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· Targovax retains the right to develop and commercialize novel drug
candidates emerging from the pre-clinical collaboration
Oslo, Norway 10 February 2021 - Targovax ASA (OSE: TRVX), a clinical stage
immuno-oncology company developing immune activators to target hard-to-treat
solid tumors, today announces that it has entered into a research collaboration
agreement with Papyrus Therapeutics to assess the potential of combining their
respective proprietary technology platforms to develop a first-in-class
oncolytic virus concept with RTK inhibitor functionality.
Papyrus Therapeutics, Inc. (West Chester, PA, USA) is an emerging biopharma
company developing novel tumor suppressor therapies. Papyrus´s lead therapeutic
is a modified, recombinant version of Opioid Binding Protein/Cell Adhesion
Molecule-like (OPCML), which is an extra-cellular, upstream regulator of RTK
activity. OPCML is a broadly acting tumor suppressor that is epigenetically
silenced in many cancers, leading to tumor invasion and metastasis through
deregulation of apoptosis, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and
cellular migration. Classic RTK inhibition using small molecules has proven
highly effective in many cancers, but treatment resistance remains a significant
challenge. Delivery of OPCML can overcome this challenge by reconstituting
normal RTK signaling in the tumor.
Under the agreement, Targovax and Papyrus will run a joint pre-clinical research
project to evaluate the technical feasibility and anti-cancer activity of
combining the ONCOS oncolytic virus platform and recombinant OPCML technology.
Targovax retains an exclusive option to develop and commercialize novel ONCOS
-OPCML drug candidates emerging from the pre-clinical research collaboration.
Dr. Paul Blake, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Papyrus Therapeutics
said: “We are excited by the potential of including our modified, recombinant
OPCML with the clinically validated ONCOS platform, thereby extending the scope
of our tumor suppression strategy to adenoviral gene therapy. Targovax has
demonstrated the broad immunomodulatory power of their oncolytic immunotherapy
in a variety of solid tumors, and we believe this serves as an ideal environment
to reconstitute the extra-cellular tumor suppressor capabilities of OPCML”.
Dr. Victor Levitsky, Chief Scientific Officer of Targovax added: “The tumor
deploys two core strategies to avoid detection by the immune system and to
enable it to grow and spread; local immunosuppression and inhibition of
biochemical processes that prevent cellular migration and invasion into
surrounding healthy tissue. By combining ONCOS and OPCML we can deal with both
of these issues in parallel, and thereby establish a first-in-class
immunotherapy concept that couples the power of oncolytic adenoviruses with the
clinically validated principle of RTK inhibition.”
For further information, please contact:
Renate Birkeli, Investor Relations
Phone: +47 922 61 624
Email: renate.birkeli@targovax.com
Media enquires:
Andreas Tinglum - Corporate Communications (Norway)
Phone: +47 9300 1773
Email: andreas.tinglum@corpcom.no
IR enquires:
Kim Sutton Golodetz - LHA Investor Relations (US)
Email: kgolodetz@lhai.com
Phone: +1 212-838-3777
About Targovax
Activating the patient’s immune system to fight cancer
Targovax (OSE:TRVX) is a clinical stage immuno-oncology company developing
immune activators to target hard-to-treat solid tumors. Targovax aims to unlock
greater clinical benefits in cancer patients by deploying multifunctional
platforms to target key immune regulators and oncogenic drivers. Targovax’s
focus is to “activate the patient’s immune system to fight cancer”, thus
extending and transforming the lives of cancer patients with targeted
therapeutic cancer immunotherapies. The Group’s pipeline aims at different
cancer indications, including melanoma, mesothelioma and colorectal cancer. The
products are designed to harness the patient’s own immune system to fight the
cancer, whilst also delivering a favorable safety and tolerability profile.
Further, the products are well positioned for combinations with other treatment
approaches, including other immunotherapies, surgery, radiation and
chemotherapy.Targovax’s lead product candidate, ONCOS-102, is a genetically
modified oncolytic adenovirus, which has been engineered to selectively infect
cancer cells and activate the immune system to fight the cancer. ONCOS-102 is
currently being tested in mesothelioma, melanoma and colorectal cancer and has
already shown promising clinical results both as monotherapy and in combination
with chemotherapy, and a checkpoint inhibitor.
About Papyrus Therapeutics, Inc. Papyrus is a privately held emerging pre
-clinical stage biopharma company developing a portfolio of cancer therapeutics
focused on a novel target, Opioid Binding Protein / Cell Adhesion Molecule
-like (OPCML), in areas of high unmet medical need. OPCML is a tumor suppressor
gene that is silenced epigenetically in many cancers and this allows disease
progression through deregulation of apoptosis, epithelial-to mesenchymal
transition (EMT), cell adhesion, migration, invasion and metastasis. The company
is the global leader in the understanding and development of therapeutics based
on recombinant OPCML, including biotherapeutics and cell technologies. Papyrus’
deep expertise and understanding of this target and pathways is based on many
years of research and multiple publications by the company’s Co-Founder and
Scientific Advisor Professor Hani Gabra. Papyrus is based in Pennsylvania, USA
and in Oxford, UK. www.papyrustherapeutics.com
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