Oncorus®, Inc., Presents Preclinical Data on Next-Generation Oncolytic Virus Platform at American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2018 Annual Meeting

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Oncorus^®, Inc., a biotechnology company developing a next-generation immunotherapy platform of oncolytic viruses for the treatment of several tumor types, today announced that preclinical data on its oncolytic Herpes Simplex Virus (oHSV) immunotherapy platform will be presented at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) 2018 Annual Meeting to be held April 14-18, 2018 in Chicago, IL.

"Oncorus has an unmatched expertise and understanding of oncolytic viruses and immunotherapy. The preclinical data being presented at AACR validate how our next-generation oHSV immunotherapy platform has the potential to improve upon first-generation oncolytic viruses by providing superior oncolysis and stimulation of anti-tumor immunity while sparing healthy tissues by using our proprietary micro-RNA based attenuation," said Christophe Quéva, Ph.D., Oncorus' Chief Scientific Officer.

Abstracts are available on the AACR conference website at http://www.aacr.org. Information contained in the abstract was at the time of submission in November 2017. An updated data set will be presented at the AACR Annual Meeting in April.

Title: Abstract # 5929. MicroRNA Control of an oHSV Vector Allows for Robust Oncolysis and Selective Control of Viral Replication in Normal Tissues.

Presenter/Authors: Edward M. Kennedy, Terry Farkaly, Caitlin Goshert, Allison Colthart, Prajna Behera, Peter Grzesik, Kyle Grant, Michael Paglia, Paola Grandi, Christophe Quéva, Mitchell Finer and Lorena Lerner. Oncorus, Cambridge, MA.

Session: Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics, Title: Therapeutic Approaches Based on Gene Delivery and Vector System

Session date and time: Wednesday, April 18, 2018 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

• Oncorus's engineered oHSVs containing microRNA (miRNA)-binding cassettes (miR-T) in genes essential for viral replication selectively restrict viral replication to tumor cells vs. healthy tissues
• Results showed that insertion of miR-T cassettes in viral genes effectively attenuates oHSV replication in normal human cells, and most importantly, robust oncolysis was retained in cancer cells
• These results support extending the miR-T paradigm to multiple viral genes with diverse miRNA targets, thus expanding the protection of normal tissues and facilitating the application of micro-RNA attenuated oHSV to the treatment of multiple malignancies

Title: Abstract #4698. ONCR-1, a novel Herpes Simplex Virus expressing MMP9 and ULBP3 transgenes, evokes potent oncolysis and development of anti-tumor immune responses

Presenter/Authors: Alexandra Hicks, Paola Grandi, Michael Paglia, Jingzang Miu, Cecilia Kwong, Jacqueline Gursha, Michael Ball, Weiguo Yao, Daniel Wambua, Terry Farkaly, Kyle Grant, Laura Viggiano Salta, Lorenz Ponce, Joseph Glorioso, Christophe Quéva and Mitchell Finer. Oncorus, Cambridge, MA.

Session: Category: Immunology, Title: Immunomodulatory Agents and interventions 2

Session date and time: Tuesday, April 17, 2018 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

• This proof-of-concept study evaluated ONCR-1, a novel oHSV that utilizes a unique conditional-lethal strategy in which miR-124 binding sites are inserted into the ICP4 locus to prevent viral replication in neuronal cells while preserving one copy of the g34.5 gene and enabling potent cytotoxicity in tumor cells
• In human and murine tumor models in vitro, Oncorus demonstrated that ONCR-1 evoked potent anti-tumor efficacy in injected tumors and NK and T-cell dependent abscopal effect in non-injected tumors. Mice whose tumors completely regressed after ONCR-1 injection were resistant to tumor rechallenge
• The results support Oncorus's oHSV platform by demonstrating potent oncolysis, immune stimulation and a therapeutic window in a glioblastoma tumor model

About Oncorus, Inc.
Oncorus, Inc., is a biotechnology company developing a portfolio of next-generation immunotherapy products, leveraging its proprietary oncolytic Herpes viruses platform, to treat several types of cancer, including highly malignant and aggressive cancers, based upon the work of renowned scientists Joseph Glorioso III, Ph.D., and Paola Grandi, Ph.D., from the University of Pittsburgh. A leader in corporate philanthropy, Oncorus has taken a pledge to donate a portion of product sales to fund promising cancer research and to support cancer care in the developing world. The company is located in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Visit www.oncorus.com for more information.

CONTACT: Kathy Vincent; (310) 403-8951; kathy@kathyvincent.com