Specific advantages of Oncovita measles platform:
- Unique specificity for cancer cells due to CD46 measles vaccine receptor overexpression on most cancer cells,
- Strong capacity of MVdeltaC to induce danger signals and immunogenic cell death related to the presence of high amounts of RIG-I agonists,
- Demonstrated safety with a human track record that no other virus platform has,
- Immuno-oncolytic mode of action and positive role of pre-existing memory,
- MVdeltaC is an RNA virus versatile plug-and-play platform with high cargo capacity,
- Large experience in manufacturing measles-derived viruses,
- Human proof-of-concept already demonstrated for measles virus by the Mayo Clinic team in several indications.
Oncovita has performed an exhaustive survey of the competitive landscape of oncolytic viruses under development. This analysis highlights more than 80 candidates at various stages of development. Despite this high number, most products are very similar and mainly DNA viruses (37 adenoviruses, 11 vaccinia viruses, 11 herpes viruses, 2 reovirus, 2 retroviruses). Other more “exotic” viruses like VSV, NDV, CMV, parvovirus, Maraba virus are also developed with no knowledge on their human safety.
The measles virus developed by Oncovita is totally different from herpes, adeno or vacciand is developed as an immuno-modulating virus that should act in humans by (i) specifically infecting the tumor cells, (ii) inducing an advantageous systemic recall of pre-existing measles immunity to participate to cancer cells killing, and (iii) protecting on the long term against tumor extension or spreading.
When using viruses to treat cancer, safety is of paramount importance for patients as well as for the risk of GMO dissemination in hospitals. In this regard, using measles vaccine-based treatment has a great advantage. The measles vaccine virus at the core of MVdeltaC has one of the highest safety records among vaccine viruses. It has been administered to over 3 billion children in the last 40 years with no significant reported accident. This vaccine virus is attenuated: it spreads very little inside the body due to limited cycles of replication and does not propagate outside administrated individuals, an ideal safety goal for an oncolytic virus. Most importantly, several products based on the measles virus platform developed at Institut Pasteur have already been successfully introduced into early and late clinical trials with excellent safety results (Ramsauer K et al, Lancet Inf.Dis., 2015, Reisinger et al, Lancet, 2018).
MVdeltaC has significant functional, safety, and IP advantages
While clinical trials from the Mayo Clinic provide solid proof of concept for measles virus-based cancer therapy both in term of safety and efficacy, MVdeltaC has several advantages over the MV evaluated by the Mayo Clinic. The deletion of the C gene results in enhanced ability to induce immunogenic cancer cells death, but incapacity to infect healthy cells, two desirable goals for an oncolytic virus. Moreover, MVdeltaC derives from the Schwarz vaccine strain of measles virus, the safest and most efficient measles vaccine globally approved for human use. This gives, besides the functional advantage, a major safety advantage. This platform is protected with a strong and recent patent(s) portfolio.