SIGA Technologies, INC., a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the health security market, today announced that it entered into a collaboration with Bioarchitech.
The research collaboration will investigate TPOXX® (tecovirimat) in combination with Bioarchitech’s proprietary vaccinia-based immunotherapy platform in preclinical studies. This platform utilises engineered antibodies and other proteins expressed within the genome of an oncolytic virus. Cancer cells infected by the vaccinia virus release these potent immunotherapy molecules into the tumour where they orchestrate the destruction of malignant cells using the patient’s immune system.
Bioarchitech has been a BioEscalator resident since June 2019. The company is developing innovative oncolytic viruses and co-therapies to overcome the challenges of using immunotherapy to treat common cancers. It is doing this by developing potent transgenes encoded within the vaccinia virus designed to prime anti-tumour immune responses. Bioarchitech is backed by a syndicate of private investors and has collaborations underway with innovative biotechnology companies to meet the challenges of cancer. It has recently transitioned from an Innovation Lab bench to its own lab space and the team has been steadily growing.
The vision of definitive treatment for cancer by harnessing the power of the immune system is gradually coming into view through the combination of oncolytic viruses with immune mediators. Vaccinia virus offers unique advantages because of its ability to carry a large payload and target a wide variety of tumour types. We are excited about the prospect of using TPOXX to enable the delivery of larger doses which is critical for the effective use of new oncolytic therapies. - Prof Geoff Hale, Managing Director of Bioarchitech
TPOXX has the potential as a powerful tool to better enable the success of vaccinia-based immunotherapies.TPOXX, a potent antiviral drug to vaccinia, could potentially increase the immunotherapeutic effect of such therapies by allowing the safe use of higher doses of vaccinia vectors. We are pleased to enter into this collaboration with Bioarchitech, an innovator of next-generation cancer immunotherapies.
- Dr Phil Gomez, CEO of SIGA