVir Immunotherapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing multimechanistic oncolytic viral immunotherapy programs, three new patents.
The patents cover novel modifications of the company’s oncolytic virus candidates to enhance tumor targeting, immune modulation and systemic delivery of oncolytic viruses. The candidates include VET3-TGI, a drug in a Phase 1/1b clinical trial for advanced solid tumors.
“With the granting of these patents, we believe we are garnering one of the most robust oncolytic viral immunotherapy portfolios,” Dr. Steve Thorne, KaliVir Immunotherapeutics chief scientific officer and co-founder, said. “The addition of these patents better protect our platform, strengthen our patent portfolio and underscore our commitment to innovation in cancer immunotherapy.”
KaliVir engineers create cancer treatment candidates by optimizing viral backbones. The company’s proprietary Vaccinia Enhanced Template platform allows for the systemic delivery of oncolytic vaccinia candidates and the targeted expression of therapeutic transgenes within tumors by integrating multiple genetic modifications. The company has formed strategic global partnerships with Astellas Pharma and Roche to expand the capabilities of the platform.
In addition to VET3-TGI, KaliVir’s internal lead candidate, the company has another drug undergoing Phase 1 clinical trials. ASP1012 has been exclusively licensed.